Namlish

Many of my friends and family have already noted my British spelling, rather than American English spelling, of common words; and my use of the 24-hour clock for time/reference. Here are a few fun/interesting notes on Namibian “English” terms.

Cool Drink: Soda/Pop
Shebeen/Cuca Shop: Bar
Tekkies: Tennis Shoes/Sneakers
Robot: Traffic Light

Hot Stuff; Hooligan Juice: Liquor

Bakkie: Pick-up Truck/SUV (Car with a cab)

Kombi: mini-bus/mini-van

Rubber: pencil eraser
Elastic: rubber band
Footing: walking

Soapie: soap opera
Learner: student in grades K-12 (the term student is for university)

Tuckshop: store on school premises where things are sold (pens, pencils, sweets)

Sweets: candy

Not as fun, still interesting:
Location/Township: area where Blacks were forced to live during apartheid, usually high density

Requesting office supplies from the Ministry of Education procurement officer is always an ordeal because we use different terms for many of the items.