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Rasta Gear Shop Jamaican Rasta Patois Glossary Q to T. Rasta handmade purewool tams berets and beanies in the rasta colors. Rastafarian Jamaican Reggae and Bob Marley Clothing and Merchandise
A Complete Course On Jamaican Culture, Music And The Jamaican Language. Learn Jamaican Patois And Never Guess Another Reggae Lyric Again! This Course Has Information You Cannot Find Anywhere Else. Get The True Essence Of Rastafari And Jamaica!
QUASHIE: n. peasant, country bumpkin, coarse and stupid person; racial pejorative generic term for blacks; originally Twi name of a boy born on a Sunday.
QUIPS: 1. nouns (from squips) a tiny piece or amount, 2. verb, the Jamaican art of washing clothes making a "squips-squips" sound.
RAATID!: a common mild expletive of surprise or vexation, as in "to raatid!". It is likely a polite permutation of "ras", a la "gosh" or "heck".
RAGGA: A style of reggae that uses digital rhythms exclusively. A term sometimes used interchangably with dancehall, since the latter music has become heavily digitized as well.
RAGGAMUFFIN: jamaican ghetto dweller.
RAM: full up.
RAM GOAT: someone who deals with nuff ladies.
RANKING: highly respected.
RAS or RASS: backside, rump; a common curse is to rass! or rass clot! a title used by Rastafarians meaning "lord" or "head".
(TO) RAAS: "really?", "damn!"
RAST TAFARI: the pre-coronation name of Emperor Haile Selassie I.
RASTA, RASTAFARIAN: a follower of Marcus Garvey who worships the Almighty in the person of haile Selassie.
RAT-BAT: bat, the night-flying rodent.
RATCHET: a switchblade knife popular in Jamaica.
RED: 1. very high on herb, 2. mulatto color.
RED EYE: to want another persons belonging, envious. "You too red eye", meaning, you're too envious.
REGGAE: Sometimes called "the King's music" or "roots music".
RAHTID: expression of surprise, or to be enraged. From biblical"wrothed".
RENK: 1. foul-smelling, raw-smelling, 2. out of order, impudent, as in a rank-imposter. "Yu too renk!", fiesty.
RHAATID: a curse-exclamation, similar to "what the hell", To rahtid ---> Exclamination!!, i.e Wow! a milder form to Rass...excitement!!.
RHYGIN: adj. spirited, vigorous, lively, passionate with great vitality and force; also sexually provocative and aggressive. Probably a form of English raging.
RIZZLA: brand of rolling paper.
ROCKERS: reggae music reggae music as it is played today, the latest sound.
ROOTS: 1. derived from the experience of the common people, natural indigenous, 2. a greeting, 3. name for a fellow Rasta.
ROTI: flat Indian pan breads.
ROYAL, (RIAL): n. offspring of some other race and black, ass in "Chiney-Rial," "coolie-rial"; humorous as in "monkey-rial".
RUDE BOY: a criminal, a hard hearted person, a tough guy.
RUN-DUNG: food cooked in coconut juice, obtained after grating the dry coconut meat and squeezing it in water, thus extracting the coconut cream.
RUNNING BELLY: diarrhea.
RYAL: royal.
SAL'TING: 1. dishes cooked with saltfish or meat, 2. that part of the meal which is served with the "food" (starchy food, ground food), 3. by some strange extension, the female organ, often simply called "sal". the food that goes with the rice, potatoes or starchy food; like calalloo, fish and sauce, sauces or gravy.
SALT: adjective, broke, empty-handed, low on funds or food, as in "tings salt" or "i' salt".
SAMBO: the colour between brown and black; someone who is a cross between a mullatto (brown) and a black.
SAMFAI MAN: trickster, conman.
SHAMPATA: n. sandal of wood or tire rubber. Span. zapato.
SANFI: A manipulator - dishonest person. A person that will sweet talk you out of love and money. "Dam Sanfi Bitch".
SANKEY: n. religious song of a paticularly lugubrious tone, sung in the long or common meter. From Ira David Sankey, evangelist and hymnalist.
SATA: to rejoice, to meditate, to give thanks and praise.
SATTA: sit, rest, meditate (1) relax.
(GO) SATTA: claim how spiritual you are.
SCIENCE: obeah, witchcraft.
SCIENTIST: occult practitioner.
SCOUT: denoting inferior status.
SCREECHIE: to sneak by.
SCREW: to scowl, to be angry.
SEEN: I understand, I agree.
SEEN?: Do you understand?.
SHAG: home-cured tobacco, straight from the field.
SHAKE OUT: leave without haste, casually.
SHEG (UP): verb, to bother, as in "all sheg up", all hot and bothered, or or spoiled up (as of work).
SHEG-UP: to be messed up, ruined.
SHEPHERD: n. leader of revivalist cult; also proprietor of balmyard, healer and prophet.
SHOOB: to shove.
SIDUNG: sit down.
SIGHT?: do you understand?
SINKL-BIBLE: the aloevera plant.
SINSEMILLA, SENSIE: popular, potent, seedless, unpollinated female strain of marijuana.
SINTING: something.
SIPPLE: slippery; slimy.
SISTER, SISTREN: a woman, a friend, woman Rastafarians.
SITTIN': something.
SKANK: to dance to reggae music (1) to move with cunning, ulterior motives.
SKIL: kiln, as in "limeskil".
SKIN: rolling paper.
SKIN YOUR TEETH: smile, plastic smile.
SLABBA-SLABBA: big and fat, slobby, droopy.
SLACKNESS: lewd, vulgar lyrics popular in DJ singing.
SLACKY TIDY: unkept or messy.
SMADI: somebody.
SO-SO: only, solely, unaccompanied, weak, pallid.
SOFT: not well done, amateurish; unable to cope. broke, no money.
SOUNDBWOY: usually a derogatory way to refer to the selecter or other personality in another sound system. This term is most often employed in clashes, on dub plates built for clashes, and so on. Sometimes it is not used in such a negative manner, but most of the time one refers to the someone in the crew as a soundman, not a boy.
SOUND SYSTEM: Huge mobile stereo setups manned by DJs, who became celebrities as they traveled Jamaica to host open-air dances.
SPLIFF: large, cone-shaped marijuana cigarette.
SPRING: to sprout, as of yams or cocos, making them inedible.
STAR: common term of affection, camaraderie.
STEP: to leave, to depart (1) briskly, quickly.
STOOSH/STOSHUS: upper class, high tone, "hitey-titey".
STRING UP: a muscial rehearsal.
STRUCTURE: body, health.
SU-SU: gossip, the sound of wispering.
SUFFERER: a poor person stuggling to survive.
SUPM, SINTING: something.
TACK: bullet.
TACUMAH: n. character in Anancy tales. Said to be the son of Anancy. Twin'ticuma.
TAKARI/TANKARI: stewed spicy pumpkin.
TALL: long.
TALLOWAH: adj. sturdy, strong, fearless, physically capable. From Ewe talala.
TAM: deep woolen hat, used by Dreads and Rastamen and sistren to cover their locks.
TAMBRAN SWITCH: n. a flail made from the wiry branches of the Tamarind tree, braided and oiled. Effective and much feared in the hands of Babylon.
TAN': to stand; usually used in the sense of "to be". "A so im tan", "that is what he is like"; "tan deh!" or "yu tan deh!" means "just you wait!". "Tan tedy", stand steady, means "hold still".
TARRA-WARRA: a polite way of expressing omitted bad words, a verbal asterisk.
TATA: n. father. Affectionate and respectful title for an old man. Fram many african languages. Ewe, Ge, N'gombe.
TATU: a little thatched hut, often made of bamboo.
TEETH: bullets.
TEIF: a theif, to steal.
THE I: (pron.) -you, yourself, yours.
THRU': because.
TOAST: (v.) - to rap or sing spontaneously over a dub track.
TOTO: coconut cake.
TOPANORIS: uptown snobby person, wealthy but mean behind it.
TRACE: to curse or speak abusively to someone.
TRANSPORT: vehicle.
TUMPA: from stump, as in "tumpa-foot man", a one-foot man.
TUNTI: female organ.
Thanks to some of the sources of this glossary...Reggae International, Stephen Davis, Peter Simon, R&B, 1982 - KSBR 88.5 FM, Laguna Beach, CA. Handout. - posted on rec.music.reggae - Mike Pawka, Jammin Reggae Archives Cybrarian - Understanding Jamaican Patois, L. Emilie Adams, Kingston - Richard Dennison/Michio Ogata - Glossary from "The Harder They Come" (Bo Peterson) - Norman Redington - The Beat - Allen Kaatz - Jah Bill (William Just) - Arlene Laing - Jennifer G. Graham - Norma Brown/Zoe Una Vella Veda - Richard V. Helmbrecht - Norman Stolzoff - Christopher Edmonds - Lisa Watson - Dr. Carolyn Cooper - Ras Adam - Chip Platt - Michael Turner from an article in "The Beat" - Nicky "Dread" Taylor - Simrete McLean - The Unofficial Web Site on Jamaica - Paul Mowatt - Carlos Culture - Liner Notes - Blood & Fire release: Jah Stitch:"Original Ragga Muffin", presumably Steve Barrow - Clinton Fearon -Original member of the Gladiators/ - Barbara Kennedy - Itations of Jamaica and i Rastafari - Phil "Bassy" Ajaj - Karlene Rogers - Dean Holland - Scottie Lake - Roger Steffen's Supersite - Sara Gurgen - Kevin Robison - Christopher Durning - Ronald E. Lam - Trainer Adams - Editor of Dub Missive magazine. - Karlene Rogers - Howard Henry - Messian Dread - Roger Steffens - Bunny Wailer (related to Roger Steffens) - Reggaeblitz.com glossary - Jahworks.org - Jamaican Handbook of Proverbs - www.jamaicans.com-The Reggae Box - Hip-O Records
A Great big thanks to Mike Pawka http://niceup.com/patois.txt
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