‖niggie, noun

/ˈnəxi/
Forms:
Formerly also nichtje.
Origin:
AfrikaansShow more Afrikaans, nig niece, cousin + -ie.
A term of address or reference to a female cousin or niece, or, loosely, to any young woman, especially an Afrikaans (or, formerly, South African Dutch) woman. In both senses also called nig. See also neef.
Note:
Usually used to suggest the idiom of Afrikaans-speakers.
1868 W.R. Thomson Poems, Essays & Sketches 154Ou Bass..explained..that the ooms, and tantes, and neefs, and niggies, had been induced..to come.
1868 W.R. Thomson Poems, Essays & Sketches 167Was your wife not the daughter or the nichtje of So-and-so?
1870 in A.M.L. Robinson Sel. Articles from Cape Monthly Mag. (1978) 17He shortly afterwards was enchanted by another ‘niggie’ at nachtmaal.
1914 L.H. Brinkman Breath of Karroo 54The store-keepers were busy displaying their wares..for the allurement of the Tantes and Nichtjes who were sure to come from distant farms to lay in a stock of clothes and fineries.
1920 R.Y. Stormberg Mrs Pieter de Bruyn 76Ouma du Preez on the riempie settee..said to me: ‘Is dit nie mooi nie? — excuse — I mean toch isn’t it beautiful mij niggie?’
1955 L. Marquard Story of S. Afr. 66The polite custom that still exists in South Africa of addressing..younger [men and women] as neef and niggie (cousin) dates from a time when to do so was as likely as not to be strictly accurate.
1974 S. Afr. Panorama Nov. 19The wide flared skirts of the ‘niggies’ (female cousins) swirling around the ‘neefs’ (male cousins) in embroidered waistcoats and scarves formed a colourful tableau.
1979 Sunday Times 7 Oct. (Mag. Sect.) 1I do not thank those bearded forbears with their virtuous wives who seemed to think that all Afrikaners are, or should be, related in the spirit..and should therefore be each other’s ‘niggies’, ‘neefs’, ‘ooms’ and ‘tannies’.
1980 Sunday Times 14 Sept. 11In the quaint manner of the old-timers they address each other as ‘neef’, ‘niggie’ or ‘suster’.
1984 [see Daily Dispatch quot. at nefie].
A term of address or reference to a female cousin or niece, or, loosely, to any young woman, especially an Afrikaans (or, formerly, South African Dutch) woman. In both senses also called nig.
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18681980

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Afrikaans
niggerball, nounn.night-aappie, nounn.
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