Crocus bag

noun CRO-cus BAG ˈkroːkʌs baɡ

Also spelled crokus bag, croakus bag

A large, rough sack of coarse jute or burlap — used to hold and carry produce, coal, grain, and goods, and a fixture of the country market and the provision ground. Sturdy and cheap, the crocus bag was put to a hundred uses beyond carrying: cut open, it served as a mat, a floor-cloth, a sack to lie on, or a covering against the rain. A humble, everyday item of the old rural household, it belongs to the same make-do world as the bankra and the kerosene tin.

  • Dem pack di yam inna crocus bag fi carry a market.

    They packed the yams in a crocus bag to carry to market.

  • Him drag di heavy crocus bag pon him back.

    He dragged the heavy burlap sack on his back.

  • Spread out di crocus bag fi di coffee dry pon.

    Spread out the crocus bag for the coffee to dry on.

'Crocus' is a Caribbean term for the coarse burlap/hessian cloth such sacks are made from; the name is long established across the anglophone Caribbean.

The everyday word for a burlap/jute sack. Also spelled 'crokus'.