klipkous, noun

/ˈkləpkəʊs/
Forms:
klepkous, klipkausShow more Also klepkous, klipkaus, klipkoes, klipkos.
Plurals:
unchanged, or (formerly) klipkousen.
Origin:
South African Dutch, DutchShow more South African Dutch, from Dutch klip stone, rock + kous stocking.
The perlemoen, Haliotus midae.
1731 G. Medley tr. of P. Kolben’s Present State of Cape of G.H. II. 209The Klip-Kousen are sometimes call’d, by the Virtuosi, Nabel-Snails. These are frequently found at the Cape.
1785 G. Forster tr. of A. Sparrman’s Voy. to Cape of G.H. I. 26A sort of snail or cockle, klipkous (Haliotis, Linn.) from half a foot to a foot and a half in diameter, is usually stewed, but makes in my opinion a very unsavoury dish.
1790 tr. of F. Le Vaillant’s Trav. I. 33Crayfish I never saw; but the people eat sea ears, which are called klepkousen.
1843 J.C. Chase Cape of G.H. 168Klip Kous,..A shell fish, most delicious, but requiring much trouble in the preparation.
1863 Lady Duff-Gordon in F. Galton Vacation Tourists (1864) III. 169I found a handsome Malay, with a basket of ‘Klipkaus’, a shell-fish much esteemed here.
1890 A.G. Hewitt Cape Cookery 8Stewed Klipkaus. The only parts used are the tough parts which adhere to the rocks...To every klipkaus, allow ½ pint of water, and to 4 klipkaus put 2 shanks of mutton.
1891 H.J. Duckitt Hilda’s ‘Where Is It?’ 164The Paarl Lemoen, or Klip Kous (‘Stone-stocking’), a species of shellfish found on many parts of the South African coast, adhering to the rocks. The shells are lovely, with a mother-of-pearl lining. The fish is most delicious if properly cooked.
1913 D. Fairbridge Piet of Italy 163What she doesn’t know about cooking isn’t worth knowing...Do you remember the heavenly klipkous she gave us one day?
1926 P.W. Laidler Tavern of Ocean 77Strange dishes appeared on the tables: stewed ‘klip kos,’ a large Venus-ear shellfish; sea-cat soup; and mussels from the rocks below Lion’s Head.
1930 C.L. Biden Sea-Angling Fishes 260The crushed remains of klipkoes or venus ear — a shellfish, Haliotis.
1950 M. Masson Birds of Passage 41Souvenirs, among which was a Venus ear or klipkos whose brown crust had been scraped away to reveal the iridescent shell.
1985 A. Tredgold Bay between Mountains 101If the fishing was poor there were perlemoen and klipkous on the rocks.
The perlemoen, Haliotus midae.
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Dutch
klipkoppie, nounn.klipkrans, nounn.
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