tsotsi means A hoodlum or street thug, especially one from the townships; a township skollie. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
tsotsi is pronounced /ˈtsɒtsi/.
Why “tsotsi” is a great word
TSOTSI — [Noun] A hoodlum or street thug, especially one from the townships of South Africa. Its origin is uncertain; possibly from Nguni *tsotsa* ("to dress flashily") or Shona *tsotsi* ("criminal"). Unlike "gangster," which implies organized crime, or "skollie," a more generic ruffian, a tsotsi is a figure forged in the specific, pressurized asphalt geography of the township, defined by a flashy, defensive style and a crafted, hybrid patois. He is the sharp angle of a hat brim in a shebeen’s dim light, the glint of a stolen watch under a sodium streetlamp, the predatory swagger of polished shoes on a dirt road—a localized archetype of defiant self-invention born of universal desperation.
Etymology
Uncertain. Compare Shona tsotsi (“criminal”)
noun
- A hoodlum or street thug, especially one from the townships; a township skollie.“A gang of tsotsis – hooligans – attacked a group of older men, and when the owner tried to throw them out they ran amok in the place, smashing everything in their way.”