Meaning
The hard-shelled gourd of the calabash tree, dried and hollowed to make bowls, cups, dippers, and containers — the original all-purpose kitchen vessel of old-time Jamaica. A calabash 'bowl' held food, water, or wash-water; a smaller one was a drinking cup or a 'dipper'. Also crafted into rattles and ornaments.
Examples
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Granny use a calabash fi hol di water.
Grandma used a calabash to hold the water.
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Dip di water outta di drum wid di calabash.
Dip the water out of the drum with the calabash.
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Dem carve bowl outta calabash.
They carve bowls out of calabash gourds.
Origin
From Spanish 'calabaza' (gourd); the calabash-tree gourd made into vessels. See [[gourd]], [[coconut-brush]].
How it’s used
A dried gourd used as a bowl/cup/dipper; old-time kitchen vessel. See [[coal-pot]], [[kitchen-bitch]].