Maga maga

adjective MAA-ga-MAA-ga ˈmaːɡa ˈmaːɡa

Also spelled maga-maga, mawga-mawga, meager-meager

Very thin and scrawny, skin-and-bone — the reduplication of 'maga' (meagre, thin) doubling it for emphasis. Where 'maga' says thin, 'maga-maga' says pitifully, weakly thin, and it is used of a wasted-looking person or a poorly, half-starved animal — a 'maga-maga dog'. The doubling to intensify is a common Patois pattern, and here it stresses just how skinny the thing is.

  • Di dog look maga-maga, feed it.

    The dog looks skin-and-bone; feed it.

  • Him come back from foreign all maga-maga.

    He came back from abroad all skinny.

  • Di maga-maga puss beg food.

    The scrawny cat begs for food.

Reduplication of 'maga' (meagre/thin) for intensity — a common Patois pattern. See [[maga]], [[likkle-likkle]].

Very thin/scrawny; reduplication of 'maga' for emphasis. See [[maga]], [[likkle-likkle]].