Meaning
An inheritance — the property, money, land, or belongings 'left' behind by someone who has died. A 'dead lef' is what the deceased leaves for the living, and it is a weighty matter in Jamaican family life: quarrels, court cases, and long-running feuds over a 'dead lef', especially over land, are a common theme in real life and in story. The plain, blunt name — what the dead left — names both the bequest and the trouble that so often comes with dividing it.
Examples
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Di family a fight ova di ole man dead lef.
The family is fighting over the old man's inheritance.
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Him get a piece a land as him dead lef.
He got a piece of land as his inheritance.
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Nuh badda wait pon dead lef — work fi yuh own.
Don't wait around for an inheritance — work for your own.
Origin
Literally 'dead-left' — that which the dead have left behind; a compact Patois noun for a bequest or inheritance.
How it’s used
Often carries the connotation of family disputes over what the deceased left.