TriniInXisle

Lime Lingo: Half-Pick Duck

Half-Pick Duck, Harpic Duck (phr):  Not the whole story, explanation. (French taking only half the feathers off a duck.) = duck story.

“Ah, dat is more like it. When yuh ah gimme ah drink, gimme ah man’s drink, no damm half pick duck” (Rollock 1975:18)

Want to learn another Trini slang?  Click Trini for an alphabetical listing of all the slangs.

Source: Dictionary of the English/Creole of…

Trini Talk Today: Obzocky

Obzocky, obsockie, obzokee, obsukky, obzoky, obzockie, upzuckie  (adj):  Unbalanced; awkward-looking; of ungraceful line or shape; of a batsman, not flowing or smooth. (Possibly Kikonngo  zakazaka ‘shaking’).

“Allyu only eatin’ ah set ah junk food like dem social bakes dey does call Pizza, an’ allyu still want to find out why allyu gettin’ fat an’ obsozky.” (Keens-Douglas 1984:87)

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You go make them tumble down, in the heart of town, you go make them dingolay, let them rock and sway.

Dingolay (v): Twists; turn; gyrate /dingole/. (Kongo dyengula ‘agitate the waist in dancing’and possibly <French dégringoler ‘tumble; fall down’).  Display yourself in a boastful or pompous manner. Dance with fancy elaborate movements.

De sweet music make everybody want to dingolay (Baptiste 1992)

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Word of the Week: Light Candle

The word of the week is a compilation of  Trinidadian sayings -phrases and words- used on the island.

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Lime Lingo: Rum Talk

Rum Talk (n) – Saying or promising things when drunk that you would not do if sober.

Want to learn another Trini slang?  Click Trini for an alphabetical listing of all the slangs.

Source: Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago by Lise Winer

Photo by Eaters Collective on Unsplash

Word of the Week: Angostura!

The word of the week is a compilation of  Trinidadian sayings -phrases and words- used on the island.

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Rum Jumbie (n) – Habitual drunkard; alcoholic.

Want to learn another Trini slang?  Then click Trini for an alphabetical listing of all the slangs.

Source: Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago by Lise Winer

Photo by Marc Babin on Unsplash

Full disclaimer: I am not a practising Catholic, and I am not a devotee of established religion; my views herein are intrinsically biased.

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Trini Talk Today: Kakalaylay

Kakalaylay  (n): Sexually suggestive dancing. /kakalele/ (<kaka + lele dance>)

Want to learn another Trini slang?  Then click Trini for an alphabetical listing of all the slangs.

Source: Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago by Lise Winer

Mental health conditions are often seen as the cause of suicide, but suicide is rarely caused by any single factor.

The Coming Out of the Dark post was better accepted than I anticipated.  Originally, I wasn’t sure what to expect but the feedback experienced was overwhelmingly positive. Acknowledgements to all the folks that reached out via email, calls, and text with words of reassurance.

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Trini Talk Today: Kaka-Nay

Kaka-nay (n): Dirty nose; snotty nose. /kakane/ (<French Creole < kaka ‘feces; waste’ + nay ‘nose’ < French nez )

We call him Mr. Ka Ka Nez because he always digging he nose (Baptiste 1993:96-7)

Want to learn another Trini slang?  Then click Trini for an alphabetical listing of all the slangs.

Source: Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago by Lise Winer

Word of the Week: One to Go!

The word of the week is a compilation of  Trinidadian sayings -phrases and words- used on the island.

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Trini Talk Today: Mama D’Leau

Mama Glo, Mama Dlo, Mama D’Leau (n):  A folklore character in the form of a beautiful woman, sometimes snake-like, with long hair and a fish-like tail who lives in rivers.  <French Creole mama dlo/glo <French maman ‘mother’ + de l’eau ‘of the water’>

Then there were….mama d’leau… – mother of the waters who is the great snake character of rivers. (Ahye 1938:45)

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Trini Talk Today: Loup Garou

Loup Garou, Lugahu (n): In folklore, a human who takes the form of an animal, generally, at night. <French loup garou ‘werewolf’>.

The man who stole the chickens and was acquitted is really ah loup garou.

Leave us a comment below of Trini phrases you have heard.

Source: Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago by Lise Winer

Trini Talk Today: Douen

Douen, Duende, Douaine, Doune, Dwen, Duegne (n): A Folklore character, the spirit of a child who died before baptism.  Douens wear large hats, have backwards-pointing feet, utter a soft hooting cry, and often lead children to wander off.  <Spanish duende ‘goblin’>

Nex’ ting you know douens hauntin’ TTT, an’ we seein’ all dem programmes runnin’ backwards instead of upside-down as dey does run…