chokka, noun

/ˈtʃɒkə/
Forms:
chakka, chockaShow more Also chakka, chocka, chokker, and (formerly) tschokka, tshokka.
Origin:
Afrikaans, PortugueseShow more Adaptation of Afrikaans tjokka, perhaps adaptation of Portuguese choco a species of cuttlefish; but see quotation 1902.
Any of several shallow-water species of squid (Loligo spp.) of the Loliginidae widely used as bait (but see quotation 1982); by extension, any of several species of cuttlefish (Sepia spp.) of the Sepiidae. Also attributive.
1902 J.D.F. Gilchrist in Trans. of S. Afr. Phil. Soc. XI. 224 (Pettman)Though not a fish the ‘Tschokka’ may be mentioned...[The name] is applied to the Cuttle-fish, or Squid, on account of the peculiar noise it makes when landed.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 517Tshokka, An onomatopoeic name given to the cuttlefish; it refers to the peculiar sound it makes when taken out of the water.
1923 S. Afr.: Land of Outdoor Life (S.A.R. & H.) 234The sea cat or smaller varieties of octopus, the chakka or squid and the crawfish, are also good summer baits.
1930 C.L. Biden Sea-Angling Fishes 42A species of cuttlefish..locally called ‘chokker’ and..classified as Loligo indica...Elf and albacore feed on immature ‘chokker’ of two or three inches long.
1951 L.G. Green Grow Lovely 57Octopus makes an appetizing soup, and the Golden Dragon sometimes serves the local tschokka (squid) as a tender fried dish.
1955 C. Horne Fisherman’s Eldorado 49Bait runs low, prices rising as demand increases. Under these circumstances a single chokka frequently commands a price as high as £1.
1971 Het Suid-Western 17 MayThe menu will include Danish mussels, oysters, chokka, crayfish thermidor, nasi goreng and arikreukel, a delicacy much favoured by gourmets.
1979 E. Prov. Herald 15 Nov. 23I was out with two of my sons and one of them..put down a chokka dolley. He did not get any chokka but he had a tremendous take on the dolley.
1982 Kilburn & Rippey Sea Shells 141Squid is consumed in Southern Africa as ‘calamari’ and is used as bait under the name ‘chokka’.
1990 L. Richfield in Flying Springbok June 133They’re the arch-conservatives in their food tastes...They’re known sometimes to order deep-fried calamari as a starter — but if you call it chokka, they choke.
Any of several shallow-water species of squid (Loligo spp.) of the Loliginidae widely used as bait (but see quotation 1982); by extension, any of several species of cuttlefish (Sepia spp.) of the Sepiidae. Also attributive.
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chocolate, nounn.chommie, nounn.
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