druppels, plural noun

/ˈdrəp(ə)lz//ˈdrœp(ə)ls/
Forms:
Also droppels.
Origin:
Afrikaans.
a. ‘Drops’: liquid medicines, especially patent household remedies, taken in small quantities. See also (old) Dutch medicine (Dutch adjective sense 2).
1902 Report upon Concentration Camps in W.H.S. Bell Bygone Days (1933) 364Some of what are known generally as ‘Dutch medicines’ or ‘droppels’ contain laudanum...Besides the pernicious ‘droppels’, the Boer women resort to other and even more dangerous methods of treatment.
1906 Rand Daily Mail 1 Mar. 6The large supply of medicines — mysterious things called ‘droppels’ that invariably occupy so much shelf-room in the country store. At some time or other a necessity for each particular droppel has arisen and a box of the little bottles has been purchased.
1949 C. Bullock Rina 33The main items were two bucksails for shelter and waterproof packing...and lastly the druppels in a little medicine chest with a few other simple remedies and disinfectants.
1984 B. Johnson-Barker in Wynboer Feb. 62In due course there appeared in the cities..bottles of druppels which had on the label a picture of the face of Doctor Brown.
1991 [see quot. at krampdruppels below].
b. With distinguishing epithet, designating a particular type of druppels according to:
i. The application of the remedy:
benoudhijds druppels/bəˈnəʊtheɪts -/ [South African Dutch, combining form of benoudhijd tightness of the chest (Afrikaans benoudheid)], drops for the relief of breathing complaints, croup, or asthma; see also benauwdheid;
bloedstillende druppels/ˈblʊtˈstələndə -//ˈblut -/ [Afrikaans, bloedstillend, bloedstillende having styptic properties], a styptic, tincture of ferric perchloride;
borsdruppels, see as a main entry;
entrance druppels, or entress druppels, see quotation 1959;
hoes druppels/ˈhʊs -//ˈhus -/ [Afrikaans, hoes cough], drops for the relief of coughs;
hoofdpijn druppels/ˈhʊəftpeɪn-/ [South African Dutch, hoofdpijn headache (Afrikaans hoofpyn)], drops for the treatment of headaches;
koors druppels/kʊə(r)s-/, also koortsdruppels [Afrikaans, koors fever], drops for the relief of fever;
krampdruppels/kramp-/ [Afrikaans, kramp cramp], drops for the relief of convulsions and stomach cramps;
pynstillende druppels/ˈpeɪnˌstələndə -/ [Afrikaans, pynstillend, pynstillende soothing, pain-killing], drops for the relief of pain;
sleep druppels [English sleep], drops inducing sleep;
versterkdruppels, see as a main entry;
zinkingsdruppels/səŋkəŋs-/ [South African Dutch, zinkings neuralgia (Afrikaans sinkings)], drops for the relief of pain.
1919 Dunell, Ebden & Co.’s Price List Oct. 20Benaauwdheid Droppels 3/6.
1958 A. Jackson Trader on Veld 30Remedies of every description formed no small proportion of a country store’s goods, especially the old ‘Dutch’ medicines...To mention just a few of the favourites: Versterkende Druppels, Roode Lavendel, Peppermint Druppels, Harlemensis, Witte Dulcis, Benoudhijds Druppels, Paragoric, Hoofdpijn Druppels, Arnica, Anijs Druppels.
1919 Dunell, Ebden & Co.’s Price List Oct. 20Bloedstillende Droppels 3/6.
1949 L.G. Green In Land of Afternoon 45Bloedstillende druppels, Cajoputi oil for pain in the limbs, buchu azyn, Groene Amara for stomach ache and Hoffman’s druppels for headache.
1919 Dunell, Ebden & Co.’s Price List Oct. 20Entress Droppels 3/6.
1943 D. Reitz No Outspan 83He heard an old burgher say to President Kruger, ‘Chamberlain’s politics are damn rotten, but we must admit that his cough mixture (hoes druppels) is very good.’
1958 E.H. Burrows Hist. of Medicine 191Koors droppels (lit. Fever Drops): used for fever in children.
1884 B.G. Lennon & Co.’s Catal. 1884 65Kramp Droppels.
1919 Dunell, Ebden & Co.’s Price List Oct. 20Kramp Droppels 3/6.
1989 D. Smuts Folk Remedies 84Stomach ache, 2 drops rooilaventel, 3 drops krampdruppels..in a little luke-warm water with a little sugar.
1991 Best of S. Afr. Short Stories (Reader’s Digest Assoc.) 112Among a bewildering variety of druppels or drops were kramp (cramp) druppels and versterk (strengthening) druppels as well as Hoffmansdruppels and Haarlemmerdruppels.
1884 B.G. Lennon & Co.’s Catal. 1884 65Pynstillende Droppels, doz. 5s.0d.
1919 Dunell, Ebden & Co.’s Price List Oct. 20Pynstillende Droppels 3/6.
1949 L.G. Green In Land of Afternoon 45Pynstillende droppels, zinkingsdruppels (own recipe), koorts druppels, oogwater all speak for themselves.
1958 E.H. Burrows Hist. of Medicine 191Pynstillende droppels (lit., Pain-stilling Drops): used for relieving all kinds of pain, cramp and for vomiting, especially in women.
1884 B.G. Lennon & Co.’s Catal. 1884 67Zinkings Droppels, doz. 5s.0d.
1919 Dunell, Ebden & Co.’s Price List Oct. 20Zinkings Droppels 3/6.
1937 C.R. Prance Tante Rebella’s Saga 182Three times already she had got out of bed to take sleep-droppels from her Home-Medicine chest, and now the bottle was empty she felt more wakeful than before, though she said all her prayers again each time to help the sleep-drops.
ii. The source from which the drops are derived, or an attribute of the drops:
anijs druppels/aˈneɪs -/ [South African Dutch, anijs aniseed (Afrikaans anys)], drops containing aniseed;
duiwelsdrekdruppels, see duiwelsdrek sense b;
harmans druppels/ˈharməns -/, also occasionally shortened form harmansdrup, [Afrikaans, harman adaptation of Haarlem (see haarlemmer)], harlemensis;
Hoffmansdruppels, see as a main entry;
peppermint druppels, drops containing peppermint;
staaldruppels/ˈstɑːl-/ [Afrikaans, ? staal steel], see quotation;
wonderdruppels/ˈvɔn(d)ə(r)-/ [Afrikaans, wonder miracle], drops for the relief of pain.
[1884 B.G. Lennon & Co.’s Catal. 1884 63Anÿs Olie, 2 dram vials.]
[1919 Dunell, Ebden & Co.’s Price List Oct. 20Anijs Olie, 2 dram vials, 6/-.]
1958 E.H. Burrows Hist. of Medicine 191Harmans droppels: used for bladder disturbances.
1989 D. Smuts Folk Remedies 22Chest with phlegm, 2 large tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 teaspoon borsdruppels, 1 bottle raw linseed oil, 1 bottle harmansdrup.
1919 Dunell, Ebden & Co.’s Price List Oct.Peppermint Droppels 3/6.
1884 B.G. Lennon & Co.’s Catal. 1884 66Staal Droppels.
1919 Dunell, Ebden & Co.’s Price List Oct. 20Staal Droppels (stoppered bottles) 3/6.
1989 D. Smuts Folk Remedies 22Childlessness, ½ bottle staaldruppels.
1970 S. De Wet in J.W. Loubser Africana Short Stories 93Then my mother took the wonderdruppels that she had for her pain in her side, and she began to give them to Dirk. And he didn’t get worse.
‘Drops’: liquid medicines, especially patent household remedies, taken in small quantities.
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