bonsella
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Afrikaans bonsela, from Xhosa bansela[1] meaning "showing thanks with a gift", related to Zulu umbhanselo a "tip".
Noun
bonsella (plural bonsellas)
- (South Africa) In a transaction, something extra on the side.
- 2002 September 9, Peroshni Govender, “Hau, my china, it's bakgat”, in Independent Online[2]:
- A lekker dictionary containing all the bakgat South African words has hit the bookstores. The collection of about 1,500 local words is a bonsella published in the latest edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary, "the ultimate authority on South African English".
- (South Africa) A tip or gratuity.
- (South Africa) A handout.
- (South Africa) A bribe.