| 释义 |
umfaan S. Afr.|ˈʊmfaːn|
Also † oomfaan, umfane.
[Afrikaans, ad. Zulu umFana small boy.]
A young African boy, esp. one employed in domestic service.
1852C. Barter Dorp & Veld xiv. 213 The Kaffir umfane (boy) when he becomes an indola (man), shaves his head, and sews into the scalp a circular coronet of reeds. 1878H. A. Roche On Trek in Transvaal iii. 39 Your wife..if she be so lucky as to have floors at all, will make..that provoking ‘Oomfan’ clean them for her. 1907J. P. Fitzpatrick Jock of Bushveld 194 Jim had fought at 'Sandhlwana, and could tell of an umfaan sent out to herd some cattle within sight of the British camp to draw the troops out raiding. 1932F. W. Fitzsimons Snakes xiv. 173 No! Snakes do not suck milk from cows; but Kafir umfaans and pigs do. 1964S. Milne False Witness xv. 167 ‘You have a servant on the premises?’ ‘Yes, an umfaan. He is sixteen years old.’ 1977J. McClure Sunday Hangman ii. 13 He'd strung himself up on a thorn tree... Some umfaans made a report. |
