after-ox, noun

Origin:
South African DutchShow more Calque formed on South African Dutch achteros, achter rear + os ox.
historical
1. One of the hindmost pair in a team of draught oxen; achter ox; agteros. Cf. front ox.
1822 W.J. Burchell Trav. I. 303As these two were a serious loss to the team, one being my best ‘after-ox’, Philip was desirous of riding back in search of them.
1831 Graham’s Town Jrnl 30 Dec. 1For Sale, on Commission, a New Waggon,..a span of Oxen, 2 black after Oxen..and 2 plots of ground in Graham’s Town.
1857 T. Shone Diary. 15 JuneHenry bought from Wm. Banks 6 Oxen, he paid for 2 after Oxen £14.0.0.
1864 T. Baines Explor. in S.-W. Afr. 54They had brought the expected oxen from Lamert, but..there was not a fore nor after ox among the lot, and without them it would be impossible to go forward.
1878 P. Gillmore Great Thirst Land 335I do not think I have another bullock that would treck as an after-ox.
1881 P. Gillmore Land of Boer 251Among the loose cattle was a magnificent after-ox..a splendid beast, very fat.
1907 J.P. Fitzpatrick Jock of Bushveld 233Achmoed and Bakir, the big after-oxen who carried the disselboom contentedly through the trek..heaved together.
1934 B.I. Buchanan Pioneer Days 97The hook to which the trektouw was fastened was pulled out of the disselboom, and the rest of the span went on, leaving the whole weight of the wagon on the two after oxen.
1967 E.M. Slatter My Leaves Are Green 125The after oxen had the worst of it — they had to hold back the wagon and steady its mad rush.
2. combination
after-ox sjambok/-ˌʃæmbɒk/ obsolete, agteros sjambok.
1896 C. Brownlee in F.G. Butler When Boys Were Men (1969) 143An after-ox sjambok was used to accelerate their exit from the house.
One of the hindmost pair in a team of draught oxen; achter ox; agteros.
agteros sjambok.
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18221967

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after-ox sjambok

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historical
obsolete or obsolescent
after-clap, nounn.after-rider, nounn.
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