The term was recently used in a satirical Dutch song to refer to someone that knowingly breaks Coronavirus rules
Translated by Thomas Ansell
As reported by the Omrop Fryslân, the emergence of the Dutch-language term ‘Wappie’ to connote a person that goes against Coronavirus regulations has infuriated a number of Frisian people because ‘Wappie’ is a shortening of the traditional female Frisian name ‘Wapke’.
Wappie Gillebaard (77), born in Wjelsryp (Gemeente Waadhoeke) told the newspaper that she was surprised by a satirical song by Youp van ‘t Hek called ‘Wappie’, based on an earlier song by ‘t Hek called Flappie. Gillebaard was alerted to the song by her grandchildren: “I hadn’t heard the song myself, but we laughed that the name ‘Wappie’ might become better known. I didn’t know that it was used to mean anything else: if anyone calls me I always pick up by saying ‘Wappie’.”
“It’s really strange”, says Wappie van der Meer, from Dokkum. “You almost never hear your name, and then it’s all over social media. How did that happen?” She’s pleased that none of the her grandchildren have inherited the name, though, saying “I don’t think it’s too good of a name. You can’t saddle children with it”.
