Learn Patois
A : prep. to as in
"go a shop," from
Spanish
A GO : aux w/v. going to do, as in "Me a go tell him"
A DOOR : outdoors.
ACCOMPONG : n. name of Maroon warrior, Capt.
Accompong, brother of Cudjo; also name of town. From the Twi name f or the supreme deity
ACKEE : n. African food tree introduced about 1778. From Twiankye or Kru akee
AGONY : the sensations felt during sex
ALIAS : adj. (urban slang) dangerous, violent
AN : and (5) ARMAGEDDON : the biblical final battle between the forces of good and evil
ASHAM : n. Parched, sweetened, and ground corn. From twiosiam
BABYLON : 1. the corrupt establishment, the "system", Church and State 2. the police, a policeman
BAD : good, great
BADNESS : hooligan behavior, violence for its own sake
BAFAN : clumsy; awkward
BAFANG : a child who did not learn to walk the 1st 2-7 years.
BAG-O-WIRE : a betrayer
BAGGY : underpants for a woman or child.
BALMYARD : n. place where pocpmania rites are held, healing is done, spells cast or lifted
BAKRA : white slavemaster, or member of the ruling class in colonial days. Popular etymology: "back raw" (which he bestowed with a whip.)
BALD-HEAD : a straight person; one without dreadlocks; one who works for babylon
BAMBA YAY : by and by
BAMBU : rolling paper
BAMMY : a pancake made out of cassava, after it has been grated and squeezed to remove the bitter juice. (5)
BANDULU : bandit, criminal, one living by guile
BANDULU BIZNESS is a racket, a swindle.
BANGARANG : hubbub, uproar, disorder, disturbance.
BANKRA : a big basket, including the type which hangs over the sides of a donkey.
BANS : from bands; a whole lot, a great deal, nuff, whole heap.
BAT : butterfly or moth. English bat, the flying rodent, is a rat-bat.
BATTY : bottom; backside; anus.
BATTYBWOY : a gay person
BEAST : a policeman
BEX : vex (verb), or vexed (adjective).
BHUTTU (BUHTUH) : an uncouth, out of fashion, uncultured person Use: Wey yu a go inna dem deh cloze? Yu fayva buttu
BISSY : cola nut.
BLY : chance, "must get a bly", "must get a chance".
BOASIE : adj. proud, conceited, ostentatious. Combination of English boastful and Yoruba bosi-proud and ostentation.
BOBO : fool.
BRAA : from BREDDA; brother.
BRAATA : a little extra; like the 13th cookie in a baker's dozen;or an extra helping of food. In musical shows it has come to be the encore.
BREDREN : one's fellow male Rastas
BRINDLE : to be angry
BRINKS : title given to a man who is supplying a woman with money
BUBU : fool.
BUCKY : home-made gun
BUFU-BUFU : fat, swollen, blubbery; too big; clumsy or lumbering
BUGUYAGA : a sloppy, dirty person, like a bum or tramp.
BULL BUCKA : a bully
BULLA : a comon sugar and flour cookie or small round cake, sold everywhere in Jamaica.
BUMBA CLOT, (TO GET) BUN : to have one's spouse or girl/boy-friend cheat on oneself, to be cheated out of something
RAS CLOT, BLOOD CLOT : curse words
BUMBO : bottom; backside. A common curse word, especially in combination with CLOT (cloth), a reference to the days before toilet paper.
BUNGO : n. racially pejorative. Crude, black, ignorant, boorish person. From Hausa bunga-bumpkin, nincompoop
BUNKS : to knock or bump against, from "to bounce",
BUNKS MI RES, catch my rest, take a nap.
BUPPS : Sugar daddy, Man who provides for women financially. Usually a woman uses a bupps.
(THE) CAT : a woman's genitals
CARD : to fool someone
CEASE & SEKKLE! : stop everything and relax!
CERACE : a ubiquitous vine used for boiling medicinal tea, and for bathing. It is proverbial for its bitterness.
CHA! or CHO! : a disdainful expletive (1) pshaw! (2) very common, mild explanation expressing impatience, vexation or disappointment.(
CHAKA-CHAKA : messy, disorderly, untidy.
CHALICE or CHILLUM : a pipe for smoking herb, usually made from coconut shell or CHALEWA : and tubing, used ritually by Rastas
CHEAP : just as cheap, just as well.
CHIMMY : chamber pot.
CHO : very common, mild explanation expressing impatience, vexation or disappointment.
) CLAP : hit, break, stride
CLOT : 1. cloth, an essential part of most Jamaican bad words, such as bumbo clot, rass clot, blood clot, etc. The essence of Jamaican cursing seems to be nastiness , rather than the blashemy or sexuality which is characteristic of the metropolitan countries. 2. to hit or strike - from the verb "to clout".
COCO : a potato-like edible root, known elsewhere as the taro or the eddo. It was brought to Jamaica from the South Pacific. This is completely distinct from cocoa, usually called chocolate.
COIL : money
COME DUNG : come down, get ready (as to prepare to play a tune)
COME EEN LIKE : to seem as if; to resemble.
CONTROL : to be in charge of, responsible for, to own; to take
COO 'PON : v. (origin unclear) Look upon!
COO YAH : v. (origin unclear) Look here!
COOL RUNNINGS : a greeting; things are going smoothly
COOLIE : the traditional Jamaican epithet for East Indians. It is never used It is never used for Chinese Jamaicans. Usually in the form coolie-man or coolie-oman. It is not considered polite today anymore than the term nega, but it is still used widely in rural areas. (urban slang) ganja
CORK UP : jammed, filled, crowded
CORN : 1. marijuana 2. money 3. a bullet
COTCH : verb (cotch up), to support something else, as with a forked stick; to balance something or place it temporarily; to beg someone a cotch, can be a place on a crowded bus seat or bench; or it may mean to cotch a while, to stay somewhere temporarily. (5)
COTTA : a roll of cloth or vegetation placed on top of the head to cushion the skull from the weight of a head load.
CRAB : aside from it's usual meaning, it is a verb meaning to scratch or claw.
CRAVEN : greedy
CRIS : crisp; popularly used for anything brand-new, slick-looking.
CRISSARS : crisp, brand-new (2)
CROMANTY : adj. from
Corromantee, Blacks from the Gold Coast believed to be rebellious (7)
CROSSES : problems, vexations, trials; bad luck, misfortunes. (5)
CRUCIAL : serious, great, "hard,", "dread"
CUBBITCH : covetous.
CUDJO : n. name of famous Maroon warrior; mn born on Monday, from Fante, Twi kudwo
CULTURE : reflecting or pertaining to the roots values and traditions highly respected by the Rastas
CUSS-CUSS : a quarrel or fracas, with lots of cursing.
CUT YAI : to cut your eye at somebody is a very common means of expressing scorn or contempt, for example; one catches the other person's eye, then deliberately turns one's own eyes as an insult.
CUTCHIE : pipe for communal smoking.
CYAAN : cannot, can't (6) D.J. : a person who sings or scats along with dub music, sometimes called "toasting"
DAAL : split peas, usually a thick soup, from Indian cuisine, from Hindi
DADA : father
DALLY : executive zig-zag movements on wheels or on foot to ride a bicycle or motorbike with a weaving motion, as when ones weaves around potholes.
) DAN DADA : the highest of DON'S
DAN : than
DARKERS : sunglasses
DASHEEN : a big soft yam-like root, often slightly grayish when cooked. It is related to the coco, but one eats the "head" instead of the tubers.
DAWTA : a girl, woman, "sister," girlfriend
DEADERS : meat, meat by-products
DEESTANT : decent.
DEGE or DEGE-DEGE : adjective, little, skimpy, measly, only, as in a two dege-dege banana.
DEH : there (place)
DEY : v. to be, exist, as in "No yam no dey". From Ewe de or Twi de - to be
DI : the
DINKI : a kind of traditional dance at funerals or "nine nights" ("set-ups"); now popular among school children.
DIS or
DIS YA : this
DJEW : as a verb, rain a djew; as a noun,
djew rain. It means a light rain or drizzle.
DOGHEART : a person who is especially cold and cruel (6) DOLLY : executive zig-zag movements on wheels (2) DON : one who is respected, master of a situation (6)
DONKYA : from "don't care"; careless, sloppy, lacking ambition, etc. (5)
DOONDOOS : an albino. (5)
DOWNPRESSOR : preferred term for oppressor (1)
(TO) DRAW CARD : the act of fooling someone (6)
DREAD : 1. a person with dreadlocks 2. a serious idea or thing 3. a dangerous situation or person 4. the "dreadful power of the holy" 5. experientially, "awesome, fearful confrontation of a people with a primordial but historically denied racial selfhood"
DREADLOCKS : 1. hair that is neither combed nor cut 2. a person with dreadlocks
DREADY : a friendly term for a fellow dread
DUB : a roots electronic music, created by skillful, artistic re-engineering of recorded tracks
DUCK-ANTS : white ants, or termites.
DUKUNU : sweet corn-meal dumplings boiled in wrapped leaves.
DUNDUS : an albino.
DUNGLE : n. legendary West Kingston slum surrounding a garbage dump, now cleared. : From English dunghill
DUNS,DUNSA : money
DUPPY : a ghost
DUTCHY : dutch cooking pot, low round-bottomed heavy pot. (5)
EASE-UP : to forgive, to lighten up (6)
EVERYTING COOK & CURRY : all is well, all is taken care of (6)
FAS' : to be fast with, meaning to be rude, impertinent, to meddle with sombody's business, to be forward, etc. (5)
FASSY : eczema-like scratchy sores on the skin; also a verb meaning to cause oneself to be covered with fassy by scratching. (5)
FAYVA : to favour, resemble, or look like; "fayva like" also means "it seems as if". (5) FE : the infinitive "to" as in "Have fe go" (7)
FEEL NO WAY : don't take offense, don't be sorry, don't worry (1)
FENKY-FENKY : (from finicky) choosy, proud, stuck-up.
FENNEH : v. to feel physical distress, pain. From Twi fene-to vomit;
Fante fena-to be troubled; Lumba feno-to faint (7) FI : possessive. "fi me"-"mine"
FIESTY : impudent, rude, out of order, cheeky.
FIRST LIGHT : tomorrow
HIM A) FISH : a gay person
FIT : when used of fruits and vegetables, it means ready to pick, full grown, though not necessarily fully ripe.
FORWARD : 1. to go, move on, set out 2. in the future
FRONTA : tobacco leaf used to roll herb
FUCKERY : wrong, unfair
FULLNESS, TO THE FULLNESS : completely, absolutely, totally
FUNDS : Money
GAAN TO BED : an adverbial phrase; following a verb of liking or loving, it has a superlative meaning; Can be used in any context, such as "I love hafu yam gaan to bed!".
GANJA : herb, marijuana
GANSEY : t-shirt, any knit shirt
(TO) GET SALT : to be thwarted, to encounter misfortune
GATES : home, yard
GENERAL : cool operator
GIG : spinning top.
GINNAL : n. trickster, con-man, an Amnancy figure as in "Sunday Ginnal"-a preacher or clergyman
GLAMITY : a woman's genitals
GORGON : outstanding dreadlocks
(DON) GORGON : outstanding dreadlocks, a person who is respected
GRAVALICIOUS : greedy, avaricious.
GRINDSMAN : one who displays great prowess in bed
GROUNATION : large, island-wide meeting and celebration of Rastas
GROUND : home, yard
HACKLE : to hassle, bother, worry, trouble. As a noun, hackling
HAFFI : to have to...
HAIL : a greeting
HARD : excellent, proficient, skillful, uncompromising
HEETCH : itch. Many such words could be listed under H, as initial H is added to scores of words at will.
HEAD MAN JANCRO : n. albino buzzard
HERB : marijuana
HIEZ-HAAD : ears-hard, thick skulled, stubborn, unwilling or unable to hear.
HIEZ : ears.
HITEY-TITEY : upper class, high tone, "stoosh".
) HOOD : penis.
HORTICAL (DON) : respected, acclaimed
HOT-STEPPER : fugitive from jail or gun court
) I-MAN : I, me, mine
I-NEY : a greeting
I-REY : 1. a greeting 2. excellent, cool, highest
I-SHENCE : herb
I-TAL : vital, organic, natural, wholesome; refers to way of cooking and way of life (1) in colors, red, green and gold (2) I : replaces "me", "you", "my"; replaces the first syllable of seleted words (1) I and I, I&I: I, me, you and me, we (1) Rastafari speech eliminates you, me we, they, etc., as divisive and replaces same with communal I and I. I and I embraces the congregation in unity with the Most I (high) in an endless circle of inity (unity).
IEZ-HAAD : ears-hard, thick skulled, stubborn, unwilling or unable to hear.
IEZ : ears.
ILIE : adj. literally, "highly", valuable, exalted, even sacred
IGNORANT : short-tempered, easy to vex, irate.
INNA DI MORROWS : tomorrow
INNA : In the
IRIE : adj. powerful and pleasing
ISMS and SKISMS : negative term denoting Babylon's classificatory systems
ITES : 1. the heights 2. a greeting 3. the color red (1) great
JA, JAM-DOWN : Jamaica
JACKASS ROPE : homegrown tobacco, twisted into a rope.
JAH KNOW : Lord knows
JAH : God; possibly derived as a shortened form of Jahweh or Jehovah
Jah Ras Tafari, Haille Selassie, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, conquering Lion of Judah; rastas revere Haile Selassie as the personification of the Almighty
JAMDUNG : Jamaica, "Jam" to press down "dung" down. Ironic reference to social and economic conditions of the masses
JAMMIN : to be having a good time, to be dancing calypso/soca
JANCRO : n. literally John Crow, buzzard
JANGA : shrimp, crayfish.
JELLY : a young coconut, full of jelly.
JON CONNU : n. (John Canoe). Bands of elaborately masked dancers appearing around Christmas. They resemble the ancestral dancers of West Africa, but the ety. of the word is unclear.
JOOK : to pierce or stick, as with a thorn or a long pointed stick.
JUDGIN' : adjective, everyday or ordinary clothes or shoes worn in the yard or in the bush, as in "judgin' boot". Also as a verb, to judge, with a similar meaning.
JUU : as a verb, rain a juu; as a noun, juu rain. It means a light rain or drizzle.
KALI; COOLY : marijuana
KALLALOO : a dark, green leafy vegetable, very nutritious and cheap.
KASS KASS : n. quarrel or contention. From combination of English curse or cuss, and Twi kasa kasa-to dispute verbally
KATA : a roll of cloth or vegetation placed on top of the head to cushion the skull from the weight of a head load.
KEMPS : a little bit, a tiny piece, from skimps.
KISS ME NECK! : common exclamation of surprise.
KISS TEET : to kiss one's teeth or to suck one's teeth is to make the very common hissing noise of disappoval, dislike, vexation or disappointment.
KOUCHIE : bowl of a chalice or chillum pipe
KRENG-KRENG : an old-fashioned meat rack, hung up high over the fire to catch the smoke.
KU DEH! : look there!
KU PAN : look at.
KU YA! : look here!
KU : verb, look!
KUMINA : n. Ecstatic dance for the purpose of communicating with ancestors. From Twi akom-to be possessed and ana-by an ancestor
KYA : 1. to care; "donkya", don't care, careless; "no kya" means no matter, as in "no kya weh im tun", no matter where he turns. 2. to carry.
) KYAAN : can't.
KYAI : to carry.
KYAN : can.
LABA-LABA : to chat, gab; gossip.
LABRISH : gossip, chit-chat.
LAMBSBREAD : a form of high-quality marijuana
LARGE : respected
LEGGO BEAS' : wild, disorderly, like a let-go beast.
) LICKY-LICKY : fawning, flattering, obsequious.
LILLY BIT : little bit, tiny
LION : a righteous Dread (1) a great soul
LITTLE MORE : see you later
LIKKY-LIKKY : title given to those who like to eat any food they encounter , without discretion (6
) MAAMA MAN : a gay person, an effeminate man, a weakling
MACA : thorn, prickle.
MADDA : mother
MAFIA : big-time criminals
MAGA DOG : mongrel
MAGA : thin (2) (from meagre)
) MANACLES : chains
) MARINA : a man's undershirt, guernsey; a tank-top style.
MAROON : n. free black warrior-communities which successfully resisted British hegemony during eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. From Spanish cimmaron- untamed, wild
MASCOT : denoting inferior status
MASH IT UP : a huge success
MASH UP, MASH DOWN : destroy
MAAS : n. from master or massa. Now freed from its class origin; a respectful form of address to an older man.
MASSIVE : respected (6), used with LARGE to add emphasis
MENELIK, RAS : n. Ethiopian nobleman who rallied his troops to resist Italian aggression. Defeated Italians at Adowa 1896
MONKS : amongst.
MONTELL : The male version of a sketell, gigolo
MORE TIME : see you later
MR. T : the boss (2)
MUS MUS : a rat (4)
MY BABY MOTHER /FATHER : the mother/father of my child (1,6)
MYAL : n. a form of benign magic opposed to Obeah, hence myalman. From Hursa maye-wizard, person of mystic power.
NAGAH : n. pejorative for a black person
NAGO : n. Yoruba person, practice or language. From Ewe anago-Yoruba person
NAH : adv. will not. Emphatic as in "Me nah do that"
NANA : midwife; nanny or nurse.
NASH : female genatalia
NATTY, NATTY DREAD, NATTY CONGO : 1. dreadlocks 2. a person with dreadlocks
NAZARITE : Ancient Hebrew meaning to "separate", consecrated, set apart by choice and devotion
NIYABINGHI : 1. "death to all black and white oppressors" 2. East African warriors who resisted colonial domination 3. large Rastafarian meeting and spiritual gathering 4. referring to orthodox, traditional Rastas 5. a variety of drumming
NIYAMEN : name for Rastas referring to Niyabinghi warriors of East Africa
NO KYA : no matter, as in "no kya weh im tun", no matter where he turns.
NO TRUE? : isn't it so?
NUH : interrogative at end of sentence; literally, "Is it not so?"
NYAM : to eat.
NYAMI-NYAMI : title given to those who like to eat any food they encounter, without discretion
NYING'I-NYING'I : nagging, whining.
O-DOKONO : boiled maize bread.
OBEAH : traditional African "science", relating to matters of the spirit and spirits, spells, divinations, omens, extra-sensory knowledge, etc.
OHT FI : about to, on the verge of, as in "it oht fi rain", it is about to rain, it looks like rain.
ONE LOVE : a parting phrase, expression of unity
ONE-ONE : adjective, one by one, thus any small amount.
ONGLE : only.
PAKI : calabash, gourd.
PAPAA : pawpaw, or papaya melon.
PATU : owl.
PAYAKA : heathen
PYAKA : tricky or dishonest.
PEEL-HEAD : bald-headed, usually certain chickens or vultures.
PEENYWALLY : a kind of large fire fly, actually a type of flying beetle.
PEER : avocado pear.
PICKY, PICKY HEAD : brush haircut
PICKY-PICKY : 1. finicky or choosy 2. Used of uncombed hair just starting to turn into dreadlocks.
PIKNY : pickaninny, child.
PINDA : peanut.
PIRA : a low wooden stool.
PITY-ME-LIKL : a type of very tiny red ant whose bite is so hot and long-lasting it resembles a sting.
POCOMANIA, POCO : christian revival, distinct drum rhythm
POLYTRICKS : politics (by Peter Tosh)
POLYTRICKSTERS : politicians (by Peter Tosh)
POPPY-SHOW : from puppet show, it is used in the idiom, tek smadi mek poppy-show, which means to make fun of someone or shame them, making them look ridiculous.
PUM-PUM : a woman's genitals
PUNAANI or PUNNI : a woman's genitals
PUPPALICK : somersalt.
PUTTIN' AWAY : a preposition, meaning "except for", or "except".
PYAA-PYAA : sickly, weak; feeble, of no account.
PYU : from spew; verb used of running sores or anything similarly dripping or oozing.
QUASHIE : n. peasant, country bumpkin, coarse and stupid person; racial pejorative generic term for blacks; originally Twi name of a boy born on a Sunday
QUIPS : 1. nouns (from squips) a tiny piece or amount. 2. verb, the Jamaican art of washing clothes making a "squips-squips" sound.
RAATID! : a common mild expletive of surprise or vexation, as in "to raatid!". It is likely a polite permutation of "ras", a la "gosh" or "heck". (5) RANKING : highly respected
RAS or RASS : backside, rump; a common curse is to rass! or rass clot! a title used by Rastafarians meaning "lord" or "head" .
RAAS : "really?", "damn!"
RASTA, RASTAFARIAN : a follower of Marcus Garvey who worships the Almighty in the person of haile Selassie
RAT-BAT : bat, the night-flying rodent.
RATCHET : a switchblade knife popular in Jamaica
RED : 1. very high on herb 2. mulatto color
RAHTID : expression of surprise, or to be enraged. From biblical "wrothed"
RENK : 1. foul-smelling, raw-smelling. 2. out of order, impudent, as in a rank-imposter. "Yu too renk!".
RHAATID : a curse-exclamation, similar to "what the hell"
RHYGIN : adj. spirited, vigorous, lively, passionate with great vitality and force; also sexually provocative and aggressive. Probably a form of English raging.
RIZZLA : brand of rolling paper.
ROCKERS : reggae music as it is played today, the latest sound
ROOTS : derived from the experience of the common people, natural indigenous 2. a greeting 3. name for a fellow Rasta
ROTI : flat Indian pan breads.
ROYAL, (RIAL) : n. offspring of some other race and black, ass in "Chiney-Rial," "coolie-rial"; humorous as in "monkey-rial" (7)
RUDE BOY : a criminal, a hard hearted person, a tough guy
RUN-DUNG : food cooked in coconut juice, obtained after grating the dry coconut meat and squeezing it in water, thus extracting the coconut cream. (5)
RYAL : royal. (5)
SAL'TING : 1. dishes cooked with saltfish or meat. 2. that part of the meal which is served with the "food" (starchy food, ground food). 3. by some strange extension, the female organ, often simply called "sal". (5)
SALT : adjective, broke, empty-handed, low on funds or food, as in "tings salt" or "i' salt". (5)
SAMBO : the color between brown and black; someone who is a cross between a mullatto (brown) and a black.
SAMFAI MAN : trickster, conman
SHAMPATA : n. sandal of wood or tire rubber.
Span. zapato
SANKEY : n. religious song of a paticularly lugubrious tone, sung in the long or common meter. From Ira David
Sankey, evangelist and hymnalist
SATA : to rejoice, to meditate, to give thanks and praise.
SATTA : sit, rest, meditate relax GO
SATTA : claim how spiritual you are
SCIENCE : obeah, witchcraft
SCIENTIST : occult practitioner
SCOUT : denoting inferior status
SCREECHIE : to sneak by
SCREW : to scowl, to be angry
SEEN : I understand, I agree
SEEN? : Do you understand?
SHAG : home-cured tobacco, straight from the field.
SHAKE OUT : leave without haste, casually
SHEG (UP) : verb, to bother, as in "all sheg up", all hot and bothered, or or spoiled up (as of work).
SHEG-UP : to be messed up, ruined
SHEPHERD : n. leader of revivalist cult; also proprietor of balmyard, healer and prophet
SHOOB : to shove.
SIDUNG : sit down
SIGHT? : do you understand?
SINKL-BIBLE : the aloevera plant. (
INSEMILLA, SENSIE : popular, potent, seedless, unpollinated female strain of marijuana
SINTING : something.
SIPPLE : slippery; slimy.
SISTER, SISTREN : a woman, a friend, woman Rastafarians
SITTIN' : something.
SKANK : to dance to reggae music (1) to move with cunning, ulterior motives
SKETELL : A very loose girl, a ho, Jezebel
SKIL : kiln, as in "limeskil".
SKIN : rolling paper
SKIN YOUR TEETH : smile
SLABBA-SLABBA : big and fat, slobby, droopy.
SLACKNESS : lewd, vulgar lyrics popular in DJ singing
SMADI : somebody.
SO-SO : only, solely, unaccompanied. weak, pallid
SOFT : not well done, amateurish; unable to cope ,broke, no money
SPLIFF : large, cone-shaped marijuana cigarette
SPRING : to sprout, as of yams or cocos, making them inedible.
STAR : common term of affection, camaraderie
STEP : to leave, to depart briskly, quickly
STOOSH/STOSHUS : upper class, high tone, "hitey-titey".
STRING UP : a musical rehearsal
STRUCTURE : body, health (1)
SU-SU : gossip, the sound of whispering. (5)
SUFFERER : a poor person stuggling to survive (2)
SUPM, SINTING : something (6)
TACK : bullet (2)
TACUMAH : n. character in Anancy tales. Said to be the son of Anancy. Twin'ticuma
TAKARI/TANKARI : stewed spicy pumpkin.
TALL : long
TALLOWAH : adj. sturdy, strong, fearless, physically capable. From Ewe talala
TAM : deep woolen hat, used by Dreads to cover their locks
TAMBRAN SWITCH : n. a flail made from the wiry branches of the Tamarind tree, braided and oiled. Effective and much feared in the hands of Babylon. (7) TAN' : to stand; usually used in the sense of "to be". "A so im tan", "that is what he is like"; "tan deh!" or "yu tan deh!" means "just you wait!". "Tan tedy", stand steady, means "hold still".
TARRA-WARRA : a polite way of expressing omitted bad words, a verbal asterisk.
TATA : n. father. Affectionate and respectful title for an old man. Fram many african languages. Ewe, Ge, N'gombe
TATU : a little thatched hut, often made of bamboo.
TEETH : bullets
TEIF : a theif, to steal
TOTO : coconut cake.
TRACE : to curse or speak abusively to someone.
TRANSPORT : vehicle
TUMPA : from stump, as in "tumpa-foot man", a one-foot man.
TUNTI : female organ.
UNO/UNU : you-all. pron. you, plural. In usage close to Afro-American y'awl. From Ibo unu, same meaning
UPFUL : postitive, encouraging
UPHILL : positive, righteous
UPTOWN : the upper classes
VEX : to get angry
WA DAY : adverbial phrase, the other day
WA MEK? : why?
WAKL : wattle, a kind of woven bamboo work used to make house walls.
WANGA-GUT : hungry-belly.
WARRA-WARRA : politely omitted bad words, same as "tarra-warra".
WH'APPEN? : what's happening?
WHATLEF : What's left over
WHEELS : vehicle
WHOLE HEAP : a lot
WINJY : thin and sickly looking.
WIS : vine, liana, from withe.
WOLF : a non-rasta deadlocks
WOOD : penis.
YA NO SEE IT? : you know?
YA : hear, or here
YABBA : a big clay pot.
YAGA YAGA : Dancehall slang. a way to big up a brethren; to express a greeting or attract attention, i.e. yo! or yush! true friend; bonafide; brethren.
YAHSO : here (place)
YAI : eye.
YARD : home, one's gates tenement
YAWD : Jamaica
YAWDI : Jamaican
YOUTH : a child, a young man, an immature man
ZION : Ethiopia, Africa, the Rastafarian holy land
ZUNGU PAN : zinc pan.
PHRASES or PROVERBS =======
"Me come yah fi drink milk, me no come yah fi count cow!" (Deliver that which you promised, don't just talk about it!)
stay out of trouble or gossip. Means I came here to (whatever you came for) not get involved in politics or gossip.
"Carry Go Bring Come" (gossip)
"A so im tan" (that is what he is like
"tan deh!" or "yu tan deh!" (just you wait!)
"Tan tedy", stand steady, means "hold still".
Bunks Mi Res (catch my rest, take a nap)
"yu dam Lagga head bud" (stupid)
"What sweet nanny goat a go run him belly" is a cautionary Jamaican proverb which translated means: What tastes good to a goat will ruin his belly. In other words - the things that seem good to you now, can hurt you later...
"tek smadi mek poppy-show", which means to make fun of someone or shame them, making them look ridiculous.
"You too red eye" (meaning, you're too envious)
(14) Ya No See It? (you know?)
"the gal come wine up on me," it would mean that the girl came and was dancing up on me.
"Chicken merry; hawk deh (is) near", it's a Jamaican proverb which simply means, every silver lining has its dark cloud Even in the happiest times one must still be watchful.
"Fire de a Mus Mus tail, him tink a cool breeze". Set a Rat's tail on fire and he's thinks there's a cool breeze. Used to describe someone or something (the system for example) that is clueless. This characterizes the delusional complacency of the upper classes.
"Me bleach hard lass night" i partied straight through the night.
"A promise is a comfort to a fool".
"coo pon dat bwoy", "look at that boy"
"Mi no come yah fi hear bout how horse dead an cow fat" It's like telling somebody to knock off with irrelevant details.
"Me throw me corn but me no call no fowl" It evokes the image of a farmer silently scattering who is saying, in effect:
"Don't call yourself a chicken just because you eat my feed; I never said I was endeavoring to feed the chickens." That is, "You are who you show yourself to be, not who you might say you are."
"Sorry for maga dog, maga dog turn round bite you". This metaphor extends very well to all manner and sort of do-gooding and should be considered before any hasty acts of charity! giving help to someone and they show no sign of thanks and may even scorn you for it.
"Mi throw mi corn, but me no call no fowl". refers to the conversational technique of throwing out a provocative statement (throw corn) in an indirect manner, thus forestalling any accusations of personal insult.
"Sweet nanny goat have a running belly". It's a barnyard analogy akin to the grass is always greener, but much coarser, noting that the sweet foliage avidly sought out by the nanny goat gives it diarrhea (running belly). It's a blunt way of warning someone off temptation.
"cock mouth kill cock" really can't be expanded upon any further, nor can the similar "If a fish coulda keep him mout' shut, him would neva get caught". (22) somebody who chat too much
"Everyting Crash". The topic is social chaos. Also, "come bad in de morning can't come good a evenin'", and the even more pessimistic "every day bucket go a well, one day di bucket bottom mus drop out".
Mashin up of one's plans
"Wanti wanti can't get it, getti getti no want it", i.e., the Have-nots covet what the Haves take for granted.
"Trouble no set like rain", that is, unlike bad weather, we are often not warned by dark clouds on the horizon. (22) reminder to be careful
Jamaican proverbs consistently counsel patience and forebearance, as in the beautiful image "time longer than rope". The child must "creep before him walk". And remember, "one one coco fill up a basket", take it easy and fill up your shopping basket one item at a time.
"Every mikkle makes a muckle", refers to thriftiness, similar to "a penny saved is a penny earned".
"No cup no broke, no coffee no dash wey". Even if disaster strikes your home it's always possible that all may not be lost.
you don't make a fuss there won't be a fight.
"Wha eye no see, heart no leap" means that something terrible could happen but if you don't see it, you are not frightened.
"mi come here fi drink milk, mi noh come here fi count cow". A remimder to conduct business in a straightforward manner.
"The higher the monkey climbs the more him expose". A truly comic image if you've ever been to the zoo, and comforting to any of us whose backs have been used as a stepping-stone for someone else's success.
"A city upon the hill cannot be hidden." same as above
"A new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows every corner". A profoundly witty statement that sums up any number of current situations, including the state of today's music. (22) often used in man and woman relationships as in "your new man buff and ting but the old man know where it sweet you." In other words, the new broom may look better but the old broom has understanding bout tings!
"dry land tourist". A Jamaican who's never been off the island but still acts like a big shot.
Someone who acts topanorish and has nothing
"no one cyaan test" . no one can compete with.
"Mi a-go lef today". "I am leaving today"
"Im too hard of Aise". "He/She is too hard of ears"
"Him is badda than dem" "No badda mi". "He is worse than they are" "Don't bother me"
"Is bare dog down inna that yard". "Is only dogs in that yard"
"No badda bawl im soon come back". "Don't bother crying he'll soon be back
"Dat is fe mi bredda". "That is my brother" (25) "The chuck need tree new tyres". "The truck will need three new tire"
"Cuyah, she gwan like she nice eee". "Look at that, she acts like she is so nice"
"Choble nuh nice" "Yuh ina big choble". "Trouble is not nice" "You are in big trouble"
"Did yuh see dat?" "A who dat?" "Did you see that" "Who is that"
" Yuh no dun yet?". "You have not finished yet?"
" Is the dutty duppy man dweet". "The dirty ghost do it"
"Ef yuh choble him 'im me a-go hit yuh". "If you trouble him I am going to hit you"
"All a dem a me fambly". "All of them are my family"
"mek we dweet". "Let us do it"
" Yuh too fass and Facety". "You are too inquisitive and fresh"
"Galang bout yuh business". "Go along about you business"
"Mi back a hat mi". "My back is hurting me"
"An a jus Lass nite mi dideh". "And it was just last nigh I was there"
"Lef mi Nuh". "Leave me alone."
"Tek de neegle an sow de piece of clawt". "Take the needle and sow the piece of cloth"
"How yuh nyam so much". "How do you eat so much."
"Is Mr Garden pickney dem". "It is Mr. Gordon children."
"Mi would rada you talk to mi" Translation : "I would rather you not talk to me"
"Tandy tink sey im a-go help you." "Stand there thinking he is going to help you."
"Tek you time an mine it bruk". "Take your time, you might break it."
"Wat a liiv an bambaie" Leftovers put aside to eat tomorrow (What is left for by-and by).
"gone a foreign" Gone abroad (from Jamaica)
"like mi a go maas" chil out (24) "gwaan go maas" go cool yourself
"mi a maas a money" (or item), it means you're going to put it away or put it one side
"Every hoe ha
dem stick a bush." The meaning of all that is "to each his own" It
literally translates that for every size hoe there is a stick that size in the bush (or
forest) for it. In JA they use tools similar to garden hoe.
They use it to make yam hill - we use it to make path.
There are different sizes for different chores. So it can also mean that there is someone
out there for everyone. (29) "tan so back" (stand so back) laid back
"a peer rumors ah gwan" "Its pure rumors that are going on" in other words "Its all only rumors that's being spread"
"did deh deh" "I was there"
"Im sey dat yuh was to bring ting" "He or She said you were to bring the thing"
"Sumody tell mi sey yuh dida talk bout mi" "Somebody told me you were talking about me."
"Unnu can come wid mi" "You all can come with me."
"I dey 'pon haste" - "I am in a hurry"
"Who colt de game" - it implies that someone made a wrong move, deliberately, to change the outcome of the plan. So who colt the game? Babylon! In other words... to prevent the Dread from succeeding, babylon colt the game, made a "wrong" move in regards to the dread
"Why yu fe galang so"? - "why must you behave in such a manner?"
"mek mi kibba mi mouth to rahtid" - "let me cover my mouth... let shut my mouth.."
"tea tar toe" - Tea tar toe is a game that uses three pieces (like buttons or stones) and to win all three have to be in line and the pieces are called out "tea, tar, toe". So one could say "Don't play tea tar toe with me" to mean "Don't toy with me" , etc.
"buy off the bar" - the party's going good and all the liquor's been sold!
"Water more than flour" - "time tough." It's like you're makin' dumplin and you have enough water but not enough flour.
Johncrow feel cool breeze is a very old JA proverb that roughly means someone who, much like a johncrow, jumps at any opportunity to prey on someone else. Stephen Marley uses the line in "Rebel in Disguise from the "Joy and Blues" album.
After the cane is cut, everything is taken away except the brown root, which is basically useless. And the field workers, being poor, wear a kind of cheap flip flop called a "booga wooga." So if you see Miss Brown downtown and she's got brown sugar all over her booga wooga, it means she's a canefield worker.
"Is just pure almshouse a gwaan". Pure trickery going on.
"Rat a Cut Bottle". even a rat needs some broken glass for self-defense when times are really rough
"No call alligator 'long mouth' 'til you pass him."
"If you want good, nose a fe run." "That mean, if you're working in the U.S. or if you are working anywhere, and then by multitude of rain, flood or winter, you lie down in bed because you don't want to have a runny nose - you're going to starve. So if you want to get any good out deh, you have to go out deh and get that runny nose. You have to be in the cold. So your nose a fe run."
"Tek set pon you". when somebody just won't leave you alone!
"Nuttin' nah go right" - nothing's going on in the right way.
"'Wan Wan coco full baskit" - The basket can be filled by adding one coco at a time. You may not be able to put in all at the same time. (Coco is an edible tuber which helps to give body to a good pot of soup). Do not expect to achieve success overnight.
"Mi a-go lef today" - I am leaving today
"Lef mi nuh" - leave me alone
A wonderful language to sit and listen to on a bench in a crowded market...