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Clothing & Style
57 entries in this part of the language, each with meanings, pronunciation and worked examples.
- Apron A cloth garment tied over the front of the clothes to keep them clean while cooking…
- Baggy Underwear — specifically girls' or women's panties, and children's underpants.
- Bally A cheap canvas-and-rubber plimsoll or sneaker — the plain, low-cost shoe that generations…
- Bandana The red-and-white (sometimes yellow) plaid madras cloth that is Jamaica's national fabric…
- Bata Cheap canvas-and-rubber shoes — named after the Bata brand whose plimsolls and…
- Batty rider Very short, tight shorts that 'ride up' the batty (bottom) — the skimpy, high-cut shorts…
- Bayfoot Barefoot — going without shoes, 'bay' (bare) plus 'foot'.
- Bling Flashy, showy jewellery — gold chains, diamonds, big rings, and shiny accessories worn to…
- Bloomers Women's or girls' underpants — the loose, full knickers of the old style, and by extension…
- Brief Men's underpants — 'briefs'.
- Chain and medallion A heavy gold chain worn with a big hanging pendant (medallion) — the classic status symbol…
- Church frock A woman's good dress kept for church — a modest, smart 'frock' (dress) worn to Sunday…
- Clarks Clarks desert boots and shoes — the British footwear brand elevated in Jamaica into a…
- Clean Clean — beyond simple tidiness, to be 'clean' is to be sharply, freshly dressed and looking…
- Crepe Soft-soled canvas or suede shoes — 'crepe' referring to the crepe-rubber sole.
- Crepe shoes Shoes with soft crepe (raw-rubber) soles — most famously the desert boot, the Clarks-style…
- Desert boot The suede, crepe-soled ankle boot made by Clarks — a shoe with a special, near-mythic…
- Drawers Underpants — the everyday, somewhat old-fashioned word for the undergarment worn under the…
- Dress off To dress up smartly;
- Dupes Fake, knockoff goods made to imitate expensive designer brands — 'dupes' of Clarks, Gucci…
- Fashion ova style 'Fashion over style' — chasing every trend and overdressing to show off, at the expense of…
- Fishnet Open-weave 'fishnet' fabric — worn as a man's mesh vest ('fishnet marina') to stay cool in…
- Fly Stylish, sharp, and good-looking — of a person dressed cool and turned out well.
- Frock A dress — a woman's or girl's one-piece dress or gown.
- Gansey A vest, undershirt, or plain T-shirt — the light top worn next to the skin under a shirt…
- Ganzie A knitted jersey, pullover, or sweater — a warm top pulled on over the head.
- Ganzy A jersey, pullover, or knit top — a warm upper garment, and by extension, in some use, any…
- Garms Clothes;
- Gears Clothes;
- Gold teeth Gold dental caps or crowns worn on the front teeth — long a mark of style, status, and a…
- Grill A decorative set of teeth covers — usually gold, silver, or jewel-set — worn over the front…
- Head tie A cloth tied around the head — a headwrap or scarf — worn by women to cover or bind up the…
- Jersey A sports shirt — especially a football (soccer) jersey worn to support a team, a huge part…
- Kerchief A square of cloth worn tied over the head, long a familiar part of Jamaican women's dress —…
- Khaki The stiff, sand-coloured cotton cloth — and the uniform made from it — long standard for…
- Leggings Tight, stretchy trousers or tights worn by women — an everyday and dancehall wardrobe…
- Marina A man's sleeveless vest or singlet worn as an undershirt — the everyday Jamaican word for…
- Merino A man's undershirt or vest — the cotton, often ribbed, sleeveless or short-sleeved top worn…
- Mesh marina A man's sleeveless string vest of open mesh netting — a 'marina' being the Jamaican word…
- Nightie A nightgown or nightdress — the loose, light garment a woman or girl sleeps in.
- Ol bruk Old, worn-out clothes — and, more broadly, any run-down, broken-down old thing.
- Petticoat An underskirt or slip worn beneath a dress or skirt to line it, keep it hanging right, and…
- Pose To strike a pose and show off — to stand or move so as to be admired, flaunting your style…
- Puss boot Cheap canvas-and-rubber shoes — plimsolls or sneakers of the plainest, most affordable…
- Quarter boot A low boot or shoe that rises just to or a little above the ankle — a 'quarter' boot, so…
- Rappa A wrap of cloth — most often a woman's head-wrap or head-tie, wound around the hair, and…
- Rasta tam The large, soft, crocheted or knitted cap Rastas wear to hold their dreadlocks — usually in…
- Short pants Shorts — trousers cut off above the knee.
- Slippas Slippers — but in Jamaica this means flip-flops or sandals, the everyday open footwear for…
- String vest A man's mesh or netted undershirt — the loose, open-weave 'string' vest worn next to the…
- Style up To dress stylishly and show off your style — to 'style up' yourself is to fix up sharp…
- Sunday best Your finest clothes — the good outfit kept for church on Sunday, and for weddings…
- Swag Style, confidence, and cool self-presentation — the way you carry yourself, dress, and move…
- Tam A large, round, knitted or crocheted cap — most famously the Rastafari tam, often in the…
- Threads Clothes — slang for one's outfit, especially good, stylish clothes.
- Three quarter Trousers cut to three-quarter length — ending below the knee, partway down the calf…
- Watchekong Cheap canvas-and-rubber shoes — plimsolls or basic sneakers, the kind worn for school…