Seldom at a loss for words to describe their drinking, Brits have now taken to ‘drunkonyms’ to describe their overindulgence
29 February 2024 - 04:00
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Martin Oosthuizen High School in the Northern Cape town of Kakamas is living out a nursery rhyme. It has adopted an orphaned dorper lamb that has been officially enrolled as a pupil in grade 8. The newcomer is fed by a local co-op and fawned over by pupils, teachers and even the principal.
2. Hunt canned
While one school took a sheep into its care, another sought to cull a lion. Futurum Academy in Jan Kempdorp, also in the Northern Cape, planned to offer a canned lion hunt as one of its prizes in a fundraising evening this week. The hunt was part of an auction and the prey a lioness that had been roaming a farm in the area. But an outcry led to the idea being canned.
3. Tipple tattle
Linguists have discovered that in English any noun can be transformed into a synonym for intoxication, or “drunkonym”, by adding the “-ed” suffix. Prof Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer, of Chemitz University of Technology in Germany, provided examples such as “trolleyed”, “hammered”, “wellied” and “steampigged”. She put it down to Britain’s drinking habits and “absurdist sense of humour”.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
DINNER PARTY INTEL: Liquor’s latest lexicon
Seldom at a loss for words to describe their drinking, Brits have now taken to ‘drunkonyms’ to describe their overindulgence
1. School fleece
Martin Oosthuizen High School in the Northern Cape town of Kakamas is living out a nursery rhyme. It has adopted an orphaned dorper lamb that has been officially enrolled as a pupil in grade 8. The newcomer is fed by a local co-op and fawned over by pupils, teachers and even the principal.
2. Hunt canned
While one school took a sheep into its care, another sought to cull a lion. Futurum Academy in Jan Kempdorp, also in the Northern Cape, planned to offer a canned lion hunt as one of its prizes in a fundraising evening this week. The hunt was part of an auction and the prey a lioness that had been roaming a farm in the area. But an outcry led to the idea being canned.
3. Tipple tattle
Linguists have discovered that in English any noun can be transformed into a synonym for intoxication, or “drunkonym”, by adding the “-ed” suffix. Prof Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer, of Chemitz University of Technology in Germany, provided examples such as “trolleyed”, “hammered”, “wellied” and “steampigged”. She put it down to Britain’s drinking habits and “absurdist sense of humour”.
ALSO READ:
DINNER PARTY INTEL: The moon is losing its shine
DINNER PARTY INTEL: A shady idea to cool down the planet
DINNER PARTY INTEL: From Cape to Kruger
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.