/fark/
- Plurals:
- varke /ˈfarkə/.
- Origin:
- AfrikaansShow more Afrikaans, pig.
1. colloquial. A pig; now usually transferred sense, a term of abuse; a contemptuous term for a policeman.
[a1931 S. Black in S. Gray Three Plays (1984) 147Helena:..He claims he has found lots of gold on it. Katoo: Gold! Jou vark!]
1958 I. Vaughan Diary 47It was a long church, when we came home Ellen said The vark has got out of its hok and is eating in Masters potatoes.
1975 S. Roberts Outside Life’s Feast 88‘Bladdy vark!’ she said bitterly. ‘Rubbish, that’s what you are.’ She started sobbing and left the kitchen to stumble in her slippered feet to the bedroom.
1977 D. Muller Whitey 65Don’t go into the voorkamer; that old vark will get you drinking again.
1986 D. Case Love, David 41There is only one thing that he really loves and that is his bottle. The vark has a cheek to tell you that!
varkblaar /-blɑː(r)/ obsolete [Afrikaans, blaar leaf], or varkblom /-blɔm/ [Afrikaans, blom flower], the pig-lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica;
varkbos obsolete [Afrikaans, bos bush], the plant Helichrysum pentzioides of the Asteraceae;
varkoortjies obsolete [Afrikaans, oor ear + dimunitive suffix -ie + plural -s], the medicinal plant Centella asiatica.
1821 C.I. Latrobe Jrnl of Visit (Glossary) 397Farkblar, (pig-leaf), Calla Ethiopica.
1929 M. Alston From Old Cape Homestead 22‘These pig-lilies —’ ‘These what?’ ‘Pig-lilies — Varkenblaar.’
1947 L.G. Green Tavern of Seas 199The medicine chest of the Cape Flats is not without virtue...For rheumatism there is varkblom, which must be heated before being applied to the skin.
1973 Y. Burgess Life to Live 17As Tolkie became paralysed, Boesman applied hot poultices of varkblom and cold poultices of buchu.
1934 Friend 4 July (Swart)Bushes which really were a stand-by to the farmer were the kerrie or varkbos and the grannat or daggabossie.
1934 C.P. Swart Supplement to Pettman. 183Varkbos,..The popular name of a drought resistant plant, Helichrysum pentzioides.
1977 Daily Dispatch 22 Aug. 6Listing some of the medicine plants found in these parts, the writer names — among them — besembos, boetebos,..wildekleur, varkoortjies and babalasbos.
A pig; now usually transferred sense, a term of abuse; a contemptuous term for a policeman.
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varkblaar
varkblom
varkbos
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