| Idioom: SKILPADVERE [boodskap #9571] |
Wed, 28 May 1997 00:00 |
G.B.
Boodskappe: 2173
Geregistreer: May 1997
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Idioom: "Skilpadvere."
"Ons praat van Skilpadvere. Gaan speel nou."
Literally translated, this idiom (used by grown-
ups to nip in the bud any request for information
from children as to what the topic of conversation
is) means "the feathers of tortoises."
It has the same intent as another Afikaans idiom,
"husse met lang ore," which is also used to indicate
to children that their enquiries will fall on deaf ears.
(The last idiom refers to mythic characters with long
ears, presumably likening the child to this character.)
But whereas "husse met lang ore" is also found in
Dutch and therefore is very old, "skilpadvere" as an
idiom must have been born in South Africa in the last
three centuries.
The tortoise is a beloved animal in South Africa,
often used as pets, although in the olden days they
were also eaten by the indigenous people and no doubt
by the early pioneers when the need arose. The shell
and hard underside of a small tortoise was used by
the Khoi and the San as a kind of compact to carry herbs
or snuff. I am sure it is illegal today in South Africa to kill a
tortoise. One of my fondest memories of South Africa is
seeing cars stop on highways to let a tortoise pass. I do
not see the same fondness here in North America for the
turtle, basically a water animal, probably because it is not
such an endangered species.
Gloudina Bouwer
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