English
Alternative spellings
kweri-kweri
kwiri-kwiri
Etymology
onomatopoetic|Onomatopoetic: see definition below:
Noun
kwerikweri plural amakwerekwere
- (South African) A foreign visitor to a township. When the foreigners came to the townships they couldnt speak any of the local black languages. The sound of their babble sounded like kwirikwirikwiri to the locals.
#*2000:Nigerian Man 1 in bar: 'We came here just like every other nation. Just like Indians, Asians, Europeans. But we are the only people they call �kwerekwere�. Zaa: '�a derogatory name for foreigners?' Nigerian Man 1: 'They call the blacks �kwerekwere�, they don�t call the whites �kwerekwere�.1
#*2003: The women in particular recounted instances of being called amakwerekwere by strangers: �If they see you are foreigner, you are �kwerekwere�. [They] give the name for all foreigners, �kwerekwere (Hélène). This derogatory term for foreigners refers to the unintelligible sounds of a foreign language.2
#*2006 "the township residents involved in the attacks invaded the homes and businesses owned by 'amakwerekwere and stole their money and other property. - Weekend Argus May 13/14 2006 p.1.
Alternative spellings
#Usage note: this is the more common spelling than kwiri-kwiri.
Category: South African English
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