What it means
The short, sharp noise you make when something hurts, borrowed from Afrikaans and now rolled into everyday South African English. Works for a stubbed toe, a nasty sunburn, a rude bill at the till, or any time life lands a little slap. It can also double up as a sympathy word when someone else gets a knock. Quick, punchy, weirdly cute for a pain word.
Usage examples
"Ag eina man, I stepped on a Lego in bare feet on the way to the braai and now my whole foot is buzzing like a kettle"
"Eina! That kettle is boiling hot."
"She stubbed her toe and let out a loud eina."
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Afrikaans, where eina is the everyday cry of pain, the local ouch. South Africans yell it the instant something stings, bumps or pinches.
Editors of this term
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