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Spaza vs Spaz - What's the difference?

spaza | spaz |

As nouns the difference between spaza and spaz

is that spaza is an informal trading post or convenience store found in townships and remote areas while spaz is a stupid person.

As a verb spaz is

to have a tantrum or fit.

spaza

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (South Africa) An informal trading post or convenience store found in townships and remote areas.
  • * 2011 , Dan Banik, The Legal Empowerment Agenda (page 59)
    • The study found that spazas predominantly source their supplies from large wholesalers such as Macro, Metro and Cash and Carry.

    spaz

    English

    Alternative forms

    * spazz

    Noun

    (spazzes)
  • (slang, pejorative, offensive) A stupid person.
  • (slang, pejorative, offensive) A hyperactive person.
  • (slang, pejorative, offensive) An incompetent person.
  • * (Tiger Woods), 2006
    • “I was so in control from tee to green, the best I’ve played for years… But as soon as I got on the green I was a spaz .”
  • (slang, pejorative, offensive) A tantrum, a fit.

    • Usage notes

    (Spastic) In addition to being insulting to the target, the term itself is offensive to some due to associations with disability (especially cerebral palsy in the UK); compare (retard), (tard). Offensiveness differs between the UK and the US: it is quite offensive in the UK, while completely inoffensive in the US, acting as a synonym for silly/hyper. It is most widely used as a playground term of abuse, both of people with disabilities and children generally. Among adults, particularly in the United States, it can be seen as gentle ribbing or self-deprecation, as in the Tiger Woods quote, but can cause offense, and is recommended against in public. The s-word, by Damon Rose, BBC News, 12 April 2006

    Related terms

    * spack * spastic

    See also

    * (l) * (l)

    Verb

  • (slang, pejorative, offensive) To have a tantrum or fit.
  • (slang, offensive) To malfunction, go on the fritz.

    • Usage notes

    The sense “to malfunction” is the only sense that is not insulting to the object, and is cognate to (spasm) (compare (seize up)), but still may cause offense due to connections with (spastic).

    References

    Anagrams

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