Meaning
Literally 'stay/stand there', from 'tan' (stand, stay, remain). It has two everyday uses: a plain instruction to wait or stay put ('tan deh, mi soon come'), and a sarcastic warning — 'tan deh!' meaning 'just you wait / you'll see', said to someone heading for trouble or fooling themselves.
Examples
-
Tan deh, mi soon come back.
Stay there, I'll be right back.
-
Tan deh a wait pon him — him nah come.
Just keep waiting on him — he's not coming (you'll see).
-
Yuh believe dat? Tan deh!
You believe that? You'll see (how wrong you are)!
Origin
From 'tan' (stand/stay, from 'stand') + 'deh' (there). See [[tan]], [[deh]].
How it’s used
'Stay there / wait'; sarcastically 'just you wait, you'll see'. See [[tan]], [[deh]].