slang Patois words
40 entries
- Bagga mout A person who talks a great deal but does little to back it up; all talk and no action. It …
- Bandooloo Fraud, hustling, or illegal and dishonest dealings; also used adjectivally for anything cr…
- Bashy Excellent, exciting, or top quality, especially something flashy, energetic, or that gener…
- Bly A break, chance, or lenient reprieve; an opportunity given to someone who might not otherw…
- Boasy Showy, proud, and eager to flaunt what one has — describing a person who dresses flashy, b…
- Bruk To break, but also broadly to be broke financially, to break something down, or to move lo…
- Bunununu Deeply loved, treasured, or adored; used to describe a sweetheart or precious person. It e…
- Buss To burst, break open, or make a sudden explosive movement; also extended to mean achieving…
- Chat bare foolishness To talk pure nonsense or rubbish; to say things that are stupid, baseless, or not worth li…
- Cotch To rest, perch, or prop something temporarily; also to stay somewhere briefly or lodge on …
- Craven Greedy, grasping, or excessively covetous; wanting far more than one needs, often to one's…
- Criss Describes something that is fresh, clean, brand new, or looking sharp and impressive. Beyo…
- Duppy A ghost or malevolent spirit of the dead, believed in folk tradition to linger and cause h…
- Ends One's home area, neighbourhood, or the local streets where a person is from and known. It …
- Endz a road Out on the streets, in the local area, hanging around the block. It emphasises being physi…
- Facety Describes someone rude, impertinent or cheeky, especially a person who speaks out of turn …
- Fenke fenke Weak, frail, sickly, or flimsy; describing something or someone lacking strength, substanc…
- Fluffy A softened, often affectionate or self-affirming way of describing a person, usually a wom…
- Forward To go, move on, or make one's way to a place; also to progress or advance. Unlike standard…
- Galang To go along, go away, or carry on; used both as a dismissal telling someone to leave and a…
- Ginnal A cunning trickster or con artist who survives by outsmarting and swindling others; someon…
- Gwaan bad To be doing extremely well, excelling, or thriving — 'bad' here is an intensifier meaning …
- Gweh A dismissive command telling someone to go away, get lost, or stop talking nonsense. It ca…
- Irie ites An expression of the highest good vibes, peace, and positive spiritual feeling. It goes be…
- Jankro The turkey vulture, a black carrion-eating bird; by extension, a contemptible, low, or sca…
- Labrish Idle chatter, gossip, or lively casual talk about other people's business; can also be use…
- Likkle Little or small in size, amount, or degree; often carries an affectionate or diminishing t…
- Link up To meet up with someone, make contact, or connect socially. It stresses the arranging and …
- Maga Thin, skinny, or scrawny; lacking flesh or, by extension, lacking substance. Applied to pe…
- Mash up To destroy, ruin, wreck or break something badly; also, as a noun or adjective, something …
- Mek up mi face To screw up or contort one's face in displeasure, disgust, or annoyance — a facial scowl t…
- Nyam To eat, especially to eat heartily, hungrily, or greedily; more vivid and earthy than the …
- Reach To arrive at a destination or to get somewhere. In Patois it is the standard word for arri…
- Renk Means insolent or disrespectful, but also literally foul-smelling or rancid; the two sense…
- Screwface A sour, scowling facial expression showing displeasure, hostility, or a bad mood; by exten…
- Stoosh Snobbish, upper-class, or putting on airs of refinement; describes someone who behaves as …
- Tallawah Strong, sturdy, fearless, and full of fortitude despite small size. It carries the specifi…
- Wutliss Describes a person who is lazy, irresponsible, and of no good use — especially someone who…
- Yard Home, one's house, or by extension Jamaica itself when spoken by Jamaicans living abroad. …
- Zeen An expression of agreement, understanding, or acknowledgement, similar to 'I see', 'unders…