Meaning
The liver — the Patois pronunciation of 'liver', naming both the body organ and the food. As a dish, chicken or cow liver fried or stewed with onion is a hearty meal, and 'fry liva an onion' is a favourite breakfast, rich and filling. The word shows the Patois habit of vocalising the final 'r' to an 'a' (as in 'wata' for water and 'ducta' for doctor), and it belongs to the everyday talk of the body and the kitchen alike, the organ and the meal sharing the one plain word.
Examples
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Fry some liva an onion fi breakfast.
Fry some liver and onion for breakfast.
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Chicken liva sweet inna di stew.
Chicken liver is delicious in the stew.
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Too much rum bad fi yuh liva.
Too much rum is bad for your liver.
Origin
The Patois pronunciation of 'liver' (final 'r' vocalised to 'a').
How it’s used
Both the organ and the food dish ('fry liva an onion'). Illustrates the r→a Patois shift.