Meaning
A large drum packed with food, clothes, toiletries, and household goods by relatives living abroad and shipped to family in Jamaica. Families wait for it and share out what comes in it, and 'barrel goods' means the things that come from one. For many families abroad, sending a barrel is a regular way to support relatives at home.
Examples
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Mi aunty inna farrin sen a barrel fi Christmas.
My aunt abroad sent a barrel for Christmas.
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Di barrel full a rice, clothes, an sweetie.
The barrel is full of rice, clothes, and sweets.
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Wi a go collect di barrel tomorrow.
We are going to collect the barrel tomorrow.
Origin
From English 'barrel'. The custom follows Jamaican migration to Britain, Canada, and the United States.
How it’s used
'Barrel children' is a Caribbean phrase for children raised by relatives while their parents work abroad and send barrels and money home. University of the West Indies academic Dr Claudette Crawford-Brown first described the phenomenon. See Farrin, Grip.