klipfish, noun

/ˈkləpfɪʃ//ˈklɪpfɪʃ/
Forms:
Also Englished form clipfish.
Origin:
South African DutchShow more Partial translation of South African Dutch klipvisch, see klipvis.
1. Any of a number of small, brightly-coloured fishes of the Clinidae, found usually in shallow water or rock pools; klippie sense 3; klipvis sense 2; rock-fish sense 1.
1801 J. Barrow Trav. I. 30Klip or rock-fish, the Blennius viviparus, makes no bad fry.
1861 ‘A Lady’ Life at Cape (1963) 22Presently one little bold klipfish, gleaming in bronze armour came nibbling at the bait.
1880 ‘C.W.’ in Cape Monthly Mag. II. Mar. 157A..box of tackle containing everything for catching fish of any size from a klipfish to a red steinbrass.
1913 D. Fairbridge Piet of Italy 6The cuttlefish spread out their long arms and lift their cruel faces to peer..into quiet corners in which small and foolish klip-fish may be dozing.
1919 M.M. Steyn Diary 1In Dixby’s Bay I have hauled, with a small net, seventy klipfish in one haul.
1930 C.L. Biden Sea-Angling Fishes 158The migration of the steenbras fits in well with the natural cycle of propagation of the most common species of klipfish (Clinus superciliosus one of the few sea fishes giving birth to its young) and of octopus.
c1933 J. Juta in A.C. Partridge Lives, Lett. & Diaries (1971) 159A small, delicate-flavoured fish called klipfish — literally, ‘stone fish’ by reason of its haunts in the rocky weed-covered pools along that stretch of coast.
1968 J.L.B. Smith High Tide 37The wonderful variety of easily caught klipfishes that are such a feature of the tide pools of the Cape.
1971 A.C. Partridge Lives, Lett. & Diaries 163Klipfish (Clinus superciliousus). The blenny, a small rock-fish of bright colours that gives birth to its young. It is the staple food of cormorants.
1979 Signature Dec. 17The reduction of the seaweed, may serve to drive the little lobsters, the crabs, the klipfish, the mussels and other sea creatures from the area.
1985 A. Tredgold Bay between Mountains 109The water stirs the bright green leaves of the sea lettuce...Through them dart the speckled klipfish.
2. obsolescent. Usually with qualifying words, king klipfish or koning klipfish/kʊənəŋ -/ [partial translation of South African Dutch koning klipvisch, koning king + klipvisch see klipvis]: the kingklip (sense 2), Genypterus capensis.
1823 W.W. Bird State of Cape of G.H. 159The king klipfish, the steen brazen, and the stompneus, are all of excellent quality.
1876 H. Brooks Natal 141Klipvisch, kingklip fish..are held in very high estimation.
1887 S.W. Silver & Co.’s Handbk to S. Afr. 185Xiphiurus Capensis, King Klip fish. One of the best of all Cape fishes. Caught with hook amongst rocks in our bays. Mentioned by Barrow.
1910 R. Juta Cape Peninsula 95During the Van Riebeek reign a corporal went fishing for ‘Klip’ fish amongst the brown seaweed which lies like a barren reef round the South-West Coast.
1930 C.L. Biden Sea-Angling Fishes 2Snoek, stockfish and king klipfish are hooked in great numbers from boats whenever the state of the bar permits of fishermen going half a mile or more to sea.
1945 H. Gerber Fish Fare 50Klipfish is a tasty, scaleless fish, which goes up to about 2 lbs.
1985 J. Hellberg in S.-Easter Oct.–Nov. 4Those were..the days when there were ‘plenty of fish but no market..When we caught kingklip we just threw them back because we couldn’t sell them. In the 32 years of fishing I never sold a single klipfish’ he recalls wryly.
Any of a number of small, brightly-coloured fishes of the Clinidae, found usually in shallow water or rock pools; klippie sense 3; klipvis sense 2; rock-fish sense 1.
Usually with qualifying words, king klipfish or koning klipfish/kʊənəŋ -/ [partial translation of South African Dutch koning klipvisch, koning king + klipvisch see klipvis]:the kingklip (sense 2), Genypterus capensis.
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obsolete or obsolescent
klipdas, nounn.Klipkaffir, nounn.
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