Buss
Also spelled: bus, bos
Meaning
To burst, break open, or make a sudden explosive movement; also extended to mean achieving sudden success or becoming famous, and to release or fire something off.
Examples
-
“Di bag buss an everyting drop out.”
The bag burst and everything fell out.
Literal sense of splitting or bursting open.
-
“Since im tune buss, im deh pan radio evryweh.”
Since his song blew up, he's on the radio everywhere.
Figurative sense of a sudden breakthrough or fame.
-
“Buss a laugh wid mi nuh.”
Have a good laugh with me.
'Buss a laugh' is a fixed collocation meaning to laugh heartily.
Origin
From English 'burst', with the final consonant cluster simplified as is common in Patois phonology.
How it's used
Extremely common everyday word with many collocations: 'buss it', 'buss a blank' (fire a gun/shout), 'buss shot'. The 'become famous' sense is heavily used in dancehall contexts.