The flashcard defines 'stellenbosch' as a verb meaning to relegate an incompetent person to a position of minimal responsibility. It explains the origin of the term from a British military practice during the Second Boer War.
The flashcard defines 'stellenbosch' as a verb meaning to relegate an incompetent person to a position of minimal responsibility. It explains the origin of the term from a British military practice during the Second Boer War.
| Back | stellenbosch /STE-len-bosh/ |
|---|---|
| Front | verb tr. To relegate someone incompetent to a position of minimal responsibility. [After Stellenbosch, a town in South Africa. Earliest documented use: 1900. Stellenbosch, near Cape Town, was a British military base during the Second Boer War. Officers who had not proven themselves were sent to Stellenbosch, to take care of something relatively insignificant, such as to look after horses. Even if they kept their rank, this assignment was considered a demotion. Eventually the term came to be applied when someone was reassigned to a position where he could do little harm.] "His erstwhile colleague acknowledged Mr Myers's absence. Has Mr Myers been stellenbosched?" - Does RTE Object to Frugality?; Irish Independent; (Dublin, Ireland); Nov 13, 2008. |
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