skeef, adverb and & adjective

/skɪəf/
Origin:
AfrikaansShow more Afrikaans, crooked, askew.
slang
A. adverb Disapprovingly. See also to check (someone or something) skeef (check sense 1 b), to tune (someone) skeef (tune sense 2 a).
1969 A. Fugard Boesman & Lena 11Why you looking at me so skeef?
1983 G. Silber in Sunday Times 28 Aug. (Mag. Sect.) 17He slots a filter cigarette into his mouth. The wrong way round. The flame burns his fingers. He can see a man and a woman watching him. Skeef.
B. adjective Crooked, skew; ugly; disapproving.
1970 O.A. McCann Informant, Johannesburg, GautengHe’s got a skeef face (ugly).
1986 Style Nov. 140My mouth is too small and my neus is skeef.
1970 A. Palmer Informant, King William’s Town, Eastern CapeYour tie is skew/skeef (crooked).
1993 T. Jarvis on M-Net TV 21 June (Carte Blanche)People really think it’s strange and you get skeef looks from all sides.
Disapprovingly.
Crooked, skew; ugly; disapproving.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

19691993
skedonk, nounn.skelm, nounn. & adjectiveadj.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English