Borrowing from Afrikaans middelmannetjie ?(“little man in the middle”) (analysable as middel ?(“middle”) + man ?(“man”) +? -etjie ?(“suffix indicating a diminutive”)), from Dutch middel ?(“middle”) + mannetje ?(“a short man”) (from man ?(“man”) + -etje, a variant of -tje ?(“suffix indicating a diminutive”)).