Home » Dictionary » dhodhi

dhodhi

dhodhi
 n.— «The source of laughter is the name Dodi which, according to the way it is pronounced, would be spelt “Dhodhi” in Shona and is used euphemistically in everyday conversation as a polite way of referring to human waste or faeces. A corruption of the English word “dirt” (meaning filth), dhodhi (singular) or madhodhi (plural) is used in everyday speech in place of the actual Shona word for human waste, “matuzvi” which, among the overly prudish Shona people is considered vulgar.» —“Time for names Chimurenga” by Mbulawa Moyo Financial Gazette (South Africa) Aug. 5, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Further reading

Ring-Tailed Tooter (episode #1563)

National Book Award winner Barry Lopez had wise advice for young writers. First, read widely and follow your curiosity. Second, travel or learn a foreign language. And third, find out what you truly believe, because if you’re not writing from...

What the Blazes? (episode #1562)

What kind of book do people ask for most often in prison? Romance novels? No. The Bible? No. The most requested books by far are … dictionaries! A number of volunteer organizations gather and distribute used dictionaries to help inmates with...

Recent posts