In South African township culture, a mapantsula (plural: mapantsula) is a street-smart hustler or petty gangster — but it's also a whole aesthetic and identity. Mapantsula style is sharp: flat caps, tight trousers, and quick footwork. The term was immortalized in the 1988 South African film of the same name and carried forward as a marker of township cool. It can be a critique or a compliment depending on context, straddling the line between badman and style icon.
That mapantsula on the corner always had the freshest gear and knew everyone in the neighborhood.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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(South Africa) petty gangster.
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