Meaning
A marijuana cigarette — a hand-rolled joint of ganja, often large and cone-shaped. 'Spliff' is the everyday Jamaican word for a rolled smoke of the herb, and it has spread from Jamaica into English worldwide. Bound up with reggae, Rastafari, and the culture of the herb, it turns up constantly in the music and in ordinary talk, from the ritual 'reasoning' session to a casual smoke, and to 'build a spliff' is to roll one.
Examples
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Him roll a spliff an light it.
He rolled a joint and lit it.
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Dem pass di spliff round di reasoning.
They passed the joint around the discussion.
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A big spliff a good sensi.
A big joint of good herb.
Origin
Of uncertain Jamaican origin, possibly a blend of 'split' and 'whiff'; it spread worldwide from Jamaica as the word for a ganja joint.
How it’s used
Everyday word for a joint. For Rastafari the herb is a sacrament, so a spliff can be part of reasoning and meditation rather than mere recreation.