A guide to Jamaican rasta/patois speak v.1

A

A: prep. to as in “go a shop,” It is said before action will or has taken place. This is the main Jamaican preposition for nearly everything.
A GO: aux w/v. going to do, as in “Me a go tell him” 
A DOOR:  outdoors, outside 
ACCOMPONG: n. name of Maroon warrior, Capt. Accompong, brother of Cudjo; also name of town. From Twi name for the supreme deity 
ACKEE: n. African food tree introduced about 1778; it is Jamaica’s national fruit and is the second main ingredient of Jamaica’s national dish, ackee and saltfish.. From Twi “ankye” or Kru “akee” 
AGONY: Orgasm; the sensation felt during sex
AH SEY ONE: Expression to say that something is really cool and great.
AILE: Oil
AKS: ask 
ALIAS: adj. (urban slang) dangerous, violent 
A LIE: Your lying; that is a lie.
ALL FRUITS RIPE: Everything is just great; All is good
ALL DI WILE: All the time; sometimes; the time during. “All the while dem depon di bashment” (They are partying all the time.)
AN: than; and 
A NUH MI: That’s not me…; It’s not me to…; I am not one to…;”A nuh mi fi like it” (I am not one to like that)
ARIGHT: All right; sure; yes; okay
ARMAGEDDON: the Biblical final battle between the forces of good and evil 
ASHAM: n. Parched, sweetened, and ground corn. From Twi “osiam” 
‘AT: Hot; also “hat”.
‘AT STEPPA: Hot stepper; a jail breaker and one in trouble with the law.
A TRUE: It is true; I am not lying.

B

BAAN: Born. “A weh ya baan?” (Where were you born?)
BABYLON: Rastas use the word to refer to corrupt establishments and their representatives, as in Church & State, police…  
BABY MADDA: Mother of a child.
BACKSIDE: Refers to someone else’s self, expressed towards another person. A rude way to refer to someone. “Move yu backside” (Move your self).
BAD: good, great 
BAD BWAI/BAD MAN: compliment refering to a bold man or one who has committed a crime. “Bad man no flee” (Gangsters don’t run away.) “Dat a bad bwoy” (That is a gangster.)also “rude bwai”, “ruddy”, “baddy” 
BADDA: Bother. “Naa badda mi” (Don’t bother me.)
BAD LIKE YAZ: Expression for saying something is really cool.
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. 
BAIT: Scoundrel, punk, scum, and these types of people. “Ooman naa like bait” (Women don’t like punks.)
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 (usu. white); one without dreadlocks; one who works for Babylon 
BALMYARD: n. place where pocpmania rites are held, healing is done, spells cast or lifted 
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. 
BANDU: A hair band worn by women.
BANDULU: bandit, criminal, one living by guile; also means a fake passport/visa (From vandal?)
BANDULU BIZNESS: A racket or 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. 
BARE: Only. “Is bare pickney yahso” (There’s only children here.)
BASH/BASHY: This is a popular slang term that means cool, awesome, nice stuff, etc.
BASHMENT: party, dance, session 
BAT: butterfly or moth. The English word “bat” (flying rodent) = rat-bat. 
BATTY: bottom; arse. Pejorative to homosexuals.
BATTYBWOY/BATTYMAN: a gay person “‘Im a battyman” (He is gay)
BEAST: a policeman 
BEENIE: little
BEG: To ask/to beg. “Di man dem beg fa jooks” (The men beg for sex)
BEX: vex (verb), or vexed (adjective).  See VEX.
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 
BIG UP: This is a popular term for saying what’s up and a gesture of tribute. “Big up uno dem!!!” (Praise to all of them!!!)
BILL: A basic Jamaican $100 bill. Worth just over two U.S. dollars.
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. See BAD BWAI/BAD MAN 
BLESSED: A Rasta word for blessing(s).
BLING: Flashy and expensive necklace or chain. “Look pon mi bling” (Look at my chain).
BLOODCLOT: Strong curse word.
BLOODFIRE: Hell.
BLOUSE AN’ SKIRTS: Politcally correct version of the curse word bumboclot.
BLY: chance/favour/right of way. Usually referred when driving on the road. “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: Erect/swollen penis or testicles 
BOBO/BUBU: fool.  See LAGGA HEAD
BOBO DREAD: A certain sect of Rastas that wear turbans and carry brooms to signify cleansiness. They are of the Bobo Shanti order and are true followers of Prince Emmanuel.
BODDERATION: A comical version of “Bother.”
BOKKLE: Bottle.
BOONOONOONOUS:  Meaning wonderful. 
BOOTS: condoms; also “shoes”
BOUT:  About. “Naa worry bout it” (Don’t worry about it).
BOW: to perform oral sex on a woman.
BOX:  To smack or to hit in the face. “She box ‘im face” (She punched his face)
BRAA/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/friends or colleagues 
BRINDLE: to be angry 
BRINKS : title given to a man who is supplying a woman with money 
BROWNING: Complementing a black person of light skin, and good complexion.
BRUK: Broke, broken, break. “Nuh bruk it” (Don’t break it)
BRUKOUT: A climax of pure energy and excitement; to act unruly, usually at a party.
BUCK (UP): To accidentally bump into; to meet by chance.
BUCKY: home-made gun. M.I.A. track “Bucky Done Gun”
BUD: bird. 
BUDDY: Male genitalia
BUFU-BUFU: fat, swollen, blubbery; too big; clumsy or lumbering. See SWAATY
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.  
(TO GET) BUN: to have one’s spouse or girl/boy-friend cheat on oneself, to be cheated out of something;  It can also mean to burn, kill, and to smoke. “She gi ‘im bun ka im bun whole heap a herb” (She cheated on him because he smokes a whole heap of herb) “Di Rasta dem say, ‘Bun dung queer!’” (The Rastas say, “Burn down (kill) the queers!”)
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/BOOPS: Financially providing for a woman. “She bupps im out. ‘Im her bupps” (She played him for money. He is her sugar daddy)
BUSH WEED: oor quality herb.
BUSS:  To bust; like to “bust a move”; burst out; unruly.
BWOY: Common term for anybody—male or female.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: 

“Chicken merry; hawk deh near”
Every silver lining has its dark cloud; even in the happiest times one must still be watchful. 

Concordances: Mike Pawka
http://niceup.com/patois.txt
http://www.ddg.com/LIS/InfoDesignF97/malyce/dict.htm
http://www.ddg.com/LIS/InfoDesignF97/malyce/phrases.htm
http://www.earthcultureroots.com/index.html
http://www.speakjamaican.com/glossary.html

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