Cutlass lick

noun KUT-lass LIK ˈkʌtlas lɪk mild

Also spelled cutlass-lick, cutlass lick, machete chop

A blow or chop from a cutlass (machete) — a 'lick' being a hit. Since the cutlass is both the farmer's everyday tool and a ready weapon, a 'cutlass lick' is the wound or blow it deals, spoken of grimly in accounts of quarrels, fights, and violent disputes over land or grievance. The phrase carries the weight of real danger, the cutlass being the most common weapon to hand in rural life.

  • Him get a cutlass lick inna di argument.

    He got a machete blow in the argument.

  • One cutlass lick lick off him finger.

    One machete chop cut off his finger.

  • Dem quarrel end up inna cutlass lick.

    Their quarrel ended up in machete blows.

From 'cutlass' (machete) + 'lick' (a blow); a machete chop/blow. See [[cutlass]], [[coco-macca]].

A blow/chop from a cutlass (machete). See [[cutlass]], [[coco-macca]].