jol, noun and & adjective

/dʒɔ(ː)l/
Forms:
jaul, jawlShow more Also jaul, jawl, joll, jorl.
Origin:
Afrikaans, South African EnglishShow more Afrikaans (/jOl/), dance, party. The South African English pronunciation is either derived from the Afrikaans accent of working-class Cape coloured people, or is an Englished pronunciation of the Afrikaans word.
slang
A. noun
1.
a. A good time, a time of merry-making; a ‘thrash’. b. Always singular. (The source of) an intensely exciting or pleasurable time, activity, or experience, ‘a ball’. c. noncount. Revelry; merry-making; enjoyment; entertainment; fun and games. In the phrase on the jol, in search of this.
1957 A. La Guma in Best of S. Afr. Short Stories (1991) 385Classical stuff. Just a helluva noise. Give me a wakker jol any time.
1964 J.L. Walker Informant, Cape Town, Western CapeWe’re on the Freshers’ train — going down to look for digs and for a bit of a jawl.
1970 I. Palmer Informant, Grahamstown (now Makhanda, Eastern Cape)We decided to have a real joll at the dance.
1975 ‘Blossom’ in Darling 12 Apr. 95This oke sticks he’s foot out..so I trip over it and end up on my guava, then he checks me over and says all casual, ‘Fancy a jol sometime, poppie?’
1978 ‘Blossom’ in Darling 22 Nov. 106I excelled in sports, dancing and yoga...I played in the first teams. It was a joll.
1980 Post 9 Feb. (Family Post)When day is done and the jols are over, most people are content to stagger off to bed.
1982 Sunday Times 19 Dec.The party..was unanimously voted the ‘Jorl of the Year.’
1983 Rhodeo (Rhodes Univ.) 6 JuneOn the Jorl. Junk food review.
1983 A. Goldstuck in Frontline Oct. 61A leading Boksburg skate, he denies that his life of ‘jol’ is meaningless.
1984 Cape Times 3 Feb. 9There’s no heavy statement..; just five boys having a light jol.
1984 J. Salton in Cape Times 18 Oct. 12He’s from Johannesburg...‘We came here to see her mother...I never saw my tjêrrie after we got here. Now I’m on the joll.’
1984 I. Sias in Style Nov. 106It’s an absolute jol. You really get the most interesting people here.
1985 R. Greig in Style Dec. 111The Brass Bell restaurant beside the harbour is worth a jol by day and worth eating at by night.
1985 Vula Oct. 15They’re unable to slot in with the ‘black’ culture...So the endless jorl and dop and skyf help provide middle ground.
1985 Weekly Mail 1 Nov. 17In the first of a series on Jo’burg Jolls, Reg Rumney..takes a stroll around the city’s pubs.
1986 L. Westby-Nunn in Style Mar. 41It’s not all jol and fun. She works damn hard.
1986 J. Whyle in S. Gray Market Plays 182We’ve split the country...Shaunie because of the army and me...well just for the jol really.
1987 Oppie Newsletter (Rhodes Univ.) May 1Remember Cinderella and what a jol she had at the ball?
1987 Scope 20 Nov. 46‘Boys, the jol is over,’ Jimmy said, picking up all the dynamite.
1988 Frontline Jan. 12I drive along Oxford Road and see the jet set lurching home from the night’s jolls.
1988 A. Sichel in Star 27 May 13Top of the list is a ballet teacher to keep him..in shape for ‘Countryside’...‘That’s really something to look forward to...It may be rough stuff but it’s such a jol.’
1988 D. Sonnenberg in Style May 53It’s on the Sun City run for the Sandton ladies...Part of the jol is finding something to spend their money on.
1988 Sunday Times 30 Oct. 6I spoke to boys as young as 11..waiting to be picked up by men. ‘It’s an easy way of scoring a few bucks for a night of jol in Hillbrow,’ one streetwise youngster said.
1989 J. Allan in Sunday Times 22 Jan. 4What kind of fodder is the Dalton doll for a columnist whose main jorl..is ripping out the jugulars of her victims with claws so deadly they must be manicured by Black and Decker?
1989 Personality 29 May 17With Scope Girl of the Year it’s all a fat jol, no strings attached.
1990 A. Bumstead in Style June 111I joined as a guide just to meet people and have a bit of a jol.
1990 Femina June 126For them life is one big jol.
1993 Rhodeo (Rhodes Univ.) (Intervarsity Special) Aug. 3The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, and the braai held afterwards was a great jorl.
1993 Weekly Mail 18 June 27Are you tired of..radio transmissions that go on the blink whenever you leave for a weekend jol?
2. A party, dance, concert, festival, or other lively social occasion. Also attributive.
1978 A. Akhalwaya in Rand Daily Mail 10 July 7Ek se, where y’all vying after the jol?...I say, where are you all going after the party?
1982 Star 31 Mar.Joll..now means any social occasion. At a jol you can have a ‘fat rip’ or good time.
1983 Sunday Times 18 Sept. (Mag. Sect.) 33There are two jols a term in the school hall for the pupils.
1985 Daily News 11 Jan. 9‘The best part of the Dusi is the jol..,’ philosophised one of the backmarkers. And jol it was. A camp of..marquees..dispensed food, cooldrinks and beer.
1986 H. Prendini in Style Apr. 92The Grahamstown Festival culture jol starts on June 27.
1987 Weekly Mail 19 June 25Local Culture Mega-Joll...Benny b Funk, Khaki Monitor and Winston’s Jive Mix-up will be playing at the Summit Club Ballroom.
1990 R. Rangongo in New African 3 Sept. 9Traditional musician and Juluka founder Sipho Mchunu is back in action...Last weekend he launched his sound with a massive jol at Jameson’s Drift.
1990 A. Rice in Frontline Dec. 15It was a cheapo cokey pen-and-cardboard creation...‘Jol of The Year’ it announced...This poster was advertising a jol in a hitherto jol-free zone — Camden Lock, London. That’s..a couple of continents north of normal jol country.
1993 ‘Jimbo’ programme insert, NapacJoll. Discotheque, dance, party.
3. rare, perhaps nonce. A place.
1981 Rhodeo (Rhodes Univ.) 19 Oct. 2I was..sitting down..to check out some..reading...I had hardly had the time to wonder what..the guy was going on about, in the article when something distracted me. Like the whole jorl was filled with rumblings and shakings.
4. A joke, a game; a stunt.
1982 Cape Times 4 Jan. 3Jumping Jack’s ‘jorl’...Jumping Jack launches himself into a series of trampoline stunts, each of which ends in a seemingly disastrous fall.
1985 P. Slabolepszy Sat. Night at Palace 48I was only joking. You think I need to bust this joint? Bit of a jol, man. I don’t need to hit this place.
5. A (self-indulgent) trip or holiday.
1985 P. Slabolepszy Sat. Night at Palace 52There’s it! Take a jol over to Pretoria. Arcadia Pepsi. Those bastards need a striker.
1989 Informant, Grahamstown (now Makhanda, Eastern Cape)I accept that Jane Soap went on a jol overseas after the Council meeting.
1992 S. Barber in Natal Mercury 24 Nov. 8A chance for yet another transatlantic joll.
B. adjective Of the music, language, etc. enjoyed by or associated with jollers (see joller sense 1).
1985 D. Kramer in Cape Times 16 MayThe concert explores my songs. The full range, from rock ’n roll to sakkie-sakkie, jol music, kwela and more serious ballads.
1985 H. Prendini in Style Oct. 39Student slang..tends to be more entertaining and imaginative and less deliberately vulgar than southern suburbs jol talk.
A good time, a time of merry-making; a ‘thrash’. b. Always singular. (The source of) an intensely exciting or pleasurable time, activity, or experience, ‘a ball’. c. noncount. Revelry; merry-making; enjoyment; entertainment; fun and games. In the phrase on the jol, in search of this.
A party, dance, concert, festival, or other lively social occasion. Also attributive.
A place.
A joke, a game; a stunt.
A (self-indulgent) trip or holiday.
Of the music, language, etc. enjoyed by or associated with jollers (see joller sense 1).
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slang
rare or nonce
jointed cactus, noun phrasen. phr.jol, verbv.
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