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July 26, 2013

Caxirola (count noun)

A percussion instrument used by football fans which makes a rattling sound when shaken
'Thought you'd heard the last of monotonous drones blasting out from the terraces? Think again … Following the international sensation of questionable musical value that was the vuvuzela … the caxirola has been unveiled as the aural stimulant of choice at next year's tournament in Brazil.'
The Independent 25th April 2013 

In the digital era, one indication that a word has firmly made its mark in the public consciousness is when it appears as an option in predictive texting, and whilst recently fumbling my way through a message on a smartphone touchpad, I was interested to come across the word vuvuzela. Four years ago nobody would have had a clue what a vuvuzela was, but its high profile and rather controversial image in the 2010 World Cup seems to have secured it a more enduring place in the language. Three years on, and as attentions turn to the next tournament in Brazil next year, it transpires that the Brazilians have responded to the South Africans by producing an instrument uniquely their own – the caxirola

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