tjoepstil, adjective

/ˈtʃʊpstəl/
Origin:
Afrikaans, Hindi, MalayShow more Afrikaans, from Hindi chup, choop silence (perhaps via Malay) + Afrikaans stil silent, quiet.
colloquial
Absolutely silent.
1979 Sunday Times 29 July 16Tjoepstil! One of South Africa’s top businessmen gained the distinction this week of rendering the voluble Jesse Jackson momentarily speechless.
1980 Sunday Times 9 Mar. 2Where are the MPs —..men of influence, leaders in their respective communities, faithful followers of P.W. Botha? The reply: ‘Tjoepstil (silent), in the Cape.’
1982 D. Kramer Short Back & Sides 22Call me a crunchie And I’ll take you outside. I’ll show you just how The crunch is applied. Then you’ll keep...tjoepstil.
1985 Vula Oct. 21How can they expect Beyers/Boesak/Tutu-hulle to keep tjoepstil when the very fires of hell are now burning in our backyards?
1990 Femina June 70Mark remembers his childhood as one in which children had to be tjoepstil.
Absolutely silent.
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19791990
tjaile, verb intransitivev.tjorrie, nounn.
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