Meaning
The John Crow, the turkey vulture — the big, black, bald-headed carrion bird that circles overhead and gathers on the dead. By extension, a 'jankro' is a contemptible, low, scavenging person who preys on others' misfortune or feeds off the misery of the fallen, and the bird's grim habits colour a whole store of proverbs and insults built on its name. It is one of the most vivid figures in Jamaican speech, standing for everything base, greedy, and death-haunted.
Examples
-
Di jankro dem a circle roun di dead cow.
The vultures are circling around the dead cow.
Literal use referring to the bird itself.
-
Yuh nuh betta dan a jankro, tief off di dead man tings.
You're no better than a vulture, stealing the dead man's things.
Figurative insult for someone who exploits tragedy.
-
Jankro seh im a dawg because im nyam everyting.
The vulture claims he's a dog because he eats everything.
Fragment of the proverb mocking someone who pretends to be more than they are.
Origin
Commonly said to derive from 'John Crow'; one popular theory links it to an eighteenth-century preacher named John Crow, though the bird name is the older and more reliable sense.
How it’s used
Neutral when naming the bird, but strongly insulting when applied to a person. Central to several Jamaican proverbs about greed and false pride.