Concrete jungle

noun KAN-kreet JUN-gl ˈkaŋkriːt ˈdʒʌŋɡl

Also spelled concrete-jungle, concreet jungle

The tough, tightly-packed inner city — the maze of concrete tenement yards and lanes where the urban poor live, hard and dangerous as a jungle. Made famous by Bob Marley's song 'Concrete Jungle', the phrase captures the struggle, survival, and lack of escape ('no chains around my feet, but I'm not free') of ghetto life in Kingston.

  • Life hard inna di concrete jungle.

    Life is hard in the inner city.

  • Him grow up inna di concrete jungle a Kingston.

    He grew up in the concrete jungle of Kingston.

  • Di concrete jungle mek a man tough.

    The inner city makes a man tough.

From 'concrete' + 'jungle'; the tough inner city, popularised by Marley's song. See [[ghetto]], [[trench-town]].

The tough concrete inner city; from Marley's 'Concrete Jungle'. See [[ghetto]], [[trench-town]].