Blackheart man

noun BLAK-haart MAN ˈblakhaːt man

Also spelled black-heart man

A bogeyman figure of Jamaican folklore used to frighten children into behaving — a wicked, wild-looking man said to snatch away children who wander off or disobey. By extension 'blackheart man' means anyone truly evil-hearted and cruel. Parents warned, 'behave, or di blackheart man wi tek yuh'.

  • Behave, or di blackheart man come tek yuh!

    Behave, or the bogeyman will come take you!

  • Dem frighten di pickney wid blackheart man story.

    They scared the children with bogeyman stories.

  • Him wicked bad, a real blackheart man.

    He's truly wicked, a real evil-hearted man.

  • Behave, or di black-heart man a go come fi yuh!

    Behave, or the bogeyman will come for you!

  • Mi granny use to frighten wi wid story bout black-heart man.

    My granny used to scare us with stories about the bogeyman.

From 'black heart' (evil-hearted) + 'man'; a folklore bogeyman and a byword for a cruel person. See Duppy, Ole hige.

A child-snatching bogeyman; also an evil-hearted person. See Duppy, Rolling calf.