Meaning
Good manners and home training — the proper upbringing that shows in how a person behaves. To 'have broughtupsy' is to be well-raised, courteous, and respectful, schooled from childhood in how to conduct oneself; to have 'no broughtupsy' is to be rude, coarse, and badly brought up. Built from 'brought up', the word names one of the most valued qualities in Jamaican life, since a person's manners are held to reflect their home and their people, and the lack of broughtupsy is a real disgrace.
Examples
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Di pickney have good broughtupsy.
The child has good manners and home training.
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Him have no broughtupsy at all.
He has no manners at all.
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A yuh madda teach yuh broughtupsy.
It's your mother who teaches you good manners.
Origin
Built from the phrase 'brought up' plus a noun ending, turning how one was raised into a quality a person carries.
How it’s used
A warm, values-laden word central to Jamaican ideas of respectability. Its absence is a sharp criticism.