haak-en-steek
A South African Afrikaans name for a spiny or thorny plant, literally meaning 'hook-and-stab' — describing the double-action of plants with recurved hooks and sharp points that catch and pierce skin or clothing.
Definitions
A South African Afrikaans name for a spiny or thorny plant, literally meaning 'hook-and-stab' — describing the double-action of plants with recurved hooks and sharp points that catch and pierce skin or clothing. The name is applied to various thorny shrub species in the South African veld. The Afrikaans compound perfectly captures the experience of walking through dense thorn scrub.
She came back from the walk with haak-en-steek scratches all up her arms.
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(South Africa) The plant .
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