Meaning
Mucus and congestion — the phlegm, blocked or running nose, and chest and sinus stuffiness that come with a cold or a chill. 'Catarrh' is the ordinary Jamaican word for this, and to be 'full a catarrh' is to be thick with mucus and unable to breathe well. It is treated with steaming, warming bush teas, and remedies to 'cut the catarrh', and it belongs to the everyday vocabulary of the common cold.
Examples
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Mi nose block up wid catarrh.
My nose is blocked up with mucus.
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Drink hot tea fi cut di catarrh.
Drink hot tea to break up the congestion.
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Di cold leave him full a catarrh.
The cold left him full of phlegm.
Origin
From English/Greek 'catarrh' (inflammation with mucus); phlegm/congestion. See [[cold-catch]], [[bush-tea]].
How it’s used
Mucus/phlegm and congestion from a cold. See [[cold-catch]], [[ginger-tea]].