A:
"A goin check yu." I'm gonna come and look for you later.
A-go:
"Dem a- go fi di money" They're going for the money. Something I wish some
of mah frenz would do with mah dough.
Anutha one jus dead: A funny expression. It sprung up with the whole
sound systems clashing idea. If someone missed the 'killing' of a sound,
and asked what had happened. The response would be, "Anotha one jus dead."
Nowadays we use it to mean many things...
eg. If by some miracle you manage to pass a test that one jus'
dead.
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B
Bad Mind: (pronounced bad mine) this is someone who is jealous or envious of another person. It can be to a point where they'd fight 'gainst you.
eg. "Di whole a dem jus' bad mind mi cyaa mi have mi cyar."
"Mek dem wait... ketch dem face when dem si mi wid mi man, it a go kill dem"
See also:Stay bad
Bait: I think you call them punks.
eg. "No, no, no him. Dat deh a one big, big bait."
Entertainer Sean Paul of the Dutty Cub Crew has this hit
song that goes, "Woman nuh waa no bait...etc."
Bash: Another shorter form of the word Bashment same meaning,
but to a greater extent.
Bashment: This is something good, that promises to be exciting. You
can have bashment girls,
bashment sessions, bashment clothes, shoes, houses, cars...You get the point.
Bashy: Shorter form of the Bashment.
eg. "Yeah the party
was bashy iya, I'm soooo glad I went!"
See also: No less than bashy
Bhuttu/Buttu: Anybody call you this, punch 'em. Even we haven't got
a really good definiton
but I'll say this. This type of person is usually very krass, vulgar and
outlandish, and usually has no sense what-so-ever.
Boo: Okay not to worry, it still carries the American meaning. Just
depends on the context in which the Americans (Ebonics) use it. "Yo, nigga
she mah boo." Still works yeah, that girl is your woman.
Bruck him foot: You take another boy's girl, you just broke his foot.
Bruck out: Say you're in a session that's hype and going on bashy, you bruck out. Meaning that you start to dance an 'galang bad'. [see also: rail up]
Bun:
(i) No not the one we eat at Easter time. I think American's call it 'creeping around'. We a have a little song for that out here too "Man a gi bun an a get back bun, a no nutten dat. Call it, bun fi bun." But anyway, this whole BUN concept, spawned a whole heap a phrases:
eg. "Laaawwwdd the amount of bun him givin mi a coulda go open a bun
factory!"
"My Lord the bun so much it come like year round Easter!"
(ii) (a person, action etc.)
eg. bun a phassy - being against a person; carrying out a vendetta, violent act against someone.
Bus:
(i) act of releasing sumthing i.e. information, a new dance or song etc.
eg. "yow yu hear di new vegas tune dat jus bus?"
(ii) having an orgasm (this is a phrase you'll hear used in dancehall songs alot)
(iii) unable to do an action anymore
eg. when you can't eat anymore, yu 'bus'.
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C
Casco/Kasco: God knows I give this man ratings (yes there is a Mr. Casco)... but that's another story. This word relates to anything (usually items of clothing and shoes) that someone is trying to pass off as 'brand name', i.e. Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan etc. when it really isn't.
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D
DJ: [American equivalent: MC] Entertainer in Jamaica, the dancehall artistes are called DJs. eg. Bounti Killa, Beenie Man, Sean Paul.
Dun know: "Yeah Stone Love playin so yu dun know who haffi reach!" Okay first Stone
Love is one of the biggest sound systems that plays on the island, and anywhere they
play, yes it will be big. So dun know is used to agree.
Dealing/deh: "So hold on Mark an' Nadisha nuh deh! I thought they were dealing!" Someone
thought those two were in a relationship.
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E
Eat ... food: Where the dots are, many thing can be inserted, for example, among taxi men in Jamaica, the common phrase is: I goin' eat a man food Translated means that he's going to 'steal' a work from the taximan, carry a passenger that he should. One other popular time this phrase is used is when people are racing, and someone overtakes someone else, or wins the race. That person ' woulda jus dun eat a bwoy food.'
Eggs up: making something seem larger than it actually is.
eg. "Hey look how Jon car look cris!"
"No still stop eggs up di man tings, yu nuh see how di car a put-put?"
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F
Freezone: large garment factories. Presumably Casco clothes are manufactured here.
Fungus: adj. someone not really nice, or nice smelling...
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I
If I laugh I die: "Yo Kerri what are you doing? If i laugh I die!" Well Kerri must've been doin something funny first of all. It just shows you've laughed alot and can't laugh anymore. It's
kinda like **LMAO**
Iya: Listen to any recent sound cassette and you must hear Bounti say Yes Iya at least once.
I promise you. It's just a way of agreeing or exclaiming.
eg. Michelle: Lord it's hot.
Tony: Yes iya, mi wha go home.
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K
Kill mi dead: More time after this statement you'll hear, "...mi mus reach!" Meaning that
anyway you take it, or anything that happens you must get there. This shows very strong
determination as well.
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L
Lef:
(i) leave somewhere eg. "yow wi a lef out now zeen?"
(ii) end a relationship eg. "yeah my yute a lef har."
Leggo di ends: "Yo my yout wi a- go leggo di ends now." They're leaving now. Ends=wher
ever you are. Like school, home, ya frenz house, where eva. In the smae way you can
say, "Yo mi a go pon one ends still." Meaning that you're going to someone's house
OR, "Yo I goin on my ends now still." You're going home, or around you
neighbourhood.
Legsus: no it's not a Jamaican made car, but it is a mode of transportation; your feet. a spoof off the American luxury car Lexus.
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M
Make a flex: A favourite passtime of mah girls Da' ALyKS and I. It involves planning,
schememing, precision timing, lying, collaboration and a whole heap, or as we say many, many, nuff, nuff, pleanty links.
eg. Yo Kim we gon make a flex dis weekend cool? On hearing that I'd back out mah address book. Usually we make flexes to sessions, parties or just anywhere you know your parents wouldn't let you go.
Mantel: Pronounced Man and then tell. Fellaz just because you called a playa, come to my
island the really rotten ones even get called skettz as well.
Matey: mistress or that infamous 'otha girl'
eg. Tasha - Marcy yu hear 'ow Stacy a run off har mout bout 'ow shi neva' have
mate from shi born?
Marcy - Yeah mi hear, but a tru she don'know seh me use fi dey wit Jonathan to.
N/B See in my culture, when your man has another woman, you the girl is seen as
'having a mate or matey'.
Mezz(ed) out: comprable to frass out, not necessarily clueless about something, more or less just being totally out of it.
eg. "Yow, da maths tes' deh jus mezz mi out, jah know, a wah sleep."
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N
No less than bashy/bash: meaning that the event, or item, is or was, quite bashy to say the least; used to express extreme joy or pleasure at something.
eg. "That session was no less than bashy! I'm sooo glad I went."
'No problem': We say it, and alot, but not in the drawled out lacadasical accent that's been popularised by TV. And although most times it does come after the phrase 'yeah man' [see explanation below] the two aren't joined at the hip. But they do sound nice together. *grin*
eg. "So can I get a ride home when you're leaving?"
"Yeah man, no problem."
No still: "So Tasha, you woulda deh wid Paul?"
"No still! Is wah yu tek dis fa?" It's the same as, "Never!! Are you crazy!!"
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P
Penney mi/wi: Translation, someone is fighting 'gainst you; watching your every move/action to see if there's a chance for them to take advantage of it.
People jus begin to dead: Simply means that people will be or were shocked out of their minds, and that the whole of the shocking experience hasn't been acted out yet.
eg. "Yo Kim you remeber when wi di buss that tough dip move? People did jus begin fi dead!"
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R
Rail up:
(i) Say for example, you're at a concert, and your favourite artiste is performing and you're enjoying the show thoroughly. Jamaicans will rail up, meaning scream, throw 'gun fingers' in the air, fire shots, bus' clappas etc.
(ii) For a woman to rail up, it's the same thing as if she were to bruck out.
'____reach pon mi eyelash': You've got to reach. And usually after that statement comes, "Yo and if I don't sumthin wrong." to show how determined you are to reach. There's also
...pon mi teeth
...pon mi ears
and for me...pon mi contact lense.
Rope een: Een is pronounced like a stressed 'i'. Like the end of the name Darlene. "Yo
Kim rope een nuh, wi goin run a boat." It means to join a group of people.
Run a boat: "Yo Kevin, wi a run a boat ova Dre yard cool?" They're gonna cook some food
over at Ryan's house. In a boat everyone conributes something. I always ended up giving rice...
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S
Selector: [American equivalent: DJs] the guys that control the wheels of steel (turntables) and do the track mixing and scratching etc.
Session: a dance or party which you pay to get into. the usual price? around $200-$500JA, although if it's an all inclusive event (eat and/or drink all night for one price) admission can range anywhere from $500 to in excess of $2000JA.
Set up: As with almost everything else in life, they're different types of set ups. [I
mean look at it, there's more than one type of man. Right ladies? There's playas, playa
hatas, nerd]
A. You can get a set up on somebody. Kinda like a blind date. Personally I feel that
even if you both don't get together, it's a great way to meet new people outside of your
social circle. Even if you will want to kill yourself if the person is a 'degenarate' as
according to one of my best friends.
B. Some one can set you up. Like frame you.
C. You can pull a set up.
See also: Make a flex
Sound: [otherwise known as sound system]. this is where a group of Selectors get together as one group. Top sounds in Jamaican include Renaissance Disco and Stone Love International.
Skettel/Skettz: Like bhutto no precise definiton yet, but girls: if you're sleeping around, be careful the name might just come after you. [Ebonics translation] ho', chickenhead etc.
Stay bad/Tan bad: somebody who is just to spite everyone else, innocent or not. the type of person who wouldn't even give you the time of day when they're the one blocking your view of the clock.
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T
Ten Toe Turbo: see Legsus
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Y
'Yeah man': I won't lie, apart from those in the tourism industry, you probably find that phrase pronounced 'yeah mon' anywhere else on this island. We do say it, those not in tourist areas, but we pronounce it like it is, yeah man. And it means exactly what you think it does: yes. Also it isn't the answer to any and any question asked. More and more you'll hear answers like 'yes', 'yeah', 'mhmm' and my favourite 'mos def' (short for most definitely, influenced by American rap duu Mos Def & Talib Kweli). Yeah man is normally used as a strong form of agreement.
eg. "Yow you sure you going Splurt?"
"Yeah man, everyting kris."
'________ yu frig':
Fool yu frig - now that's one really dumb person.
Hard yu frig - generally relates to test and exams. You can guess that, was probably one massive exam. Like one of Smitty's...Campion ppl dun know...
Bored yu frig - take a wild guess *lol*
N/B There's that other word, that's close sounding to 'frig' (self explanatory right?*s*), that we also use, but only in extreme cases.
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Yu jus dead: When you just missed sure death by a hairlength. This girl I know always says
it to me after I've crossed a road. **creases forehead** Hmmm, I wonder why?
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