Meaning
A machete — the long, broad-bladed knife used all over rural Jamaica for cutting cane, clearing bush, and every kind of farm and yard work. The cutlass is the small farmer's most basic and constant tool, carried to the ground each day and kept sharpened on a stone, and it is as much a part of country life as the hoe or the fork. When quarrels turn serious it is also the weapon most ready to hand, and a 'cutlass lick' is a grim reality of rural disputes.
Examples
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Him tek di cutlass go chop di bush.
He took the machete to cut the bush.
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Sharpen di cutlass before yuh cut di cane.
Sharpen the machete before you cut the cane.
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Every farmer have a cutlass.
Every farmer owns a machete.
Origin
From English 'cutlass' (a short sword); in Jamaica the word settled on the farmer's machete rather than the sailor's blade.
How it’s used
The standard word for a machete in Jamaica, sometimes called a 'collins' after a common brand. A tool first, but understood as a weapon in the wrong moment.