gem, noun

Origin:
EnglishShow more Special senses of general English gem something small and precious.
1. Frequently in the phrases Gem of the Karoo, or (formerly) Gem of the Desert. A nick-name given to the town of Graaff-Reinet, in the Karoo.
[1843 J.C. Chase Cape of G.H. 73The discouraging appearance of this district..acts as a foil to the beautiful and extensive town.., also named Graf Reinet, the capital of the county. The vast contrast..has caused it to be called, in the homely diction of the inhabitants, ‘the pearl upon a dunghill.’]
1854 ‘Frank’ in Graaff-Reinet Herald 15 Feb.He who quits his dear home, to settle elsewhere, Enjoyment or a fortune to get, Both may readily find, with truth I declare, In the desert’s bright gem — Graaff-Reinet.
1887 Uitenhage Times in C.G. Henning Graaff-Reinet (1975) 107The Gem of the Midland Districts, lying in the warmest of warm corners of the oddly shaped hills...We are constrained to say that it (sc. the Wesleyan Church, Cape Town) is completely eclipsed by the beautiful Church in the ‘Gem of the Desert’.
1934 C.P. Swart Supplement to Pettman. 56Gem of the Karroo, The sobriquet of Graaf-Reinet, the prettiest town in the Karroo.
c1936 S. & E. Afr. Yr Bk & Guide 576Graaf Reinet, ‘The Gem of the Karroo’, the oldest and largest town in the midlands districts, was founded in 1786 on the Sundays River, which rises among the Sneeuberg Mountains to the North of the town.
1951 H. Davies Great S. Afr. Christians 61They were glad to..share the copious meals at the Pastorie in Graaff-Reinet. Casalis had the unfortunate experience, through breaking his spectacles, of mistaking a gnu for a lion a few miles from the ‘gem of the Karroo’.
1972 E. Prov. Herald 12 Sept. 11My weekend in the historic and equally hospitable place Graaff-Reinet, the ‘Gem of the Karoo’.
1975 C.G. Henning Graaff-Reinet 170There is a jaunty air of triumph over adversity that says much for the spirit of those who made Graaff-Reinet The Gem of the Desert — or, to apply a more recent designation, The Gem of the Karroo.
2. Usually in the phrase gem squash.
1952 H.M. Slade S. Afr. Cookery Bk 202Boil gem marrows in salted boiling water.., then drain, cut into halves, and serve with a dab of butter on top of each. These little marrows are most delicate and delicious...If liked,..remove seeds and fill with cooked young green peas.
1971 E. Strydom in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. III. 519Cucurbita pepo, Little Gem, a runner type producing spherical green fruits of the size of an orange, which are used unripe.
1972 Farmer’s Weekly 21 Apr. 56Gems, well supplied, demand moderate 30 to 50.
1975 Sunday Times 7 Sept. 4Unfortunately the gems are not diamonds, but gem squashes.
1977 The 1820 Vol.53 No.12, 15But I’ll read on, yes every word About gem squash and butternut too And braai instead of barbecue.
1987 M. Maartens Ring around Moon 19He had trouble finding the Afrikaans word for squash and she teased him a little with Hubbard squash and gem squash until he said, ‘You think I’m a pumpkin, young lady!’
1988 E. Crompton-Lomax S. Afr. Menu & Kitchen Dict. 73Squash, a vegetable of the gourd family such as gem squash, pumpkin and butternut.
Frequently in the phrases Gem of the Karoo, or (formerly) Gem of the Desert. A nick-name given to the town of Graaff-Reinet, in the Karoo.
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gelykstelling, nounn.gemeente, nounn.
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