Durban, noun

/ˈdɜːbən/
The name of the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal, a port and holiday resort, used attributively in special collocations:
Durban July [Shortened form of Durban July Handicap], July sense 1; also attributive;
Durban poison slang [see kif], a particularly potent type of dagga (marijuana) cultivated in KwaZulu-Natal; South African dagga generally; DP noun1. See also dagga noun2 sense 1, Tegwini.
1927 J.T. Wallace in Outspan 8 Apr. 17Valuable stakes are the vogue — the Christmas Handicap of £6,000, the Durban July £5,000.
1948 H.C. Bosman in L. Abrahams Cask of Jerepigo (1972) 232If you can pick the winner of the Durban July, then it doesn’t matter so much if a couple of long-haired painters that you thought were Van Goghs turn out to be also-rans.
1971 Sunday Times 4 July 1Mazarin must now rank with some of the greats of the Durban July.
1989 F.G. Butler Tales from Old Karoo 54Perhaps he’d been tempted to put too much money on the Durban July and lost it.
1990 Grocott’s Mail 19 June 6Lifestyle Promotions..have come up with a sparkling idea for Durban July Day, July 7.
1994 G. Willoughby in Weekly Mail & Guardian 8 July 38It’s Durban July day, folks.
1994 G. Willoughby in Weekly Mail & Guardian 8 July 38The Durban July is a fascinating cultural phenomenon. We have very few public rituals like it that catch the public imagination right across the land, from Cape Town to kwa-Mashu.
1971 Daily Dispatch 4 Sept. 6Amounts and proportions of cannabinol and tetrahydrocannabinol determine the potency of the dagga. This varies considerably in different parts,..but that from Zululand and Natal is generally acknowledged to be among the most potent in the world (Durban poison).
1973 Rand Daily Mail 27 Oct. 5He bought a roll of 20 reefers of dagga known as ‘Durban poison’ from him for R5.
1978 A. Akhalwaya in Rand Daily Mail 10 July 7Be careful if you are offered ‘Durban poison’. You could be arrested. For the ‘poison’ is another name for dagga.
1978 Darling 8 Nov. 66Ask someone from overseas why South Africa is famous and..a few, a very small minority, will grin and say: ‘Durban Poison, man.’ Why? Because DP, dagga, is just about the best high in the world, fit to rank..in the dope smoker’s list of all-time greats.
1986 Style Feb. 64What is Durban’s most lucrative alternative sport? Second to riding high on the surf is riding high on Durban Poison.
1993 Fair Lady 21 Apr. 76Dagga, commonly known as Durban poison, is one of South Africa’s most sought-after exports in the international drug market.
The name of the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal, a port and holiday resort, used attributively in special collocations:
Derivatives:
So Durbanite  noun, a resident of Durban.
1894 E.N. Thomas How Thankful We Should Be 7We amuse ourselves by watching the ordinary street life of Durban. We miss the hurry and bustle of Adderley-street; Durbanites take things ‘sootjes’.
1927 Outspan 11 Mar. 13Durbanites are very jealous and envious of Johannesburg — and what is more they tell us so frankly.
1934 B.I. Buchanan Pioneer Days 28We can never forget the kindness of the Durbanites who had so very little for themselves.
1952 T. Matshikiza in Drum Nov. 31She’s one of Durban City’s favourite light sopranos..Aren’t Durbanites lucky?
1989 S. Sole in Sunday Tribune 1 Jan. 2Durbanites are sooooooo cliquey and keep to their own little social circle. Capetonians are ready to compromise.
1992 K. Mkhize in Natal Witness 4 Jan. 5Pietermaritzburg folks..should rather be encouraging Durbanites to think big about the numbers which are stretching their resources and take heed of the fact that Durban is the second fastest growing city in the southern hemisphere.
Entry Navigation

Compounds & Derivatives

Durban July
Durban poison
Durbanite

Browse Related Words

By Category

Place and Region Names

By Usage

slang
dunsiekte, nounn.Durbs, nounn.
Copyright © 2023 Dictionary Unit for South African English.