tappet
/'tæpət/ | also occurs as tappit, teppit /'tɛpət/ | slang, stereotype, pejorative | noun 1. a. a (usually working class) car (cf. petrolhead, petrolkop) or car customisation or racing enthusiast; or b. more generally, a working class, usually white Afrikaner, South African considered to be common, uncouth, gauche, and/or stupid; or c. more generally, the society and/or culture said to be represented in a and b | 2. the utterance of the word “tappet” | adjective 3. having the features or properties associated with people, situations, or mindsets described in 1 and 2, e.g. a cheap, badly done car customisation; (perceived) stupidity; gaucheness, etc. | hence, verb 4. tappetise “to poorly pimp your car” (Urban Dictionary) | from English, tappet, “a part that transfers motion from one machine part to another, especially the part of an internal-combustion engine that transmits motion from the camshaft to the push rods or valves” (Collins Dictionary)
As may be seen from the citations below, the somewhat pejorative appellation, “tappet,” is often associated with the perhaps more notorious “zef.”1 The latter was made famous by the likes of Ninja and Yolandi Vi$$er of the South African “rap-rave” group Die Antwoord (a glitzy, provocateur version of zef) and, more locally, by their erstwhile associate, Afrikaans rapper Jack Parow (a more down-to-earth, homeboy version). Yet “tappet” has no such claim to fame. This is because, arguably, zef involves some extent of upward social mobility – in other words, you need disposable income to be zef. Think of the proverbial gaucheness of the nouveau riche, such as in the South African TV series Kompleks (with its tappet-to-zef characters) from some decades back, in addition to Ninja, Yolandi, and Jack. While sharing some of the negative stereotypical elements, tappet has little to no such back-up, and there is no international tappet movement to parallel the rise of so-called zef culture (i.e. Ninja + Yolandi + marketing). In a nutshell, this is to say that, though the lines are somewhat blurred, tappet is more Corné and Twakkie of The Most Amazing Show than it is Die Antwoord or Jack Parow.
1
noun | a. a (usually working class) car (cf. petrolhead, petrolkop) or car customisation or racing enthusiast; or b. more generally, a working class, often white Afrikaner, South African considered to be common, uncouth, gauche, and/or stupid; or c. more generally, the society and/or culture said to be represented in a and b
1997 Q: how does a tappet (a guy from Welkom) tune his car ? / A : Howzit my enjine. / Q : How does a Tappet tune his cat/dog ? / A : Meow/Woef ek sje.
2009 Do you have something hanging from your car-mirror? / … if you wanna make sure EVERYONE knows ur a tappet/spanner/appeldammer/gomtor of kokkelol – GO AHEAD!
2009 Tjom, there are tappits supporting every team in this country, even people with Sharks stickers bigger than their cars keeping the rust together.
2010 Crispy, u mad, just put Sunlight [sc. dishwashing liquid] and a toilet brush. Blady tappit.
2010 I know one tappet like that, he will not utter a single word of English. Still fighting the Boer war.
2010 Sounds zef. If I give someone a lift now, they will just think, “What a tappet….” Especially someone like my boss or something, you know…
2011 Me? No. The tappet that owned the car before me, maybe. Although I suspect he was just a racer. Damn being unsuccessful and having to buy used cars.
2011 Today (September 1) another speeding idiot drove into me and my nine-month-old baby in the car seat and did not stop at at the stop street either. No sir, instead, we wheel spun away like a tappet.
2011 Nah… I’ve pegged him as a big-ass bakkie owner! 😀 // Same…he is a doofus/tappet of note.
2012 M/Ts are done at 50% tread, so there was tread left. So I’m only a half tappit.
2016 Tappits // We’ve been saying that about Toyota drivers for years. Now we have proof.
2019 Looks like a Ford Sierra from the 80s. All the Brakpan tappets will queue to buy one while listening to Jack Parrow on their ipods.
2
noun | the utterance of the word “tappet”
2005 Sorry, that’s all I know about cars. Well, that and the word “tappit” which is also a term used for a common person, such as seen on the Springer show from time to time.
2007 I wonder what the Afrikaans word for trailer park trash is. // [cmnt] Tappet is usually a word I hear from scummies.
2008 RE: Names for “common” (eg kommin, my bra) people! / … Spanner / Tappit / Skurf / … I have no idea where the name tappet comes from!
3
adjective | having the features or properties associated with people, situations, or mindsets described in 1 and 2, e.g. a cheap, badly done car customisation; (perceived) stupidity; gaucheness, etc.2007 Only thing is my tires are already about 5mm past the body, increasing that with another 20mm might make it look very tappit.
2008 Is it only me that finds the whole Harley culture a bit “commin” or “tappit”? It may have been cool when I was little, about 20 yrs ago, but now it’s just silly.
2008 These blue little lights that some dudes have as park lights or on their bonnets are also illegal. Anyway, having a disco on the front of your car is so 80s and tappet.
2008 In South Africa, I’m ashamed of Afrikaans people that act like tappet retards.
2008 This is exactly the kind of thing that pisses me off, because it makes us Afrikaners look like stupid tappet people!
2009 This Saturday is going to be soooo interesting now… Never thought about the tappit side of the 80s.
2009 Tappit, kommin, inbred and zef go together. Drinking a lot so your kids can’t smell you ate meat? You’re zef. Putting a wing on your car, especially a 1400 Datsun bakkie? You’re ZEFFF! Taking your own drinks to a funeral? Zef. Allowing your 13 year old to smoke in front of her kids? Zef. Saying things like: “Sit bietjie daai rooiwyn innie son dat hy refs optel!” [Put that red wine in the sun for a while so that it picks up revs!] – Very zef.
2010 Diced! [sc. Raced!] Lekker tappet, I assume you have a tuned Cortina as well?
2010 I started it up and got a lovely deep sound like I wanted, bit louder than I like, but not too tappet.
2010 Umm, that doesn’t make sense, or maybe I am being a tappit. // You are tappit, but you got a point there, hook the dude up, man.
2010 One survey participant, Candice, described it as being filled with “tappet” (stupid and unsophisticated), sweaty, Castle Lager-drinking, rugby-watching boere (farmers) that “perv over” (look lustfully at) her.
2010 He’s the tard with the tappit hairstyle who tried to cover Joost vd Westhuizen’s ass when the video with the hooker came out.
2011 My brother had these tappit neighbours. My fav quote from their yard: “Skattie, waar’s die Ford se sleutels?” “Kyk daar op die yskas tussen die tapit covers!” [“Dearie, where are the keys for the Ford?” “Check there on the fridge among the tappet covers.”] I bet they had an engine block in the bathtub as well.
2011 Those who might hate it: Those who do not enjoy the South African tappit genre. / … This movie feels pretty much the same as every other South African tappit movie out there.
2011 Every single character in this movie swears. Every single one is as tappit as the next.
2011 You were warned it may sound tappit / I haven’t fiddled with my intake system… Only had exhaust done.
2011 Any other color ST I would also say gunmetal – not so sure on the silver car… Worried that the 2 colors would be too similar and result in a boring / tappet look!
2012 A real tappit-looking dude with a moegoe hair style and scaly [sc. low class] tats.
2012 I digress; watkykjy.co.za is meant as a parody. It’s MEANT to be as “common”, “tappit” and “zef” as possible.
2012 The silver one might be better. The white one has been lifted… & has brand new OME Nitro shocks, but with highway tyres. Plus, the exhaust looks tappit, & it’s been offroad, maybe seen some aquatic action.
2012 Considering it’s a BB92 pressfit bottom bracket I think they’re all plastic, so not sure if there are any options at all really. Going with Ryanpmb’s tappit theme – too nice not to.
2012 There are many good Afrikaans people left, but the numbers are dwindling. We are being outnumbered by tappit people at an alarming rate. Just look at how many overweight, daft Afrikaners are cruising around in bakkies on the roads and you’ll get a clear idea of their numbers. That frightens me. It really does.
2012 You know I believe in my abilities and luck but only a tappit punter plays that type of money on the more tappit tab.
4
hence, verb | tappetise “to poorly pimp your car” (Urban Dictionary)2008 Jerry got himself some acrylic paint and loads of LED lights, I reckon he’s about to go tappitize his Cortina.
2012 This one guy who works with me decided to tappetise his car a bit. [“Die een ou wat saam [met] my werk het besluit om biekie sy kar te tappetise.”]
Notes
1. “Zef” – the story goes – is possibly derived from Ford Zephyr, a vehicle that is said to have been a favourite of white South Africans, including car customisers, in the 1960s and 1970s. However, it is not clear whether uses of “zef” (or “tappet”) go back that far.
Original cover photo by RKTKN on Unsplash.
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