Meaning
A scruffy, ragged, worthless person — a tramp, vagabond, or good-for-nothing, unkempt and down-at-heel. 'Buguyaga' is a colourful, contemptuous word, its very sound conjuring the dishevelled figure it names, and it is thrown at someone dirty, lazy, and of no account, or used to warn a child not to grow up a buguyaga. It belongs to the rich Jamaican store of vivid insults for the low and shabby.
Examples
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Him look like a buguyaga inna dem dutty clothes.
He looks like a tramp in those dirty clothes.
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Nuh grow up a buguyaga, mek sup'm a yuhself.
Don't grow up a good-for-nothing; make something of yourself.
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Comb yuh head, yuh look like buguyaga.
Comb your hair, you look like a vagabond.
Origin
Of expressive/African-influenced origin; a ragged, worthless person/tramp. See [[wutliss]], [[waste-man]].
How it’s used
A scruffy, ragged, worthless person; a tramp/vagabond. See [[wutliss]], [[waste-man]].