Meaning
A dreaded figure of Jamaican and wider Caribbean folklore — an old woman, secretly a witch, who by night sheds her skin, hides it, and flies abroad as a ball of fire to suck the blood of sleeping victims, above all babies. To stop the Ole Hige, people would scatter rice grains for her to be forced to count until daybreak, or find and salt her hidden skin so she cannot put it back on. She is Jamaica's version of the soucouyant, a terror of the night.
Examples
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Granny warn wi bout di ole hige.
Granny warned us about the Old Hige.
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Dem seh di ole hige suck baby blood.
They say the Old Hige sucks babies' blood.
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Throw rice fi di ole hige count till day light.
Throw rice for the Old Hige to count until daybreak.
Origin
From 'old' + 'hige/higue' (a blood-sucking hag); the skin-shedding witch of folklore. See [[duppy]], [[rolling-calf]].
How it’s used
A folklore witch who sheds her skin and flies as fire to suck blood. See [[duppy]], [[rolling-calf]].