Kill

verb KILL kɪl

Also spelled kil, kill it

Besides the literal sense, in dancehall 'kill' means to defeat and dominate — 'kill di sound' is to destroy a rival in a clash, and 'kill it' / 'kill di stage' is to give a stunning performance. 'Kill mi wid laugh' means something is hilarious. A word of hyperbolic triumph, not violence, in these senses.

  • Di selecta kill di sound bwoy inna di clash.

    The selector destroyed the rival sound in the clash.

  • She kill di stage last night!

    She killed it on stage last night!

  • Di joke kill mi, mi cyaa stop laugh.

    The joke slayed me, I can't stop laughing.

From 'kill', extended in dancehall to 'defeat/dominate/excel' (hyperbole), as in 'kill di sound', 'kill it'.

In dancehall = defeat/excel/slay (hyperbole), not violence. Compare 'murda', 'shella', 'mash it up'.