Meaning
A centipede — the many-legged, fast-moving creature whose bite is painful and much feared, called 'forty-leg' for its countless legs (though it has far more or fewer than forty). Found in damp corners, under stones, and in old wood, the forty-leg is treated with real wariness, and a bite from a big one is a serious, burning hurt. It is the common Jamaican name for the creature, and the sight of one sends people reaching for a shoe or a stick.
Examples
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A forty-leg run cross di floor an everybody jump.
A centipede ran across the floor and everyone jumped.
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Shake out yuh shoe, forty-leg like fi hide inna dem.
Shake out your shoes, centipedes like to hide in them.
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Di forty-leg bite swell up him foot.
The centipede bite swelled up his foot.
Origin
A descriptive name — 'forty legs' standing for the centipede's many legs (though it has far more or fewer than forty).
How it’s used
The common Jamaican name for a centipede, always regarded warily for its painful bite.