Know Your Zambian Slag! Part 1

Phrases

Album - (Offensive Term)Refers to Pregnancy/Birth – That girl just released an Album.

Ati how? - How are you? Very informal slang. Origin ‘Ati bwanji’ became ‘ati bwa’ and ‘bwa’ was translated to English ‘how’

Ba ka’amba - from ‘ba kalamba’ big man. Generally used to address either a friend or one whose name you don’t know

Ba'ane - Good friends. genrally used to address very good friends or in jest to not so good friends

Bali - Father/Older Man.

Ba Rwanda (can be derogatory )- Beer Scavengers. - usage arose at the time when Zambia had a lot of refugees from Rwanda in the

Balloon Type - Lady with Big Bums/Back side/Hips

Brush - sex

Better TV - A prostitute. [from a song by local musician Danny of the same title]

Bells - Length of time (usually long) or time of day. derived from a bell ringing at the top of the hour. e.g. Its 6 bells right now i.e. 6 am/pm. E.g, It's been bells since I saw him.

Blazed - To get drunk / high on drugs

Black album / blue movie - Porn movie

Black table - A table laden with lager beer Bottles, usually castle or mosi

Bolt - to run

Book - leave a location e.g. "Buta" lets book from here its getting "dry".

Box - reference to any area that is confined such as a room or a location.

Buta / Bootah - in reference to brotherhood. from "boet" or "boetie"

Bululu / Bururu - Relative from Afrikaans "broer" meaning brother

Bwete - (Big Ass) A simultaneous shaking of a Woman/lady's Behind when walking.

Belegede - Drunk

Kanasaki (Kan-i-Saki) - Get Head -- From the word Kawasaki

Cabin - House/Home.

Chakolwa - an alcoholic

Chamba - Marijuana/cannabis

Chux'd - To be detained/imprisoned by the Police.

Choncholi - rather derogatory reference to a Chinese person.

Chow(chau) - Eat.

Clap - to finish e.g. I've clapped all my homework so we can go play football now.

CNN / BBC - In reference to gossip and its ability to spread like the news

Coolie (Kuli) - An Indian

Colgate - Refers to ANY toothpaste

Crop - To fall down

Cut - 1)Going/Leaving e.g. I'm cutting cabin, its already 3 a.m. 2)Drunk e.g. My father was cut last night after the party, I had to drive him home. 3) What's cutting? = what's happening?

Damage - in reference to money spent. How much damage did you do last night? - 1 million Kwacha on dinner.

Departure lounge - someone very ill and most likely on their death bed.e.g. one with HIV could be said to be in the departure lounge.

Dicey - Tricky

Dop / Dope - Alcohol

Dos - To sleep

Doss / dossed - terminally ill (derogatory) used to describe persons suffering from AIDS (gossip type)

Down it - Bottoms up - drink at one go

Dry - Boring/Lame

Dyonko - sample/taste

Ek Se - Originally an Afrikaans term which means " I say " e.g. Ek Se what time is it?Its meaning has literally changed to refer to a friend or some one of your age you don't know.

Eh Eh/Ah Ah - An expression used to describe 'being surprised'. What the hell? E.g, Eh eh, didn't he "prang" his ride?.

Falisa/Falisis - ambiguous reference to any object, situation or action (popular among Copperbelt Kaponyas)

Fastele - Fast - From a cartoon Comic in local newspapers, 'The Post' from back in the days.

Father - used to call a man’s name you don’t know/Elderly Man(commonly use by call boys/Bus conductors)

Flat - Annoyed or upset or angry.

Flush - The act of aborting an unwanted pregnancy.

Fodia - Cigarette

Flamingo - (sexual position - Similar to Doggy Style) where the woman stands then bends over and touches her toes.

Free Kick - (Offensive) To abort a pregnancy as in She had a free kick

Frozen chicken - (sexual position) sexual position where the woman is lying on her back and her legs are over the man's shoulders.

Fuzi - side Kick

Gabon - anything bad, in reference to the Gabon air disaster of 1993 in which Zambia soccer player lost their lives.

Gon’ga - noun. an imitation product. verb. To be swindled/ugly girl.

G.P - Game Plan, i.e. organizing a plan of action

Graze - Food or the act of eating

Gun Powder - Groundnuts

Gooza / Guza - woman/lady

Gelo (Chi gelo) - A girl/woman

Gwamo - Go/Leave (Na gwamo - I have gone.)

Hammer - 1) to beat

Hard - to be considered something special or good e.g. That Items is Hard Ek Se.

How do you make it? - What time is it?

Hule - Prostitute

Item - Refers to a thing/anything.

Jam - to play e.g. We are jamming football tonight at the school football pitch.

Joll - 1)Come or arrive at a destination. e.g. Are you jolling to the party tonight? 2) In other parts of Africa joll can refer to a party or party atmosphere.

Joint - 1)place or location. e.g. This joint is nice. 2) Weed

John Cena - really big local buns

Kaponya - A street hawker or any individual found roaming the city streets aimlessly. Usually very vulgar

Kabwata - Body builder or well built muscular man commonly referred to as "chiKabwata" - named after Lusaka's first and oldest gym located in Kabwata Township

Ka ndile - A broke person that feeds off others and tries to keep up appearances like he/she is the spender

Ka nduli - Hot girl.

Kembo - A person of no substance (insulting) eg. "Iwe Kembo!" English translation "Hey Jerk/funny guy/popper!"

Ku ma 'dizzy’ - Bar/Tavern

Ku ma yard [yadi] - Suburbs. [literally at the yards]

ka pulp - Nshima.

Kajansa - Masturbation e.g. - Alibe Gelo,ama chaya che kanajansa daily.

ku dyela - Having a good time e.g. wa dyela, tina dyela

Ku yupa ma banana - Masturbation e.g. - Ninamu pezekeza Ayupa ma banana mu Toilet.

Kui Typa - Bemba Word for Fight.

Kapeta - Body builder or weightlifter

Kuli (coolie) - An Indian.

Ka saka - a bag of money.

Kopala - an indigenous citizen of the Copperbelt province (Usually an unruly member of this group of people)

Long Nose /4 Corner - formal shoes with a long front-end/4 Squared heal.

Laliga - Something good

Laka - nice, good, great. From Afrikaans "lekker"

Lash - To give e.g. Lash me some Money Ek Se

Ma packs - Opaque beer. e.g. shake-shake,(Chibuku).

Maize juice or Blue print - Shake Shake/ Opaque Beer

Ma pint - Lager beer e.g. Mosi and castle

Mahafu - Money.

Mbama - Slap/ To Slap Someone.

Metre [Mita] - A million kwacha.

McGyver - Using ingenious methods and simple tools/materials to fix something. e.g. using wires instead of bolts and nuts to hold together two parts. From the popular 1980s TV seriesMcGyver.

Mpopo - Hot Girls/Babes

Moko-Moko - Retarded person/Retard

Mwanaa - Refers to Friend/Young Person

Mune - Same as mwanaa, term of endearment for a good friend e.g. 'Shani Mune' "Hello my friend"; 'Shani baane' "Hello My friends"

Mali - Mother / Mum / in certain contexts a lady or woman

Mati - Mate/friend

Mao - Derived from Mal (French for sick/sickness). Being "sick in the head" or crazy. Usually as a reaction to someone doing something stupid. E.g, "ek se", how do you "dope" without "tuning" us "ek se", but you're mao.

Mauless - speechless or at a loss for words, used especially when shocked at something or by someone. Derived from the phrase, "Nilibe mau" meaning I've got no words or I've got nothing to say.

Mat - to leave - Mat ek se

Ma Bono - Local Buns

Milochi - kissing.

Michopo - Grilled steaks

MuZungu - Nyanja Word for White Person.

Mukalad - Nyanja Word for a Mixed Race person (coloureds).

Mwenye - Nyanja Word for Indian.

Nailos - Copperbelt slang used by Kaponyas. See the meaning of Falisis

Nikisi - Comes from the German "Nichts" and means "Nothing", or "NO".

Ntakuko - Booty.

Njumi - Cute girl.

Nyaps - NSA[No Strings Attached] Partner.

Ponyo Ponyo/Kanjansa - Masturbation

Ndule - Girls.

Nkeche - Girls/Girlfriend.

Ngwele - side kick .

Nakata line - To get to know the trade.

Own - Guy e.g. "Tune" that own to "lash" me my "tong" - Tell the guy/person to give me my money.

One Piston - One who easily gets Drunk.

Open - to burst out into laughter e.g Ek-se, I opened! (I really laughed)

Opan - to take a girls virginity e.g I opaned the cherry! (I was her first sex) ;,the a is stressed when pronouncing.

Page - to give a "miss call", usually due to a lack of pre-paid funds on a mobile phone. e.g. I'll page you so that you know I'm here.

Peg - to die. e.g. This "own" pegged because of drunk driving.

Perch - To sit

Pin - denomination for a thousand Zambian kwacha e.g. 1 pin - K1,000 ,50 pin - K50,000

Prang - crash, normally the action of being in a motor-vehicle accident

Queen - mother

Rasta - Any person with dreadlocks

Remix - A Lie.

Ride/whip/G - car

Sawa - K1,000(One Thousand Kwacha)Commonly used by Bus conductors/passengers.

Saat/Sut - No

Scale - Steal

Scan - to look

Skim - to think

Swine - a vest/waistcoat.

Sheets - in reference to sheets of money

Span - plenty, a large number.

Shansha - Hustle, stay strong.

Shadow - Dark like Ronish

Skat - shoe

Spalour - Home

Scene - Club or event

Scoop - Get

Shanks - Toilet

Strap - Walk e.g. I had to strap all the way home because the car broke down.

Skwale! - To Run Away, normally leave the scene in a rush.

Susu - K10,000(Ten Thousand Kwacha) Commonly used by Bus conductors/passengers.

Tune (Choon)- To tell/say. "I tuned that kama bali" Originally from South African Slang.

Tune Out - To Tell Off

Turbulence - Distraction/Confusion in a Group.

Tong - Money.

Two (2) Pulls - short duration / amount for something. "Shani ko ka fwaka ... two pulls fye."

Wire [waya] - 1) to beat or cause harm to somebody 2)An Old/vehicle in bad condition.

Weeve - Beat/Fight.

Zali - A Hundred kwacha(K100). Or a Hundred thousand kwacha(K100,000). e.g. 2 zali = K200,000

Za yellow - A Person with bleached skin or is light skinned.

Zambia Airways - Refers to a chicken Wing.

Zed - Literally 'Z' Short for Zambia. a. Zedians-Zambians

Zigolo - water and sugar

Zigs - Short-hand form of Zigolo

Zooker - Beer vulture.

ZNS - Refers to Green Flies (green bottle fly) in relation to the Green uniforms Worn by Zambian National Service men and women.

Zimandola - AKA Kopala. Peoples of the Copperbelt province particularly from Ndola town