Meaning
Corrugated galvanised metal roofing sheet — the wavy 'zinc' that roofs countless Jamaican houses and walls off countless yards as a 'zinc fence'. Cheap, quick to nail up, and everywhere, zinc is so bound up with ordinary and poor life that it stands for the whole texture of the ghetto and the country district: the rattle of rain on the zinc roof, the rusty zinc fence covered in posters and graffiti. New or rusted, zinc is one of the most familiar materials of Jamaican life.
Examples
-
Rain a beat pon di zinc roof.
Rain is beating on the zinc roof.
-
Dem nail up a zinc fence roun di yard.
They nailed up a zinc fence around the yard.
-
Di ole zinc rusty an leak.
The old zinc is rusty and leaks.
Origin
From 'zinc' (galvanised-zinc coating); corrugated metal roofing/fencing sheet. See [[zinc-fence]], [[board-house]].
How it’s used
Corrugated galvanised roofing/fencing sheet; emblem of yard and ghetto life. See [[zinc-fence]], [[board-house]].