ollycrock, noun

/ˈɒlikrɒk/
Forms:
Also olycrock.
Origin:
Englished form of Afrikaans alikreukel.
alikreukel. Also attributive.
1961 Redwing (St Andrew’s College, Grahamstown) 13Other shellfish in the forms of olycrocks..and limpets are very numerous and plentiful...Olycrocks are exceptionally plentiful and their presence prevents a number of other shellfish from occupying visible crevices and pools.
1970 M. Van Rensburg Informant, Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), Eastern CapeAllekruk, Shell fish (English pronounce it ‘ollycrock’).
1976 A.P. Brink Instant in Wind 118Where does one look for ollycrocks and oysters, how does one catch crayfish?
1982 E. Prov. Herald 21 Sept. 2A..man..convicted of possessing an excessive number of ollycrocks..admitted having 130 ollycrocks — large sea snails — in his possession.
1982 E. Prov. Herald 27 Oct. 12I found a small ollycrock shell on which two limpets were playing double piggy-back.
1982 Kilburn & Rippey Sea Shells 47Turbo sarmaticus,..The vernacular name ‘ollycrock’ is a corruption of the Western Cape name ‘alikreukel’ or ‘arikreukel’ (originally Alikruik, the Dutch word for periwinkel) and has itself been further corrupted in the East London area to ‘cockle’. Another Eastern Cape name is ‘paraclough’.
1988 ‘Izaak’ in E. Prov. Herald 5 Mar. 8I was fishing at the Flatrocks near Cape Recife using ollycrocks, one of my favourite baits, particularly for musselcrackers. When my friend noticed this he remarked: ‘I stopped using periwinkles when I was a kid fishing for bullies in rock pools’.
alikreukel. Also attributive.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

19611988

Browse Related Words

By Category

Insects Crustaceans Molluscs and other Invertebrates
Foods and Dishes

By Origin

Afrikaans
Olifant, nounn.omschryving, nounn.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English