bonsella

bonsella

English

Alternative forms

• bansela

Etymology

Borrowed from Afrikaans bonsela, from Xhosa bansela[1] meaning "showing thanks with a gift", related to Zulu umbhanselo a "tip".

Noun

bonsella (plural bonsellas)

1. (South Africa) In a transaction, something extra on the side.
   • 2002 September 9, Peroshni Govender, “Hau, my china, it's bakgat”, in Independent Online‎:

     A lekker dictionary containing all the bakgat South African words has hit the bookstores. The collection of about 1,500 local words is a bonsella published in the latest edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary, "the ultimate authority on South African English".

2. (South Africa) A tip or gratuity.
3. (South Africa) A handout.
4. (South Africa) A bribe.

References

1. Khokhlova, Irina (2015), “Lingua Franca English of South Africa”, in Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences‎, volume 214, DOI:10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.689, pages 983–991, 987