A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - Y - Z 

Once you've mastered the words, try some phrases

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 for the supreme deity  

ACKEE: n. African food tree introduced about 1778. From Twi ankye or Kru akee  

AGONY: the sensations felt during sex  

AKS: ask  

ALIAS: adj. (urban slang) dangerous, violent  

AN: than  

ARMAGEDDON: the biblical final battle between the forces of good and evil  

ASHAM: n. Parched, sweetened, and ground corn. From twi osiam  



BABYLON: the corrupt establishment, the "system, " Church and State; the police, a policeman  

BAD: good, great  

BAD BWAI: (bad boy) refering to a bold man; a compliment; One who has committed a crime. (rude bwai, ruddy, baddy)  

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.  

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.  

BASHMENT : party, dance, session  

BAT: butterfly or moth. English bat, the flying rodent, is a rat-bat.  

BATTY: bottom; backside; anus.  

BATTYBWOY: a gay person  

BEAST: a policeman  

BEENIE: little  

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  

BIG BOUT YAH :  Large and in charge.  Superlative indicating status (power, fame, money, talent, etc) within some social group  

BISSY: cola nut.  

BLACK UP: To smoke weed. Like somene would ask "You Black up today?" Meaning did you smoke today?  

BLACKHEART MAN: a rascal, a hooligan  

BLY: chance, "must get a bly", "must get a chance".  

BOASIE: adj. proud, conceited, ostentatious. Combination of English boastful and Yoruba bosi-proud and ostentatious  

BOASIN TONE: Swollen penis or testicles  

BOBO: fool.  

BOONOONOONOUS:  Meaning wonderful.  

BOX:  To smack or to hit in the face.  

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  

BUD : bird.  

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  

BLOOD CLOT: curse word  

BUCK UP: meet  

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.  

BWOY: Boy  



(THE) CAT: a woman's genitals  

CALLALOU : A spinach stew.  

CARD : to fool someone  

CEASE & SEKKLE!: stop everything and relax!  

CEPES : (n.) beard  

CERACE: a ubiquitous vine used for boiling medicinal tea, and for bathing. It is proverbial for its bitterness.  

CHA! or CHO!: a disdainful expletive pshaw! 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  

CHANT : (v.) - to sing, especially cultural or spiritual songs  

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; to hit or strike - from the verb "to clout"; literally means a used tampon  

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! pay attention  

COOL RUNNINGS: usually used at a time of departure on a long journey meaning have a safe trip  

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.  

COLLIE: n. (urban slang) ganja  

COME YAH (cumyu): come here.  

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.  

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  

CROMANTY: adj. from Corromantee, Blacks from the Gold Coast believed to be rebellious  

CROCUS BAG:  a very large sack made of coarse cloth, like burlap  

CROSSES: problems, vexations, trials; bad luck, misfortunes.  

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 deliberatly turns one's own eyes as an insult.  

CUTCHIE: pipe for communal smoking.  

CYAAN: cannot, can't  



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 greyish when cooked. It is related to the coco, but one eats the "head" instead of the tubers.  

DAWTA: a girl, woman, "sister," girlfriend  

DEAD WOOD: (the w is silent) = A man that can't perform sexually. Impotent.  

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  

DEY 'PON : (aux. v.) - to be engaged in action or continuing activity  

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  

DOLLY: executive zig-zag movements on wheels  

DON: one who is respected, master of a situation  

DONKYA: from "don't care"; careless, sloppy, lacking ambition,  

etc.  

DOONDOOS: an albino.  

DOWNPRESSOR: preferred term for oppressor  

DOTI: earth  

(TO) DRAW CARD: the act of fooling someone  

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.  



EASE-UP: to forgive, to lighten up  

EVERYTING COOK & CURRY: all is well, all is taken care of  



FALLA FASHIN: Copycat  

FAS': to be fast with, meaning to be rude, impertinent, to meddle with sombody's business, to be forward, etc.  

FASSY: eczema-like scratchy sores on the skin; also a verb meaning to cause oneself to be covered with fassy by scratching.  

FAASTIE: impertinent, rude, impudent  

FAYVA: to favour, resemble, or look like; "fayva like" also means "it seems as if".  

FE: the infinitive "to" as in "Have fe go": "a fe" Have to  "fe dem" their  

FEEL NO WAY: don't take offense, don't be sorry, don't worry  

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  

FI: possessive. "fi me"-"mine" Can also mean: "for" or "to", as in "I ha' fi", I have to: Yu num fi du dat = You are not to do that.  

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. also means in good shape.  ("You haffe fit!")  

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!".  

GALANG: go along.  

GANJA: herb, marijuana  

GANSEY: t-shirt, any knit shirt  

(TO) GET SALT: to be thwarted, to encounter misfortune  

GATES : home, yard  

GENERAL: cool operator  

GI: give  

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 (2,6)  

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  

HARD EARS: stubborn, doesn't listen  

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.  

HIGGLERS: higglers, who are primarly woman who buy and sell goods that they have imported into the country. Some higglers, however, do not make trips out of the country to buy goods, but sell the goods that others import.  The connection between higglers and dancehall culture is crucial as they form one of the strongest international links between JA, North America, and the Caribbean. HITEY-TITEY: upper class, high tone, "stoosh".  

HOMELY: to be relaxed, comfortable, enjoying your home surrounding.  

HOOD: penis.  

HORTICAL (DON): respected, acclaimed  

HOT-STEPPER: fugitive from jail or gun court  



I-DREN: (n.)- male Rastafarian  

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 in colors, red, green and gold  

I: replaces "me", "you", "my"; replaces the first syllable of seleted words I and I, I&I: I, me, you and me, we 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: A Greeting. excellent, cool, highest: adj. powerful and pleasing  

ISES/IZES/ISIS: praises  Praises to the almighty given by Rasta: when calling on the name of Jah for strength and: assistance for achieving progress in life.  

ISMS and SKISMS: negative term denoting Babylon's classificatory systems  

ITES: 1. the heights; 2. a greeting; 3. the color red 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 ressemble 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.  

KAYA: see ganja  

KETCH UP : grapple  

KEMPS: a little bit, a tiny piece, from skimps.  

KIN TEET : see kiss teet  

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  : verb, look!  

KU DEH!: look there!  

KU PAN: look at.  

KU YA!: look here!  

KU YU : To say "Look at you." To the person you are refering to.  

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.  

LAGGA HEAD:  Dumb acts as if you have no common sense. Stupid.: "yu dam Lagga head bud"  

LAMBSBREAD: a form of high-quality marijuana  

LARGE: respected  

LET OFF: pay out  

LEGGO BEAS' : wild, disorderly, like a let-go beast.  

LICK: To hit  

LICKY-LICKY: fawning, flattering, obsequious.  

LILLY BIT: little bit, tiny.  

LION: a righteous Dread a great soul  

LITTLE MORE: see you later  

(TOO) LIKKY-LIKKY : title given to those who like to eat any food they encounter , without discretion  



MAAMA MAN: a gay person, an effeminate man, a weakling  

MAAS: n. from master or massa. Now freed from its class origin; a respectful form of address to an older man; chill out, be by ones self for a while  

MACA: thorn, prickle.  

MADDA: mother  

MAFIA: big-time criminals  

MAGA DOG: mongrel  

MAGA: thin (from meagre)  

MAMPI: Fat or overweight  

MANACLES: chains  

MANNERS: under heavy discipline or punishment. for example when Kingston is under "heavy manners", they have a curfew or call out the army.  

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  

MASSIVE: respected, used with LARGE to add emphasis  

MATEY: mistress  

MEK WE: Let Us.  

MENELIK, RAS: n. Ethiopian nobleman who rallied his troops to resist Italian aggression. Defeated Italians at Adowa 1896  

MONKS: amongst.  

MORE TIME: see you later  

MR. MENTION:  Talk of the town, originally talk of the females signifying someone with many female conquests  

MR. T: the boss  

MUS MUS: a rat  

MY BABY MOTHER/FATHER: the mother/father of my child (1,6)  

MYAL: n. a form of benign magic oposed 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.  

NANNY GOAT:  "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...  

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?  

NOTCH : Don or top ranking badman  

NUH: interrogative at end of sentence; literally, "Is it not so?"  

NYAM: to eat.  

(TOO) 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 vergeof, as in "it hoht 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.  

PATTAN: pattern, style and fashion  

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.  

PHENSIC: JA equivalent to Tylenol, Excedrin, etc.  

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.  

PUSSY CLOT:  A curse word ref. to a woman's sanitary napkin.  

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".  

RAM : full up  

RAM GOAT : slang for someone who deals with nuff ladies  

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" .  

(TO) 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  

RED EYE: to want another persons belonging, envious. "You too red eye": meaning, you're too envious.  

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 reggae music as it is played today, the latest sound  

ROOTS: 1. 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"  

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.  

RUNNING BELLY:  diarrhea  

RYAL: royal.  



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".  

SALT: adjective, broke, empty-handed, low on funds or food, as in "tings salt" or "i' salt".  

SAMBO: the colour 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  

SANFI : A manipulator - dishonest person. A person that will sweet talk you: out of love and money. "Dam Sanfi Bitch".  

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.  

SINSEMILLA, 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 to move with cunning, ulterior motives  

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  

SOUNDBWOY: usually a derogatory way to refer to the selecter or other personality in another sound system. This term is most often employed in clashes, on dub plates built for clashes, and so on. Sometimes it is not used in such a negative manner, but most of the time one refers to the someone in the crew as a soundman, not a boy.  

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 muscial rehearsal  

STRUCTURE: body, health  

SU-SU: gossip, the sound of wispering.  

SUFFERER: a poor person stuggling to survive  

SUPM, SINTING: something  



TACK: bullet  

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.  

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  

THE I : (pron.) -you, yourself, yours  

THRU' : because  

TOAST : (v.) - to rap or sing spontaneously over a dub track  

TOTO: coconut cake.  

TOPANORIS: uptown snobby person.  

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  



VANK: (v.) - to vanquish, conquer  

VEX: to get angry  



WA DAY: adverbial phrase, the other day.  

WA MEK?: why?  

WHAFEDOO : we'll have to (make) do or we'll have to deal with it  

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".  

WENCHMAN : a kind of fish, "hail brother john, have you any wenchman?" (from "Row Fisherman Row").  

WH'APPEN?: what's happening?  

WHATLEF: What's left over  

WHEELS: vehicle  

WHOLE HEAP: a lot  

WINE: "wine" appears in every West Indian dialect, and is literally a corruption of "wind." It means to dance, sometimes seductively.  

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  

YOUTH: a child, a young man, an immature man  

YUSH: Yush talk is bad boy talk. Or it can be a way of saying "YO". In other words it is a way for rude boys to hail each other up.  



ZION: Ethiopia, Africa, the Rastafarian holy land  

ZUNGU PAN: zinc pan.   

"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. 

"Dry land tourist". A Jamaican who's never been off the island but still acts like a big shot. 

"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" 

"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" 

" 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" Chill out. 

"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 Jamaica they use tools similar to a garden hoe. They use it to make a 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. 

"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?" 

"Me come yah fi drink milk, me no come yah fi count cow!" (Deliver that which you promised, don't just talk about it!) 

"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. 

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. 

"coo pon dat bwoy", "Look at that boy" 

"I no come to hear about how horse dead an' cow fat", It's like telling somebody to knock off with irrelevant details. 

"Me throw me corne 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! 

"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". 

"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". 

"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. 

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. 

"Heart No Leap", "See and Blind". These sayings are similar to "hear no evil, see no evil".