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Bad lok wos ahn uobia.
Bad luck is worse than obeah.
Kakruoch no bizniz iina faul fait.
Cockroach has no business in a fowl fight.
Pus ahn daag no ab di siem lok.
Puss and dog do not have the same luck.
Daag nuo uu fi bait ahn dopi nuo uu fi fraitn.
Dog knows who to bite and ghost knows who to frighten.
Yu ed fieba sitn we kiangkro draa briek iina.
Your head looks as if crows nested in it.
We mek yu ed fieba sense faul nes?
Why does your head look like a senseh fowl's nest?
So herli kak nat iivn put aan ihn draaz yet.
So early cock has not even put on his drawers yet!
Yu mos tink se mi baan baka kou.
You must think I was born behind a cow.
Laan fi daans a yaad bifuo yu go habraad.
Learn to dance at home before you go abroad.
Bot unu si mi dain chraial?
But do you see my dying trial?
Faia de a musmus tiel ihn tink a kuul briiz.
Fire at mouse's tail it thinks is cool breeze.
A lang taim dehn marid, dehn dis neba choch.
It's a long time they've been married, they just never been churched.
Fos waata ag kech ihn wash iina i.
The hog washes in the first water it gets to.
Ef yu kiaahn kech Kwaashi yu kech ihn shot.
If you can't catch Quashie, you catch his shirt.
Mi neba baan wen mi mada gaan a maakit.
I wasn't born when my mother went to market.
We swiit nani guot a go ron ihn beli.
What pleases nanny goat will give her the runs.
We swiit yu guehn sowa yu.
What pleases you will displease you.
Wen chobl tek yu, pitni shot fit yu.
When in trouble, a child's shirt will fit you.
Tide fi mi, tumaara fi yu.
Today for me, tomorrow for you.
Wan wan kuoko ful baaskit.
One by one cocos will fill a basket.
Sari fi maaga daag, maaga daag ton roun bait yu.
Pity the thin dog, it'll turn around and bite you.
Si ahn blain, ie ahn def, bai ahn sel.
See and be blind, hear and be deaf, buy and sell.
Ef guot ehn nuo di saiz a hihn bihain, ihn hudn swaala mango siid.
If the goat knew the size of its behind, it wouldn't swallow mango seeds.
Shaat kot draa blod, lang ruod draa swet.
A short-cut draws blood, the long road draws sweat.
Ebri huo ab ihn tik a bush.
Every hoe has a handle in the bush.
Wa (a) fi yu kiaahn bi an-fi yu.
What is yours cannot be un-yours.
Ebri die boket go a wel, wan die di batam mos jrap out.
Every day the bucket goes to the well, one day the bottom must drop out.
Si ya, pitni, no luk pahn mi wid daade tuon a vais.
Look here, kid, don't look at me with that tone of voice.
Kohn si mi a wan ting, kohn lib wid mi a wanieda.
Come see me is one thing, come live with me is another.
Yu lidong wid daag, yu mos git op wid flii.
You lie with dogs, you must rise with fleas.
A suuhn klip yu wing.
I'll soon clip your wings.
Yu tink mi baan big so. Ef a so mi no huda kil mi mada?
You think I was born big. If so, wouldn't I have killed my mother?
Daag a kin tiit laaf afta bucha.
Dog is grinning, laughing at the butcher.
Ihn blak laka faib paas midnait.
(S)he's black like five past midnight.
Aadiez pitni niam raktuon.
Stubborn kids eat stones.
Yu tiit kin laik dem truo daag faia tik.
You're grinning like a dog thrown a fire-stick.
Yu tink se mi sliip a faia said.
You think I sleep by the fire.
Yu wi suun fain out ou waata waak go a pongkin beli.
You will soon find out how water gets inside a pumpkin's belly.
Shain yai gial iz a chobl tu a man.
Shiny-eyed girls are trouble to a man.
Kot ai kot ai, kiaahn kot mi iina tuu.
Cut your eyes at me but you can't cut me in two.
Wa gaan bad a maanin kiaahn kom gud a hiivlin.
What has gone bad in the morning, can't come good by evening.
Ben di chrii wen i yong.
Bend the tree while it's young.
Aadiez pitni go a maakit tuu taim.
Stubborn kids go to market twice.
Katn chrii faal dong, daag jomp uoba i.
Cotton tree falls, dog jumps over it.
Biain daag a daag, bifuo daag a misa daag.
Behind dog it's dog, before dog it's mister dog.
No kos haligeta lang mout tel yu kraas di riba.
Don't curse the alligator's long mouth till you have crossed the river.
Wen fish kohn frahn riba batam se haligeta dong de, biliib im.
When fish comes from the river's bottom saying alligator is down there,
believe him.
Paasn krisn ihn pitni fos.
Parson christens his child first.
hEbri kiangkro tink ihn pitni wait.
Every john crow thinks its child is white.
Daag ab tomoch yaad go widoutn dina.
A dog with too many homes goes without dinner.
hEbri pwail iz a stail.
Every mistake is a style.
Wa jrap frahn ed jrap pahn shuolda.
What falls from the head falls on the shoulder.
Foul grii fi ach dok heg, no fi laan dok pitni fi swim.
Fowl agreed to hatch Duck's egg, not to teach ducklings to swim.
Li pepa bon big man mout.
A little pepper burns a big man's mouth
Bul fut brok, ihn niam wid monki.
When the bull's foot is broken, he eats among monkeys.
No mata ou ai kiangkro flai, ihn afi kom a grong fi niam.
No matter how high the john crow flies, it has to come down to eat.
No kaal man ded tel ihn beri.
Don't say a man is dead till he's buried.
Chikin meri, aak de nier.
The chicken is merry, the hawk is near.
Foul neba si heg, kiakl wen ihn si wait tuon.
A fowl which has never seen an egg, cackles when it sees a white stone.
Siem naif wa tek tik shiip tik guot.
The same knife which sticks sheep sticks goat.
Mango siizn pat ton dong.
In mango season pots are put away.
Tek di kies ahn gi mi di pila.
Take the case and give me the pillow.
Dopi nuo uu fi fraitn.
Ghost knows who to frighten.
Nieli stuon neba kil bod.
Nearly stone never kills bird.
Rien a-faal bot doti tof.
Rain falls but the earth is hard.
Kozn ahn kozn bwail gud suup.
Cousins together make good soup.
No ebriting gud fi hiit gud fi taak.
Not everything good to eat is good to be spoken of.
Guot no krach ihn biyain tel ihn si waal.
Goat doesn't scratch its behind till it sees a wall.
Jak Manduora mi no chuuz non.
Jack Mandora I choose none.
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aaba shaak predatory person
aas ded ahn kou fat drawn-out, evasive excuse
ab mi hexkiuuz please excuse me
a no se it is not that
hax paadn pardon me, excuse me
baan bak a kou ignorant, unexposed
bakansa, bakchat smart-ass response, retort
bati ahn bench inseparable
beli pregnancy; - get beli become pregnant; -
bich lik strong blow
dash we beli have abortion
biain Gad bak remote, cut-off
bifuo kak put aan jraaz before dawn
bliich to go without sleep
blouz ahn skert mild expletive
bon kiangl fi put hex on
bos out break out; lose inhibitions
bos tuu klaat swear vociferously
chruo wod to taunt
daa wi du that'll do
daag niam yu sopa expect trouble, you're gonna get it
dakta no put (mi) pani not necessary, essential or required
de (wid) to be in a relationship (with)
de bout around, nearby
de pahn ies in a hurry
dede/dide is there
dongkia carefree, shiftless
duont? isn't that so?
ef a so, a so so be it
enzop hands up, show of hands
fain yu yaad go home
fala bak a mi follow me
farin abroad, imported; gaa farin go abroad
fi chuu really and truly
fi six to the extreme (cricket boundary)
fiil a wie to feel embarrassed, slighted, uncomfortable
frahn ihn yai de a hihn nii when he was little
gaan klier succeed
gastu must, similar to American gotta
get a blai given a chance, an opening
get chruu succeed
gi six fi nain deceive, pull a fast one
go chruu proceed
iina yu haki in your element
jraa bad kiaad have bad luck
jraa dong to lose weight, appear unwell
jrai ed thin hair
jrai fut (person) of no consequence
jrai fuud processed, packaged food, e.g. bread, snacks
jrai lan tuoris local given to putting on airs
jrap fut to dance
jrap iina suup gain advantage, get lucky
jrap jraaz ultimate insult or protest, moon
jrap wod to hint
jres tu pus (bak) fut dressed ostentatiously
jriep op to restrain by holding trouser waist in course of arrest
kaak (op) stopped up, jammed, crowded
kaak yu hiez don't listen
kaal dong kroud create a stir
kaal i se virtually, just about
kaka faat expletive
kak op to raise; relaxed pose of the nonchalant
kak out to push out, protrude
kech ihn lent find one's stride
kech waal kola become part of the furniture
kil wait foul perform ritual sacrifice
kin pupalik somersault
kin tiit grin
kirout! get out!
kis tiit to make sucking sound through protruding lips as expression of
disgust, disdain
kom iin laka is like, similar to
kot ten to sit with legs crossed
kot yai to look at, then away from someone in disdain
krai krii to call time-out
kuul yu fut relax
Laad a masi! Lord have mercy!
laala! exclamation similar to O my!
Laax! euphemism for Lord!
laka se as if
libati tekin presumptious attitude or act; -libati kom chruu
kielisnis akin to familiarity breeds contempt
lik ed (hit head and) get crazy
maak yu fies remember you as a result of slight or insult
mait az chiip may as well
manaz said after belching, akin to pardon me
masi mi maasa exclamation akin to mercy, Lord
mikies hurry up
mos ahn boun obligated
no bikaa just because
no biniz don't care, not concerned
no chuu? isn't that true?
no fiil no wie not to be sorry, not to take offense, not to be affected, not
to take it personally
no fret don't worry
no kia no matter
no nuo hie frahn bulfut ignorant, illiterate
no nuo wa klak a chraik naive, unaware
no so? isn't that so?
nuo ou waata waak go a pongkin beli know how things work
out fi to be about to
outa haada rude, impudent
pap stail aspiring, adopting a manner or style
pik op yu fut hurry
pul fut run
puo no choch mous poor as a church mouse
ron buot cooperative ad hoc cooking, e.g., in the bush, on a construction
site
ron dong to argue insistently
saal(t) down on luck, broke
se fe invite or provoke, dare
shegop to disappoint, inconvenience; unreliable
siem wie just like that
skwips-skwips onomatopoeia of washing laundry by hand
sok saal chruu hudn spuun endure hardship
soohn kom maybe sometime in the future, when I'm good and ready
spirit tek have affinity
swap blak daag fi mongki pointless exchange
tap tel tuori stop lying
tara-wara euphemism for expletives
tek libati be presumptious
tide die today
tuori kom tu bomp dramatic climax, as in shit hits the fan
uol dong tek we uneven match, walk-over
wara-wara euphemism for expletives
waa gwaan? greeting, cf. Eng. how goes?, Fr. ca va?,
Sp. como va?
waagen? what else?
waak gud goodbye
waapm? greeting, similar to waa gwaan?
wa du yu? what's the matter with you? - wa du yu duo iihn?
rhetorical question
wach ya now look here
wa die the other day
wait liba sexually insatiable
wanga got glutton
wan-wan one by one, singly
wan ahn tuu few
wen saalfish shingl oustap long ago
yaa yes? you hear?
yai mek fuo exchange looks
yu tuu faas none of your business
yu tuu tuori you're making it up
So dem a jrapi now ...
Slang and Argot
Laik eniting els, langwij gati fashin tu ahn wod dem kom iin ahn outa yuus az yu
kwint. Demaya a som a dem we a kiari di swing ... but main, dehn kuda don ded aredi bi taim yu
riid dis.
Like anything else, language has its fashion and words come into and out of use as you
blink. These are some that are current ... but, careful, they could be dead already by the time
you read this.
haanal pork
hagani sexual ecstasy
bilz paper money
blouwou mild form of expletive
bos tuu klaat to utter expletives
chrash ahn redi stylish, fashionable
chrentan pork
chupsi term of endearment
daakaz sunglasses
dali to perform weaving motion, especially on a bike
dan gaagan chief warlord
dedaz meat, meat products
di maroz tomorrow
di Rak Jamaica
donz, donzai money
faawod to proceed; audience acclaim faawod up to give,
pay, send
gaan tu bed in the extreme
get bon to be cuckolded
gi bon to cheat on one's sex partner
gialis ladies' man, don juan
giets home
ginigag person of influence, power
glamiti female genitals
Jamdong Jamaica
jamin dancing
Jie-ie JA (Jamaica)
jos kuul relax
jrapi express it
kaanaz position, neighbourbood
kii spaar best friend, main man
kuul ronins a greeting
krisaz brand new, especially car
kruushal important
kuchi communal smoking pipe
laaj renowned
let aaf give money
likl muor later
muo taim see you later
no puoshan not much
rakaz type of reggae
ree-ree excessive chatter, like blah-blah
ruop iin join in
skruu to get angry
step to leave
uol a chienj get money
uol a fresh bathe or shower
yu don nuo you know
yu no siit? do you see?
Rigl mi dis
Riddles
Rigl mi dis ahn rigl mi dat
Ges mi dis rigl ar praps nat.
Riddle me this and riddle me that
Guess me this riddle or perhaps not.
- Ruop roun dangki lidong.
Rope round donkey lie down.
- Ruum ful, aal ful, kiaahn get a spuunful.
Room full, hall full, can't get a spoonful.
- Wan piis a wait yam saab di uol werl.
One piece of white yam serves the whole world.
- Op chin chieri, dong chin-chieri,
Nat a man kiahn claim chin-chieri.
Up chim-cheree, down chim-cheree,
Not a man can climb chim-cheree.
- El a tap, el a batom, aliluuya a migl.
Hell on top, hell at bottom, alleluia in the middle.
hAnsa
Answers
1 pongkin (pumpkin) | 2 sumuok (smoke) | 3 muun (moon) | 4 sumuok (smoke)
| 5 pitieta puon (potato pudding)
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