phuza, noun

/ˈpuːzə//ˈpʊːza/
Forms:
poosa, pusaShow more Also poosa, pusa, puza.
Origin:
IsiXhosa, isiZuluShow more From isiXhosa and isiZulu, ‘drink’, ‘sip’.
slang
Especially among speakers of Sintu (Bantu) languages:
1. Liquor.
1908 D. Blackburn Leaven 100Abstain from expensive luxuries in the shape of puza (liquor), white men’s clothes and magisterial fines.
1908 D. Blackburn Leaven 193Weldon addressed him. ‘Will you go to Johannesburg and work on a mine? Plenty puza, plenty skoff, and five sovereigns a month.’
1928 L.P. Greene Adventure Omnibus 54‘You are thirsty, headman,’ ‘I have brought you white man’s puza.’ Umbalose nodded and closed his eyes as if to shut out the vision of happiness the bottles had conjured up.
a1931 S. Black in S. Gray Three Plays (1984) 141Yoy yoy, he doesn’t know vat is visky. I can see you not a Scotch Native! Visky is brandewyn — poosa!
a1931 S. Black in S. Gray Three Plays (1984) 160Tell him to send a reporter to write about my next party. Say there’ll be lots of poosa.
1977 K.M.C. Motsisi in Drum Nov. 133They will ask how come I can become so gladful in this bemiserable room of moaning, weeping and no phuza.
1985 [see sense 2].
2. combinations
phuza face, a face showing signs of heavy drinking;
phuza-joint, a bar;
phuza cabin, phuza-phuza cabin; shebeen sense 1;
phuzawise adverb.
1987 E. Makhanya in Sowetan 28 Dec. 8We have been moving together from phuza-cabin to phuza-joint converting ourselves into practising alcoholics.
1985 H. Prendini in Style Oct. 41Sweet relief from these heavy pressures comes in the form of the ‘phuza-cabin’ or ‘spot’ (shebeen) where you drink..with your ‘phuza-buddies’ or any good guy you can call your ‘bra’.
1990 P. Segone in Tribute 116Their eyes could not withstand The beers of her puza-puza cabin. You better beware, brother..For you are not dealing with a doll But the boss of the puza cabin.
1986 Pace May 110I pitied those sweety pies with rotund phuza faces and with figures like over-fed bed-bugs.
1988 Frontline Nov. 27I approach another man pushing a wheelbarrow. He has a phuza face and he generally looks sickly.
a1977 K.M.C. Motsisi in M. Mutloatse Casey & Co. (1978) 132I hate it every bit being away from my guys and dolls and being put in orbit phuzawise.
Liquor.
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19081990

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slang
phoko, nounn.phuza, verb intransitivev.
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