There’s a lot more to this name than initially meets the eye. And although the direct translation may be humorous or startling, the story goes way back through the centuries to a small town in Belgium.
Many people will remember their first days in the South African army when they received the basic kit handed to all new recruits. This included two things, the names of which always put a smile on my face: a ‘balsak’ (literally translated as a ball bag or scrotum bag) and a ‘varkpan’ (a pig pan). These were their Afrikaans colloquial names for a ‘Duffel bag’ and a ‘bowl or plate’.
The Duffel bag, a cylindrical bag closed at the top with a drawstring, is the ideal military bag - spacious, lightweight and tough, made of strong durable material. Interestingly, Duffel cloth, a heavy woollen cloth, originated from the Belgian town of Duffel. The cloth was used to make blankets, overcoats and tog-bags. Duffel-making skills were supposedly taken to England by Flemish immigrants in the 1500s. After World War Two, ‘Duffel coats’, overcoats manufactured from duffel cloth with their distinctive hood and toggle, became a household name.
Although these days gym bags are sometimes referred to as Duffel bags, the original tube-shaped bags were first used in the military and in the navy, where they were referred to as sea bags. There is a well-known wartime photo of Elvis carrying just such a bag.
The South African (Free State) license plate with the name ‘Balsak’ (which got me thinking about the army and the ‘Duffel bag’) was donated to Canyon Roadhouse. The Roadhouse’s license-plate collection includes plates from all over the world and is one of the largest in Africa. We wonder why the driver would have selected this name. Perhaps it was his army nickname, perhaps he used his bakkie to carry a lot of goods (as a Duffel bag would) or maybe he was just being funny. It leaves us guessing . . .
(References: Duffel bags,Wikipedia; Duffel, Wikipedia)