lawaai, noun

Forms:
Also lawai.
Origin:
Afrikaans.
Disturbance, racket, fuss. See also to skop lawaai (skop verb sense 2).
1908 J.M. Orpen Reminisc. 16Now, please, father, leave it all to me and don’t touch the whip or make any ‘lawai.’
1969 A. Fugard Boesman & Lena 24This morning in all the lawaai and mix-up — gone!
1972 Drum 22 June 26Of all the examples of civilisation that have been dangled before our envious eyes in recent weeks, surely the most illuminating is the affair of the lavatorial lawaai.
1975 S. Roberts Outside Life’s Feast 85We arrive at this house really at the right moment it was blarry good luck for him there was a bliksemse lawaai coming from the bathroom an’ we somaar walk in they were struggling with a razor.
1979 Sunday Times 2 Dec. (Extra) 2They went into one of the classrooms and we heard a commotion (lawaai) coming from the room.
Disturbance, racket, fuss.
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19081979