a (1)
preverbal progressive marker. Also spelled are. /a/ [Car.; from the covergence of an African preverbal marker (e.g. Ewe a habitual marker WES) and arch. Engl. ...
a (2)
copula /a/ [W Car. from Proto-Creole copula da or na; cf. Twi na idem (Alleyne 1980:89)] equates two noun phrases. Rare: No, Booky, dat a ...
a (3)
indefinite article 1. [Car.; OED, indefinite article; before a vowel-sound an] before vowel sounds: 1918 A apple (Parsons 12). 1936 Havin' mo' fun dan a ...
aback
/abák/ [Caribbean; cf. Scots aback of time: ago EDD] adverb, ago: Five years aback. (Black) ...
Abaco
/ábakow/ [probably Lucayan, but cf. also Spanish ábaco abacus and Twi abako shea-tree (Turner 1949:43)] n. a major island of the Bahamas: 1500 Habacoa (Craton ...
abarrass
/abáras/ [from embarrassed by denasalization of initial vowel] adj. embarrassed: 1970 O how Jessie was abarrass! (Wallace 47). ...
about, 'bout
/(a)báwt/ [OED, approximately] prep. 1. replaces at with times: This happen just about 7:02 p.m. (Black)2. after certain verbs: We start discussing 'bout the problem. ...
Abraham bush
/éybram bush/ [etym?] n. 1. a shrub, Xylophylla epiplzyllanthus: 1920 (Britton 220). = HARD HEAD 3, (Gen.)
2. SWORD BUSH [cf. ABRAHAM CASSAVA] a shrub ...
Abraham cassava
/éybram kasáva/ [etym?] n. a variety of bitter cassava. (Black) ...
abroad
/abróhd/ [W Car.; OED, out of one's house (arch. in US)] adv. not at home; out: 1832 Some of our people gon abroad to see ...
acara (1), accra
/akára, akrá/ [Pan-Creole; cf. akara 'fritter made from ground blackeyed peas' throughout English-speaking Car., Martinique Fr., Brazilian Port. (Hancock 1969:48, 70); cf. Haitian akra malanga ...
acara (2)
/akára/ (Adelaide); acara-cara /akàrakará/ (Inagua) [cf. use of okra in ACARA1 (Williams 1976:49 quot.) and also Krio akarakuru (from Yoruba 'cake eaten by warriors on ...
ace on
[OEDS II ace US: a person outstanding in any activity] adj. excellent at; outstanding in: He ace on dancin'. He ace on hellishness (Nassau). ...
a company
[from accompany, reanalyzed as indefinite article + n.] n. phr. a companion; company: 1918 I want him for a companee with inc in de fiel's ...
acrost, crost
[cf. OED cross prep. →1821 and US dial. (a)crost idem ADD] prep. across: 1966 Lay acrost the bed (Crowley 87). A thought flash crost my ...
act your head
[cf. act your age, use your head] phr. to use common sense: You a twenty-year-old woman and you can't act your head (Nassau). ...
add on
phr. to show off: She like to add on when she see people looking at her (Nassau). (Black) ...
admire
[cf. idem dial. Brit. Mid. EDD, US South ADD] v. to like: They leave cause they ain't admire their situation (Eleu.). ...
advantage
advantage [Car.; from to take advantage] v. to take advantage of; to cheat: He advantage him (San Sal.). (San Sal., Inagua) ...
advices
[count noun from mass n.] n. pl. pieces of advice. cf. BAGGAGES, FURNITURES (Nassau) ...
African Words
It is now clear that a great deal more African culture survived in the New World than had been believed until very recently. Along with ...
after
/áfta/ [W Car; DJE, introducing an expression of protest; OED, subsequent to and notwithstanding, esp. in after all] conj. even though: You want your supper ...
after (2)
I ain't after you. [cf. Brit. dial, to be after to court North, Mid EDD] phr. I'm not trying to please you. (Eleu., Exuma) ...
afternoon star
[from evening star by hypercorrection of evening afternoon] n. the planet Venus. (Nassau) ...
after when
[Car.] conj. when: 1966 After when morning, we'll saddle up our dray and go (Crowley 65). (Andros). ...
again
[Atlantic; cf. OED, any more →1611; also dial. Irel. (L. Todd p.c.)] adv., any longer (after a negative): She don't love him again. (Black) ...
against
/agíns/ [cf. DJE bigens idem; OED, in preparation for such time as conj. arch, or dial.; ADD idem] conj. in preparation for when: 1918 His ...
ager
/éyga/ (Black), hager /héyga/ (White) [Car.; cf. W3 ague /éygyuw/, dial. or arch. /éyga(r)/; as book word /eyg/] n. fever with chills: She must be ...
agidi
/agídi/, agiri /agíri/ [Atlantic; cf. Yoruba agidí prepared meal of Indian corn DYL] n. cornmeal mush: 1976 Agidi was always wrapped in almond leaves (Eneas ...
Agriculture
The plantation system of the Caribbean proper and the American South was never successful in the Bahamas because of the thin soil and uncertain rainfall. ...
agua
/ágwa/ [Sp., water] n. water (generally known on southern islands and used when speaking to Cubans). (Inagua, Mayag.) ...
ain't (1)
negator. /eyn/ [Gul., US Black idem (Burling 1973:71); cf. OEDS II ain't dial. and vulg. var. hain't have not] 1. did not: I ain' see ...
ain't (2)
question marker. /eyn/ [Atlantic; from convergence of Eng. ain't (e.g. Ain't you comin'?) with African sentence-initial question markers, e.g. Mandinka kóri or Yoruba njé (Holm ...
akee, ackee, achee
/ákiy/ [from Kru a-kee W3] n. a tree, Blighia sapida, or its edible fruit: 1889 Akee . . . a handsome tree, 30 feet high ...
alarm
/(a)láhm/ [OED, to sound like an alarm 1839 only] v.i. (of alarm clocks) to go off: 1918 He must set the clock to alarm at ...
ale domi
/aléy dowmi'y/ [Haitian from Fr. allez dormir idem] phr. Go to sleep! (used by Bah. to Haitians). (Inagua, Mayag.) ...
all
[Car. also US Black (Loman 1967:40); OED, even →1808] adv. even, emphasizing the unusual or extreme: 1918 He had a feast, and he sent for ...
all in one flush
[all of a sudden + in a flash] phr. suddenly. (Nassau, Mayag.) ...
all of that
[Car; cf. Brit. dial. North like all that very well EDI)] phr. Yes indeed! You're absolutely right! (Black) ...
all right
/oh ray/ [Car.; cf. OEDS II, used to indicate approval; colloq.] phr. 1. a salutation said in passing or parting: "Good afternoon, Miss Mabel!" "All ...
all through
/ohl truw/ [from prep. phr., e.g. all through the night] phr. during the entire period: It was raining all through [the week] (Nassau). (Black) ...
all two
[Pan-Creole; cf. Port. Cr. túdu dos or tudos (lit. all two) idem, vs. Port. ambos (Meintel 1975:216); OED obs. → 1420] phr. both: 1918 So they ...
alligator apple
[W. Car.; etym? but see quot.] n. a tree, annona palustris, and its fruit: 1889 Alligator apple . . . unpalatable to man, liked by ...
alligator pear
[from Sp. aguacate avocado + PEAR from shape] n. the avocado: 1889 Alligator pear (Persea gratissima) (Gardner 403). = AVOGADO, PEAR (Black) ...
almaco
/óhlmakow/ [cf. W3 albacore a fish, Thunnus germo and related sp. including bonitos, jacks] n. a jackfish: 1968 Almaco jack, Seriola rivoliana (Bohlke 341). We ...
almond
/áhman/ [Trin. (Winer p.c.); OED different sp.] n. a tree, Terminalia catappa, or its fruit: 1827 The almond ... [is] common here (Culmer 32). 1936 ...
almond beefwood
[probably from its resemblance to ALMOND and BEEFWOOD] n. a tree (sp?): 1977 (Albury 25). (Gen.) ...
aloes, alawis, hallavis
/álawis, álavis, hálavis; áluz; álowz/ [cf. W3 aloes /álawiy; álow(z), álaz/] n. a plant, Aloe vera, whose succulent, spike-like leaves are used medicinally: Ya know ...
along of
prep. 1. [OED idem. arch. and dial. South; also US dial. ADD] because of: 1929 They were ready to assure me that I need have ...
along with
[cf. ALONG OF 2 and Pan-Creole merger of prep., with and conj. and, e.g. Pap. ku, Sra. nanga (cognate of along of), and Haitian ak; ...
am
copula 1. [cf. A2 idem (the bilabial nasal /m/ may have resulted from the following bilabial stop /b/ in the quot.) but cf. also Brit. ...
amber jack
[Car.; cf. almaco jack, Seriola rivoliana] n. a fish, Seriola dumerili: 1972 (Chaplin 20). = OCEAN JACK (Gen.) ...
American guava
[from color] n. the white guava, Psidium sp., with yellowish fruit. (Gen) ...
American pear
[from US origin] n. the northern pear, Pyrus communis, as opposed to the avocado pear. = BARTLETT PEAR, FALSE PEAR (Eleu.) ...
American rake
[probably from US origin of many manufactured goods, but cf. Brit. dial. West American rake machine for raking hay EDD] n. a factory-made rake as ...
American roach
n. 1. (from color] an albino cockroach (not unusual) (San Sal.) 2. [from size] the small one-inch cockroach (Blattella gernzanica) as opposed to the three-inch ...
ammonia
n. pneumonia: Take off them wet clothes fore you catch ammonia (Nassau). (Gen.) ...
anady
/(a)nádi/ [W Car. nata idem; from Carib onoto via Am. Sp. anate DJE] n. a shrub, Bixa orellana, with red berries producing a dye: 1966 ...
Anancy, Anansi, Annancy, Nansi
/(a)nánsi/ Also Nanza, Nassy, Nasty [Pan-Creole; cf. Haitian annasi idem TDKF; cf. US Black Ann Nancy ... spin her house (Backus 1898:289); cf. Twi ananse ...
anchobe
[cf. Sp. anchova anchovy] n. the young of the pilchard, a fish related to the sardine. (Eleu.) ...
and
/an/ [OED, used to connect the unit numbers with the tens when they precede ... as in one and twenty] conj. (in numbers): 1895 Ninety-an'-nine ...
and ... not
phr. without (doing something): You hardly go out and don't make a day's pay. (Black) ...
and see
/an siy/ [cf. SEEING THAT] phr. because: I put water in dere and see no water was dere. (Black) ...
and them
/an dem/ [Car.; cf. AND THOSE] phr. and associates: They forever talking bout the gov'ment corrupt and the ministers and them doing all the damage ...
and thing
/an ting/ [E Car., Gul.; cf. Yoruba ati gbogbo nkan miràn (lit, and all other things) 'etc.' (Oyedeji p.c.)] phr. etcetera: 1936 But I only ...
and those
/an d(h)owz/ [cf. US dial. South Mr. Smith and those Mr. Smith and the others of his family WSC; hypercorrection (by analogy of DEM PEOPLE ...
Andros
/ándrows, ándras/ [cf. quot., also the Greek island Andros] n. the largest island of the Bahamas. Its earliest names include Isla Santa (1501 Cantino map), ...
Andros-descent
[descended from Andros people, who are supposedly irascible] adj. short-tempered: She Andros-descent! (Nassau). ...
Angola
[from the name of the area in Africa; from ki-Mbundu ngola a tribal name, via Port. (Alvarez Nazario 1974:254); cf. GULLAH ] n., Obs. a ...
annum
/ánam/ [cf. ON of, and colloq. 'ern them] prep. phr. of them: It was two annum (Eleu.). ...
another one: and you're another one
[Car.] phr. You're an additional nuisance (used as a mild rebuke): He's make me mad, and you's another one (Nassau). ...
answer back
[Car.] v. phr. to reply (not neces-sarily impertinently): 1918 De dawg answered de man back (Parsons 166). (Nassau) ...
anthem
/ántem/ [Gul. idem "Slave songs or ant'ems, as they were sometimes called in Georgia before the Civil War (Parrish 1942:5); OED, a composition, in prose ...
ants
/(h)ants/ [Atlantic; from pl. ants] n. sing. or pl. ant or ants: 1895 Hants here! (Edwards 64). This ants... them antses (Nassau). (Gen.) ...
apass
/apás/ [OED appassed , apast past participle past by ... often used as adv. or prep. obs. →1450] adv., Obs? past; across: 1918 Le' po' ...
appetizing
[OED, exciting a desire or longing, esp. for food] adj. (of persons) appealing. (Exuma)
◊ The Bahamian usage of appetizing carries no connotation of sexual attraction ...
apple
[by shortening] n. I. pineapple: 1885 The apples, as they always call the pines here (Brassey 342). (San Sal.)
2. the SUGAR APPLE or JAMAICA ...
argie
/ági/ (Gen.); áhgi (Andros); áygi (Exuma); hági (Eleu.)/ [cf. Scots idem CSD, US dial. Mid., South idem DARE] v. to argue (with): 1954 Don't argee ...
argiment
/áhgimen/ [cf. ARGIE and OED argument to argue obs. →1637] v. to argue: 1936 Me an' Unkle Gabe wuz stannin' up by d' market tawkin' ...
arm
/ahm/ [W Car.] n. armpit; upper arm, as opposed to HAND hand and arm below the elbow. (Gen.) ...
arm-hole
/áhmowl/ [W. Car.; Brit. dial. North, Mid EDD] n. armpit: She have plenty hair in her arm-hole (Nassau).(Black) ...
aroot
/áruwt/ [from Arawak aru-aru meal of meals, assimilated to arrow and root, the tubers having been used to absorb poison from arrow and other wounds] ...
arsenicker
/ahsníka/ [etym. uncertain, but cf. Sp. asnico little ass, perhaps from its cry] n. the great blue heron, Ardea herodias: 1880 (Cory 166). = MORGAN ...
ary
/ári/ [US dial. idem from e'er a ever a DARE] adj., Obs.? any: 1895 Dey ain't ary man in de worl' can pull me in ...
ascare
[cf. US dial. South ascared ADD; from hypercorrection of scared by analogy with fraid afraid] adj. afraid. (Gen.) ...
ashes
[Atlantic; from pl. ashes] n. sing. or pl. ash or ashes. (Mayag.) ...
ashes water
[W Car.; cf. ASHES and US Black "Ashes takes up from de body de disease" (Smiley 1919:358)] n. water mixed with ashes to bathe the ...
ashes wood
[DJE different sp.; cf. ASHES] n. a shrub, Cassia alata?; the wood is burned, then ground into a powder applied on ringworm. = RINGWORM BUSH ...
ass
[Car.; cf. Vir. move you rass and Cr. Fr. ko (from Fr. corps body) in bougé ko-ou same meaning (Highfield p.c.) and Trin. Sp. cuelpe ...
asue
/eysuw/ [cf. Trin. sou-sou cooperative savings (Ottley 23), Cam. susu , isusu thrift and loan society; from Yoruba èésú, èsúsú thrift club DYL. Among the Yoruba ...
at
prep. 1. [also Guy. (Rickford 1976:34) and US Black (Parsons 1917b:224); cf. OED at to obs.→ 1601] to: 1918 He came at the gate, started ...
a'ter, arter
/áhta/ [Atlantic; Brit., US dial. idem OED, ADD] prep. after: 1936 Dey cum out laffin' an' tawkin' like li'l chillun wen dey hear d' teacher ...
August Eve (night)
[from earlier celebration on the eve of August 1] n. a holiday commemorating the abolition of slavery in the Bahamas on August I, 1834: 1895 ...
August grass
[from time of blossoming] n. a plant (sp?) with small pink flowers. (Black) ...
August Monday
August Monday (Black), August Holiday (White), August Day (Nassau) [from celebration on the first Monday in August] n. phr. a holiday commemorating emancipation. cf. AUGUST ...
aunty
/áhnti/ n. 1. Obs? [US a colored woman DAE; SA idem; cf. Réunion Cr. Fr. tãtin idem (Chaudenson 1974:100)] a term of address to any ...
Aunty Wicky
[cf. Vicky, diminutive of Victoria, and /w, v/ alternation, plus AUNTY 1] n. an affectionate name for Queen Victoria, popularly associated with emancipation, which occurred ...
autograph tree
[from custom of writing one's signature on its leaves] n. a tree (Clusia rosea) whose leaves retain permanently the imprint of marks, writing, etc. = ...
average
[from judging from the average] v. to guess; to calculate: They see your clothes and they average you rich (Nassau). You could never average who ...
avogado
/avagáda, abagáda (Inagua); abakáda (Exuma); apakáda (Mayag.); alvakáda (Inagua)/ [cf. Guatemalan Sp. avocate (in contrast to standard Sp. aguacate) WFF and OED avogato 1697] n. ...
away
[E Car. (Ottley 61, Yansen 13); cf. Haitian laba idem HCEFD] n. abroad; overseas: 1966 We can't get no flour and rice from away (Crowley ...
ax
/aks/ [Atlantic; OED ask "Old English acsian, axian ask survived in ax, down to nearly 1600 the regular literary form, and still used everywhere in ...
alligator tree
[cf. preceding] n. the avocado tree: 1976 Gather the leaves. . . from the alligator tree. . . to make the pear-leaf tea (Eneas 13). ...
African Words
It is now clear that a great deal more African culture survived in the New World than had been believed until very recently. Along with ...