Patois Crossword

Big · Easy · No. 10:00

Patois Crossword: Big · Easy · No. 1

An easy big Patois crossword with 24 clues. Every answer is a real Jamaican Patois word from the dictionary, and each links to its entry when you finish. Easy: The most familiar words. Meanings come with a category, every word starts with its first letter filled in, and you can check and reveal.

Across

  1. 1 Greetings & Conversation: To meet up with someone, make contact, or connect socially (4)
  2. 3 Money, Work & Business: A con man and the con itself — a trickster (6)
  3. 6 Rastafari & Iyaric: The oppressive establishment (7)
  4. 8 Music, Reggae & Dancehall: The instrumental backing track of a reggae or dancehall song (6)
  5. 11 Animals, Plants & Nature: The small, quick, weasel-like animal introduced to Jamaica in the 1800s to control rats and snakes… (8)
  6. 14 Food & Drink: A traditional Jamaican snack of dried corn that has been parched (5)
  7. 15 Descriptions & Emotions: A loud commotion, uproar, or disturbance — chaos, a noisy quarrel, or a great fuss (9)
  8. 19 Money, Work & Business: A public communal water tap on a post, set in a yard, lane, or street corner (9)
  9. 20 Money, Work & Business: The open-air ____ where higglers and farmers sell fresh produce, ground provisions, fish, and goods (6)
  10. 21 Descriptions & Emotions: Boastful, show-offy, flashy (6)
  11. 23 Descriptions & Emotions: Little or small — in size, amount, or degree (6)
  12. 24 Clothing & Style: A man's sleeveless vest or singlet worn as an undershirt — the everyday Jamaican word for it (6)

Down

  1. 2 Rastafari & Iyaric: Natural, pure, and unprocessed — used above all for the Rastafari way of eating (4)
  2. 4 Rastafari & Iyaric: Good, pleasing, and at peace — a state of everything being right and in harmony (4)
  3. 5 Places & Directions: The rural areas of Jamaica, away from Kingston and the coastal towns (7)
  4. 7 Food & Drink: A starchy edible tuber (3)
  5. 9 Rastafari & Iyaric: A Rastafari — especially one who wears dreadlocks (5)
  6. 10 Food & Drink: Ground corn (maize) meal — a versatile staple used for creamy ____ porridge (8)
  7. 12 Music, Reggae & Dancehall: A big, lively party or dance event — and, as an adjective, anything exciting, top-quality, or hot (8)
  8. 13 Food & Drink: A leafy green vegetable (8)
  9. 16 People & Relationships: Mother — the Patois pronunciation of 'mother' (5)
  10. 17 People & Relationships: A child — whether one's own or any young person (7)
  11. 18 Places & Directions: One's home area, neighbourhood, or the local streets where a person is from and known — 'di ____' (4)
  12. 22 Actions & Verbs: To stand — but far more often to stay, remain, or wait, and to describe how something is or looks (3)

Where the words come from

Every answer is an entry in the Patois dictionary. This puzzle draws on: Actions & Verbs, Animals, Plants & Nature, Clothing & Style, Descriptions & Emotions, Food & Drink, Greetings & Conversation, Money, Work & Business, Music, Reggae & Dancehall, People & Relationships, Places & Directions, Rastafari & Iyaric. When you finish, each answer shows its meaning, its pronunciation and an example sentence.

The number in brackets after a clue is the length of the answer, and (3,5) means two words of three and five letters, typed with no space. Patois has no single spelling, so if you type another spelling the dictionary records, it counts.

More to play

Back to all Patois crosswords, try the daily word game Guess Di Word, or take a Patois quiz. You can print this puzzle from your browser's print menu.