baas
1
9.9
A white employer who had power over Black workers during apartheid
- noun
- Slur
:
[término ofensivo para ‘jefe’ (uso histórico: Sudáfrica, apartheid)]
- I say to myself that I do what I want with my life, but I am here because baas Jannie is here.
- a kleine baas
Examples
-
Thank you, baas.
-
I stay with you, baas.
Fiction book (1992) -
I say to myself that I do what I want with my life, but I am here because Baas Jannie is here.
Academic text (2008) -
Not to worry, kleine baas.
-
They will do it for you, kleine baas.
Fiction book (1992) -
Lucky man, baas Cogez, huh?
-
Thank you, baas.
Synonyms
2
9.9
A polite word for a man in charge in East Africa
refers specifically to an employer with racial authority during South African apartheid
How Authoritative
Surface Forms
Etymology
Baas comes from Dutch and Afrikaans, where it means 'master' or 'boss', and it even gave English the word boss. So, in South African English baas came to mean a person in charge, especially a white employer during the apartheid era.