Meaning
A traditional informal savings club — a rotating credit scheme in which a group each pays a fixed 'hand' (amount) at set intervals to a trusted organiser (the 'banker'), and each member in turn collects the whole pot (their 'draw') on their assigned week. A cornerstone of Jamaican community finance, pardner lets people save and access lump sums without a bank.
Examples
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Mi a throw a pardner fi save up fi Christmas.
I'm paying into a savings club to save up for Christmas.
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Mi draw come next week, mi get di whole hand.
My turn comes next week; I collect the whole pot.
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Di banker collect everybody pardner money.
The organiser collects everyone's savings-club contribution.
Origin
From 'partner'; a West African-derived rotating savings tradition (compare 'susu', 'esusu'). See [[box-hand]], [[susu]].
How it’s used
A rotating savings club: pay a 'hand', collect your 'draw'; run by a 'banker'. See [[box-hand]], [[susu]], [[higgler]].