skrik

(South Africa) A shock; a sudden fright.

A South African term, from Afrikaans, for a sudden shock or fright — that jolt of alarm you get when something unexpected startles you. 'Schrik' is widely used in South African English regardless of home language and is one of the Afrikaans words most thoroughly absorbed into general South African informal speech. 'Giving someone a schrik' means to startle them; having a schrik is the experience of being startled.

(intransitive) To utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry, as do some birds and beasts; to scream, as in a sudden fright, in horror or anguish.

A sharp, shrill outcry or scream; a shrill wild cry caused by sudden or extreme terror, pain, or the like.