"papsak" means cheap wine sold in a bag. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
papsak
(South Africa) Cheap wine sold in a bag.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1990 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
(South Africa) Cheap wine sold in a bag.
‘I wasn't…’ she starts in a voice so little and pathetic, I have to lean in to hear her. Her breath is ripe with cheap papsak.
"papsak" means cheap wine sold in a bag. It is one of many casual words teens pick up from friends, social media, music or sport, and on its own it carries no particular warning. If you hear your teen use it, it is fair to ask what they mean by it in their friend group, since meanings drift quickly. Asking out of curiosity rather than alarm tends to keep the conversation open and useful.
"papsak" is informal English meaning cheap wine sold in a bag. It is part of South African English. A more formal or neutral equivalent would be something like "cheap wine sold in a bag" expressed in standard vocabulary. A common mistake is to assume "papsak" can replace its standard equivalent in every register; keep it for spoken or casual situations and use the formal form in writing. If you are a B2 or C1 learner, it is useful to recognise this word when you hear or read it, but think carefully about whether the situation really calls for it before using it yourself.
“7. [↑](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tot_System#cite_ref-7)["'Papsak' runs dry"](https://web.archive.org/web/20121020184358/http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/papsak-runs-dry-1.371260). _IOL news_.”
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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(Australia, NZ) Wine that is sealed in a plastic bladder and packaged in a cardboard box.
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A South African term for child maintenance or child support payments, drawn from Afrikaans. 'Pap' can mean porridge or food in Afrikaans (by extension, sustenance for a child), and 'geld' means money. Used in everyday South African conversation across language groups when discussing family maintenance obligations and court orders.
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