A guide to Jamaican rasta and patois speak vol. 8

 

O

O-DOKONO: Boiled maize/corn bread. 
OBEAH: traditional African spiritual science or witchcraft, relating to matters of the spirit and spirits, spells, divinations, omens, extra-sensory knowledge, etc.  “She a put Obeah pon ya” (She cast a spell on you)
ODDA: Other. “Dey nuh odda way” (There’s no other way.)
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. 
OOMAN: Woman.
OOO: Who. “Is fi ooo?” (Whose is it?)
OVA: Over.
OVASTAN: Rasta word for “Understand”. Lit. “overstand”

P

PAKI: calabash, gourd. 
PAPAA: pawpaw, or papaya melon. 
PATTAN: pattern, style and fashion 
PATU: owl. 
PAYAKA: heathen 
PYAKA: tricky or dishonest.
PEAS: Beans. “Rice an peas” (Rice and beans)
PEEL: (to) beg
PEEL-HEAD: bald-headed, usually certain chickens or vultures. 
PEENYWALLY: a large firefly or flying beetle. 
PEER/PEAR: avocado. 
PHENSIC: JA equivalent to Tylenol, Excedrin, and other OTC pain medications. 
PICKY/PICKY-HEAD : brush haircut 
PICKY-PICKY: 1. finicky or choosy; 2. Used of uncombed hair just starting to turn into dreadlocks. 
PIKNY/PICKNEY: child/ren. 
PINDA: peanut. 
PIRA: a low wooden stool. 
PITY-ME-LIKL: Fire ant whose bite is so hot and long-lasting it feels like a sting. POAS: to post/mail.
POCOMANIA, POCO: christian revival, distinct drum rhythm 
POLITRICKS/POLYTRICKS: politics (by Peter Tosh) 
POLYTRICKSTERS: politicians (by Peter Tosh) 
POPPY-SHOW: from “puppet show” as in the idiom “tek smadi mek poppy-show” (to make fun of someone/make one look ridiculous) 
PRIORS: Prayers.
PULL: To open. “Pull di can a peas” (Open the can of beans)
PUM/PUM-PUM/PUNASH/PUNNI/PUNANNI: a woman’s genitals 
PUPPALICK: somersault. 
PUSSY CLOT:  A curse word. Lit. a woman’s sanitary napkin. See BLOOD CLOT
PUSSYHOLE: A curse word.
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. 
PURE:  Only, used in conjunction with things in large quantities. Pronounced “peer” as in “Pure gal waan mi” (Many girls want me).

Q

QUASHI/QUASHIE: peasant, country bumpkin, coarse and stupid person; racial pejorative generic term for blacks; originally Twi “boy born on a Sunday”
QUATTIE: of no value. Derived from the name that was given to the 1/2 penny used in Jamaica during Britsh rule.
QUING-UP: to compress
QUIPS: 1. (from “squips”) a tiny piece or amount; 2. the Jamaican art of washing clothes making a “squips-squips” sound. 

Phrase of the day 

No call alligator long mouth till you pass him. (taken from World of Quotes)
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

Next up:  R-S