A fork of Rural Dictionary
A geek or uncool person. Someone straightlaced and boring.
A word which originates from Erskine, Scotland. There are different levels of zef. For example, a zef is quite uncool but if you are really, really uncool then you might be called a queen zef or king zef. The highest level of zef is a superqueen or superking.
Hey check him with the hi-tec trainers on, he's a total zef!
South African term that can be likened to 'Kitch' or 'common'.
Zef style has strong 1980s influences and is stereotypically associated South African caucasians of low-middle social-economic status. However, it not nesessarily a derogatory term.
"It's like wearing high heels with a tracksuit. Being truly zef takes guts."
"The ultimate South African style"
Fila takkies and chappies bubble gum...thats zef...Fokken lekker
During the 60's and 70's the Ford Zephyr was a favourite car by a particular group of South Africans, they also often wore a comb in their socks, and were considered as 'common' or kitch or low class by others, the term ZEF was coined to descibe them.
The word would be used to describe the style of a particular person.
The word could also be used in a derogatory manner by someone who considered themself of higher class or better breeding.
Bernoldus Niemand aka James Phillips, a South African musician who came from a mining town is a good example of a zef person and so is some of his lyrics eg: Welcome to my car.
Usually young men who drove Ford Zephyrs, hung their arm out of the window, and wore a comb stuck into one sock would be considered zef.
More recently, South African rap artists Die Antwoord and Jack Parow would be the embodiment of what zef is.
It is zef to be yourself, to be honest about your humble origins and to be proud of it.