Word of the Day [03 Jul 2026]

Cairo

Egypt's sprawling capital on the Nile, home to ancient pyramids and modern urban life.


Cairo's Khan el-Khalili bazaar has been trading since the 14th century.

Nkabi

A Zulu term for an assassin or hitman (a person hired to kill another person or a group of people), very popular in the KwaZulu Natal province.


They hired inkabi to kill him but he survived.

Ovwata

In Urhobo kingdom ovwata meaning: Righteousness


This man is an upright man (ovwata ) righteousness


K-leg

K-leg is a Nigerian Pidgin term for when a situation or topic is either suspicious or untrue.


You sure of dis tin wey you dey talk so? Dis matter get k-leg.

Titty Tuesday

Titty Tuesday is celebrated every Tuesday. This is the day of the week where girls send titty (boobs) pictures to guys they like.


Happy Titty Tuesday to all the girls out there.


419 fraud

A scam that typically involves promising the victim a significant share of a large sum of money, in return for a small up-front payment, which the fraudster claims will be used to obtain the large sum


419 fraud has increased significantly in recent years.

Cape Flats

The term Cape Flats refers to a flat, sandy stretch of land which is located on the outskirts of the city of Cape Town. It has been accurately described as the "dumping ground of apartheid" and it is here that people of colour (non-whites in "old South Africa" language) were relocated to in terms of the infamous Group Areas Act.


I am from the Cape Flats where we hear gunshots every night.


Gun Dubula

A Gun Dubula is a person in Kasi who carries a gun and shoots people (trigger happy).


Do you remember that Gun Dubula who jumped the school fence and shot a rival gang member who was writing exams?

Inja

Inja is a Nguni term for a dog.


Lo mjita yinja. This guy is a dog.


K-word

A racist slur used to refer to black people in South Africa. It is shortened from Kaffir.


It is a crime to use the K-word in South Africa.

amatile-tile

Xhosa plural for stratagems. It is actually just amatile. Singular is itile. The ti is pronounced like English tea and le as in French. From the Sanskrit kutila which appear in Xhosa as ukutila.


My car broke down on the way, I had to make amatile-tile to get here.




© 2020 Africtionary®