Meaning
To answer back rudely, or to talk back to a parent, elder, or person in authority. In the strict tradition of Jamaican upbringing, for a child to 'back-answer' an adult is a serious sign of disrespect, met with sharp rebuke, since children are raised to hold their tongue before their elders. The word names not mere replying but insolent, cheeky retort, and 'nuh back-answer mi' is a familiar warning from a parent to a child who dares talk back.
Examples
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Nuh back-answer yuh madda.
Don't talk back to your mother.
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Di pickney get lick fi back-answer di teacha.
The child got a beating for talking back to the teacher.
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Him too fast, always a back-answer big people.
He's too forward, always answering back to adults.
Origin
A compound of 'back' and 'answer' — to send an answer back, disrespectfully.
How it’s used
Almost always used in the context of children disrespecting adults. Both a verb and a noun ('nuh gi mi no back-answer').