An invitation from Ronelda to attend the VIP opening ceremony of the Pick ‘n Pay Wine Festival. With Shoprite/Checkers CEO Whitey Basson living in the “Town of Oaks” is Pick ‘n Pay pulling the tiger’s tail?
Ronelda signs off “regards from the wine and gourmet capital of South Africa. Looking forward to seeing you there!” So now its official, Stellies has taken over from Franschhoek as gourmet acme. The Hoek lost the plot with a series of hysterical marketing mis-steps, the most recent of which was the Franschhoek Wine Writers Non-Award last year. Cutting off their nez to spite their visage, I see they’ve reappointed the truculent judge who caused all the trouble – radio personality John Mayhem to not award a prize this year. I can hear the Stellenbosch laughter all the way down here in the Cape.
Stellies was not always the byword for culinary and vinous excellence. As wordsmith.org remind us today, Stellenbosch is also a word in English:
stellenbosch
PRONUNCIATION:
(STE-len-bosh)
MEANING:
verb tr.: To relegate someone incompetent to a position of minimal responsibility.
ETYMOLOGY:
After Stellenbosch, a town in South Africa. Earliest documented use: 1900.
NOTES:
Stellenbosch, near Cape Town, was a British military base during the Second Boer War. Officers who had not proven themselves were sent to Stellenbosch, to take care of something relatively insignificant, such as to look after horses. Even if they kept their rank, this assignment was considered a demotion. Eventually the term came to be applied when someone was reassigned to a position where he could do little harm.
Also see Peter Principle.
A similar term is coventry.
Another word derived from the name of a South African town is maffick.
You can see I have turned over a new leaf as I refuse to make any rude comments about WOSA being located in the Town of Trees. I’ve at last grown up, with a few pot shots at any passing whales my only diversion these days.
