hack
/hak, ak/ [cf. OED hackney to convey in a hackney carriage (i.e. one for hire) obs. → 1784; cf. also OED hack to employ (a ...
hacker
[US slang idem DAS; cf. HACK + -er (agent suffix)] n. the driver of a taxi, especially one that is not licensed: Plenty hackers does ...
hackle up
[cf. DJE hackle to treat roughly; OED hackle to hack, to mangle by cutting roughly] v. to chop up; to bruise (as in a fight). ...
had
[from past of have] v. to have (also as infinitive): 1936 Dey didn' even had wee! (Dupuch 74). (Black) ...
haddy, haddie
[cf. HAD + to] v. 1. have to: 1940 Y' don't haddy get wex (Dupuch 16). 1978 I does haddy call him Mister now (Dupuch ...
haffin' around
(Eleu.); effin' around (Exuma, Inagua) [cf. US slang eff a euphemism for the word fuck; haffin' by alternation of /e, a/ and /h/ with initial ...
hag, higue, hige, huyg
/hayg/ [Car. DJE; cf. Guy. ole higue living old woman who sheds skin at night...sucks blood of sleeping children" (Rickford 1976:54); cf. Gul. "A hag ...
hagger
/hága/ [cf. ARGIE /(h)áhgi/ argue, perhaps influenced by haggle by /I, r/ alternation] v. to argue: They always haggerin' bout that (Eleu.).
90. argie ...
hail
[cf. Belize heel to hail, visit (Dayley); also Gul. (Parsons 1923:25); cf. US Black "De deer hail to de tarpin-,'Where you at?" (Parsons 1917a:174); cf. ...
Hairstyles
Outmoded attitudes are preserved in the term BAD HAIR for hair which is TIGHT, with a lot of SEEDS and PEAS ...
hairy
[Car.] adj. (of mangos) fibrous: Them small set of mangras does be hairy (Nassau). (Black) ...
half bunch
[W Car.] n. a banana stem with seven clusters (technical term). (Black) ...
half-cut
[DHS idem] adj. drunk: Some men go home half cut every day (Nassau). Cf. Half-hot (Exuma)
◊ Cut is not used alone in this sense. ...
half-day
[Car.; "So called because half the working day sill remains" DJE] n. midday; noon; We close at half day Saturdays [a shop sign in Nassau] ...
half-hot
[cf. US slang hot drunk obs. → 1851 DAS; cf. also HALF-CUT idem] adj. somewhat drunk: 1971 We could gather at a friend's room before ...
half-jar
[from half open + ajar] adj. ajar: 1966 He leave the door half-jar (Crowley 117). (Black)
-v. to leave ajar: Half-jar the door! (Eleu.). = ...
hall
[Car.; cf. Brit. dial. West, Scots hall parlour EDD] n. the livingroom in a small house: [of a small house] We could go sit in ...
Hamian
[from Bahamian by aphesis similar to that in Scots haiviour behaviour CSD] n. Bahamian (thought of as a Jamaicanism): 1970 Dem bootleggin' 'Hamians gone rich ...
hamlet
[cf. DJE idem, different sp.; cf. Mexican Sp. amilote pescado blanco DJE] n. 1. a genus of fish, Hypoplectrus sp. (Gen.)
2. the young of ...
ham skin
n. ham scraps (including bone, etc.) used in cooking. (Black) ...
hand
/han/ n. 1. [Atlantic, Tok Pisin (Todd & Miihlhausler 1977:31); cf. Sao Tome Port. Cr. mo hand and arm, cf. Port. mão hand (Ivens Ferraz ...
hand-glove
[cf. similarly redundant hand-elbow DJE] n. glove: I only wear hand-gloves to a wedding or funeral (Nassau). (Black) ...
hand go, hand come
[Atlantic; cf. Twi Benkum hohoro nifa (lit, left-hand washes right-hand) idem (K. Aboagye p.c.); cf. also LA Fr. yon lanmain doue lave laute 'one hand ...
Handicrafts
For many years most Bahamians had to make for themselves everything from houses and boats to household articles. While a great deal of creative energy ...
handle it!
[US Black idem (Roberts)] v. phr. to manage a situation well, such as a boy with a girl (possibly with some sexual implication). cf. ...
handless
[OED, without hands; incompetent with the hands (latter obs. except dial.)] n. 1. a game played with marbles in which the loser gets his knuckles ...
handle yourself
[cf. OED handle reflexive, to con-duct oneself obs.] v. phr. to cope with a situation; to demonstrate competence. cf. HANDLE IT (Gen.)
938. handle it! ...
handy woman
[by analogy with handy man] n. a housekeeper; maid. (Black) ...
hang
[Krio idem (Hancock p.c.); cf. OED, to let droop or bend downward, used intransitively] v. (of trees) to be laden with fruit: That tree hangin' ...
hang up
[cf. US Black, a problem, a psychological block (Major)] v. to form a permanent intimate relationship with a person: The girl try to hang up ...
hang-up clothes
[from their being hung on nails, not hangers] n. old work clothes. (Exuma, San Sal.) ...
hangy
[cf. Scots hangie hangman, devil CSD] n. 1. the barracuda. = BARRACUTA , BARRY , COODA (Andros)
2. a boy's ...
hankicher
/hángkcacha (Nassau, San Sal.); hankóychif (Exuma)/ [cf. Gul. hengkitchuh idem hard-head (Gonzales 1922:306), Krio engkíncha headscarf (Hancock p.c.); cf. OED handkercher dial. and vulgar] n. ...
harbour
[OED, to entertain obs. →1601] v. to invite a person into one's home: [mother to child] Don't harbour company around the house while I'm out ...
Harbour Island cotton
[from the name of a cay off Eleuthera] n. a variety of cotton, Gossypium sp., with reddish-brown cotton adhering to green seeds: 1889 (Gardner 367). ...
hard
adj. 1. [from the stiffness of heavy cloth dried under a tropical sun] (of clothes on a line) dry: Pick the clothes in-they hard (Nassau). ...
hard-a-port
[OED, to the extreme left nautical; a brand name?] n. a kind of tobacco: 1977 For toothache, a piece of hard -a-port tobacco. . . ...
hard back
/hahd bak/, hard bark /hand bahk/ n. a tree, Thouinia discolor, whose bark is boiled into a medicinal infusion: 1977 (Patterson 101). If Tom Fletch ...
hard basket
n. a basket of woven STRAW that is stiff and free-standing. (Adelaide) ...
hard brown
adj. (of food) burned, dried up: 1980 (Watson 17). ...
hard cheese
n. a particular kind of cheese remembling cheddar, often sold unwrapped by weight. (Black) ...
hard hair
[Atlantic; cf. Twi tiri mwi deden (lit. head hair hard) idem (K. Aboagye p.c.); Ibo untutu ei sike (lit. hair is hard) idem (Okolo p.c.), ...
hard-head
adj. 1. [Atlantic; cf. US Black "A powerful bad boy, always in devilment ... damn hard headedness" (Faucet 1927: 270); cf. also Hatian tête dure ...
hard-head
n. 1. a fish, Chriodorus atherinoides: 1905 (Shattuck 300). (Eleu., White)
2. a variety of sponge: 1928 (Curry 66). (Gen.)
3. a medicinal plant: 1889 Phyllanthus angustifolius ...
hard-lucked
/hahd lókid/ [cf. Car. bad-lóki(d) idem DJE, and hard luck] adj. unlucky: He too hard-lucked (Nassau). And they don't tries to find out whether I ...
hard-luck lizard
[cf. DJE lucky lizard, from the belief that seeing one is an omen of financial misfortune] n. green lizard (Anolis carolinensis?). (Eleu.) ...
hard-mouth
/hand mawt/ [Krio idem (Hancock p.c.); cf. OED hard-mouthed obstinate, and good, bad, hard, etc. mouth, used with reference to a horse's readiness or the ...
hard-of-hearing
[OED, partially def, converging with HEAR2 obey; cf. Car. hard-ears obstinate, disobedient DJE, stubborness HCEFD) 'He is obstinate' (K. Aboagye p.c.)] adj. (of children) disobedient. ...
hard on
adj. phr. addicted to: When he gets to the age of 13 or 14, he will be hard on drugs and can't gett off (COB). ...
hard on
adj. phr. addicted to: When he gets to the age of 13 or 14, he will be hard on drugs and can't get off (COB). ...
hard-red
[cf. RED] adj. having a light-brown complexion, especially with tightly curled hair, often tinged with reddish-gold (somewhat derogatory): 1973 "Conky Joes" are by no means ...
hard road: give somebody hard road
v. phr. to make someone's progress difficult: 1940 D' Norwegians is givin' [the Germans] hard road (Dupuch 109). (Exuma, San Sal.) ...
hard shoes
[Car.] n. shoes made of leather as opposed to canvas, rubber, etc. (Gen.) ...
hard-skin cocobey
[cf. COCOBEY ] n. a vine, Varronia bahamensis, which bears calabashes. cf. COCO (Adelaide) ...
hard-to-learn
[cf. LEARN teach] adj. lacking intelligence: That boy too hard-to-learn (Nassau). (Black) ...
hard-(to)-pay
[cf. W Car. hard-pay man DJE] adj. said of someone who does not repay debts: You can't trust him. He hard-pay (Nassau). (Gen.) ...
hardwood
[OED, wood of deciduous trees as distinguished from that of pines] n. a tree, Krugiodendron ferreum: 1905 (Shattuck 258). (Gen.) ...
harge
/háhgi/; hargement /háhgimen/ [cf. ARGIE /hági/ argue] n. argument: 1985 Tell 'im de hargemen' B' Helephat an' 'im had ... De harge vwat you an' ...
harkler's club
/háhklaz klob/ [cf. Gul. hack'lus Hercules (Gonzales 1922:305)] n. Hercules' club, a shrub: 1835 Zanthoxylum clava herculis. -- Hercules' Club [Toothache tree] (Journal 26). (Exuma, ...
Hatchet Bay Fly
[alluding to the files at the near-by chicken farms] n. nickname for a native of Hatchet Bay, Eleuthera. (Eleu.) ...
haslet
(Gen); hatless (Crooked) [cf. Gullah haslet an unspecified organ (Gonzales 1924:45); cf. OED haslet (hastlet to 1700's) a piece of meat to be roasted, especially ...
haul
v. 1. [W Car.; cf. OED, to pull or draw with force, especially in nautical language; cf. Brit. dial. Mid, West haul to draw a ...
haul-back
(Black); hold back (White) [cf. Scots haal hold CSD; from the hooked prickles that catch and hold the passer-by] n. 1. a shrub, Mimosa bahamensis, ...
hauling
[Scots idem CSD] n. fishing with a net: 1832 (Farquharson, quoted by Craton 1962:192). 1977 He often spent some time with relatives or friends at ...
haul-over
[W Car.; DAB idem obs. →1882, but cur-ent in Florida; cf. W3, portage] n. land separating two bodies of water where boats must be carried ...
haul-up
[cf. HAUL-OVER] n. a place of portage. (Eleu., San Sal.) ...
haunt, hant
/hant/ v. 1. [cf. Scots hunt to frequent CSD; cf. US dial. South hunt to haunt DARE] (of spirits) to haunt: 1918 Remarriage within a ...
have
v. 1. [Pan-Creole (Bickerton 1981:66); cf. Trin. it have there is (Ottley 45); cf. Brazilian Port. tinha (lit, it had) 'there was' vs. Port. havia ...
hawkfish
n. a family of perch-like fish, the Cirrhitidae: 1968 (Böhlke 442). (Black) ...
he, 'e
/hiy, hi, iy, i/ pron. [Pan-Creole: cf. i 'he, she, it' in Krio, LA Fr., Port. Guine (Taylor 1977:172); cf. also Brit. dial. Mid, West ...
he
adj. [W Car.; cf. Scots he a male CSD] (of plants) male: The he row of corn is next to the she row (Exuma). ...
head
quasi reflexive pron. [Pan-Creole; cf. Port. Cr. εl máta kabεsa (Meintel 1975:232) and Haitian "Li tuyé tèt-li" both (lit. 'He killed his head') He killed ...
head
n. 1. 1W Car.] the stump of a root vegetable; the part which is planted; the main plant as opposed to sprouts. (Black)
2. [cf. ...
head
v. [cf. DAE headwind a wind directly oppos-ing a ship in its course) (of wind when sailing) to come from ahead: The wind head--they can't ...
head-bone
[cf. W Car, head-skull idem DJE; cf. Haitian zo tèt HCEFD, lbo okpukpu isi (Okolo p.c.) and Yoruba egun ori (Oyedeji p.c.), all (lit. bone ...
head (is) hard
[Gul. idem (Gonzales 1924:9); also Guy.; an African calque; cf, Twi tiri muden, Igbo isike, both (lit, head hard) stubborn (Bick-ford 1976:167)] phr. to be ...
head (is) not good
[Car.; cf. lbo isi adinama (lit, head not-good) idem (Okolo p.c.); cf. Yoruba ori kò dara (lit, head not good) idem (Oyedeji p.c.)] phr. (a ...
health: see your health
[by euphemism] phr. to start menstruation: 1963 When I asked another female patient about the general state of her health, she answered, "Oh, I sees ...
healing plant
[from its medicinal properties] n. the aloe, Aloe vera: (Hannan 25). ALOES, ALAVIS, BELLY-ACHE PLANT, PAIN-A-BELLY BUSH (San Sal., Inagua)
57. aloes, alawis, hallavis
309. belly-ache plant ...
hear
v. 1. Atlantic; cf. US Black idem in "I hear you, man" (Grove); an African calque: cf. Twi wó tè brofô (lit, you hear English) ...
heard-of lie
n. rumor, gossip: I wouldn't sell you no heard-of lie (Nassau). ...
heated
[cf. W Car. heaty idem; cf. OED heated made hot (i.e. artificially)] adj. (of the weather) hot. (Black) ...
heave up
/hiyb op/ [cf. Scots heave to rise up, puff with conceit CSD] v. to walk throwing the hips, as if to show off (Black) ...
heavy (down)
[Krio idem (Hancock p.c.); cf. Scots heavy idem CSD] adj. advanced in pregnancy: Dey come back home heavy down! Pregnant gone to bed! (Rum Cay). ...
heavy strings
[cf. OED to pull the strings to control the course of affairs (especially via influence)] n. good social or political connections. (Black) ...
heed to
[cf. OED heed with genitive, later to, for (arch. and dial.)] v. to pay attention to: He did not heed to any of this (COB). ...
height
[cf. OED height high, Scots and Northern dial. obs. → 1610] adj. high: 1966 The Giant of Lava, who was ... twenty-one feet height (Crowley ...
helmet
[from its protective function] n. the operculum, the horny lid of the conch or other gastropods which closes the shell when the foot is retracted. ...
Heneauga, Heneaga, Hinagua
[cf. INAGUA] n. Obs. former name of Inagua, a major Bahamian island: 1635 Hinagua (Atlas Novus). 1804 The two islands of Great and Little Inagua ...
hen seed
[from the grains it contains] n. chicken feed: 1966 He come from work for hend seed (Crowley 92). (Mayag.) ...
hep
[cf. Krio εp idem (Hancock p.c.); also US dial. South ADD] v. to help: Ha jus cuddin hep masef (Brown 31). (Gen) ...
her
[probably from hypercorrection of HIS her, but cf. Brit. dial. West, Scots her his EDD] poss. adj. his: 1918 under her [his] protection (Parsons 34). ...
herb
/hoyb/ [Jam. Rastafarian idem (Pollard 1980:19); also US Black (Claerbaut), drug culture DAS] n. marijuana. (Nassau) ...
here
[cf. OED, adv. in this place] n. this place: 1966 I going to back here (Crowley 89). She don't like here (Exuma). (Gen.) ...
hersen
[cf. Brit. dial. Mid hersn (Orton M77)] poss. pron. hers: The boat suppose to get hersen 'cause ...
hesef, heself
[cf. HE him, his, her, it; cf. Scots hersel' himself CSD] refl. pron. himself, herself, itself: 1936 Dat coat'll get so sturdy it stan' up ...
het
v. 1. [cf. OED, heated, now dial.; US dial. idem DARE] heated: 1895 She went home an' het the hoven as hot as she could ...
hew
[OED, to slay with cutting blows] v. to cut down in combat; to overcome (an opponent): 1966 The tiger... began to stench. I hew him!" ...
hey, eh
[cf. OED eh an interjectional interrogative particle, often inviting assent to the sentiment expressed: 1859 "You are joking, Jesse, eh?"; because Bah. questions are not ...
hice, hist, hyst, h'ist
/hays/ [Atlantic; cf. OED hoise, now hoist to raise aloft by means of a rope or pulley and tackle, originally nautical: 1547 "Hyce up an ...
hice-up
[cf. HICE hoist] adj. (of clothing) too tight. cf. HOOK UP, SQUINCH UP (Exuma) ...
high
adj. [OED, of meat, esp, game: tending towards decomposition, usually as a desirable condition] (of odors) strong, pungent, not necessarily from decay, e.g. the smell ...
high
v. [W Car.; OED idem obs. → 1633] to rise: 1966 High, tide, high! (Crowley 67). (gEn.) ...
high blood
[by shortening] n. high blood pressure: 1976 Not too many people living in Bain Town fifty years ago had a clue as to what hypertension ...
high bush
[Car.] n. tall growth (of trees): 1966 Walking through the high bush (Crowley 18). = HIGH BUSH, RANK LAND (Gen.) ...
high coppet, high carpet
[cf. COPPET coppice, influence by carpet] n. a high growth of trees. = HIGH BUSH, RANK LAND (Black) ...
high-hat
[from its tall dorsal fin] n. a fish, Equetus acuminatus, with zebra stripes: 1978 (Campbell 141). ...
high yellow
/hay yála/ [also US Black (Major), dial. ADD; cf. Car, high colour idem DJE, perhaps akin to high high in the social scale DJE, + ...
higue, hige
See HAG.
918. hag, higue, hige, huyg ...
hike (a lift)
[from hitch-hike, blending with get a lift] v. to hitch-hike. cf. CATCH A HIKE (Black) ...
hill beat
[from OVER THE HILL] n. a somewhat slower rhythm to relax the pace of paraders during the JUNKANO0 parade: 1978 (Bethel 245). (Black) ...
him
/him, im, î / [Atlantic; cf. HE for lack of case and gender distinctions in pronouns of many African and creole languages; note also that "the ...
hinches
[Atlantic; from hinges by devoicing of /j/ to /chi, possibly influenced by inches] n. sing. or pl. hinge. (Black) ...
hip
[cf. West African English use of hips in reference to the buttocks (Hancock 1981:7); a euphemism favored by women for mixed company] n. buttocks: 1918 ...
his
[cf. HE, Him] poss. adj. 1. her: 1918 Get my wife ring off his [her] finger (Parsons 12). (Black)
2. their: 1918 De two poor ...
hisse'f
[Car.; cf. Brit. dial. Mid, West, South hisself (Orton M80), also US dial. ADD] refl. pron. himself: 1918 He went introduce hisse'f (Parsons 31). cf. ...
history
[W Car.; OED idem obs. → 1834; cf. also Sp., Port. historia history, story] n. story: 1966 I give you a little history, of a ...
his-uns
/hi'zinz/ [cf. Brit. dial. Mid him his (Orton M76); cf. also US dial. hisn his "frequently thought to be a shortening of his own" ADD] ...
hitch
[OED, to catch, as with a loop, noose, or hook] v. to become entangled: 1918 His leg hitch in the love wine [vine] (Parsons 147). ...
Hitian
/háyshan/ [cf. Fr. haitien /aiysye/ idem] adj. Haitian: He gota be verkin Hitian vitch (Brown 33). (Gen.)
—n. 1. [from the large number of illegal ...
Hitian dressing
[ from Bahamians' perception of Haitians' taste in clothing] n. clothes of many bright, contrasting colors: To the fair she wear all them different color ...
Hitian mango, Haiti Mango
[evidently first imported from Haiti] n. a large, sweet mango with thick flesh and few fibres. = MANGOLA (Black) ...
Hitian roach
n. the small, inch-long cockroach (Blattella germanica), as opposed to the DRUMMER ROACH. = AMERICAN ROACH, CHINEE ROACH, NASSAU ROACH (Andros) ...
hit luck
[cf. US colloq. hit a winning streak, hit the jackpot, etc.] v. phr. to become lucky. (Black) ...
hit on
[also US Black (Loman 1967:46)] v. phr. to hit, strike (a person): She hittin' on him (Nassau). (Black) ...
hit the Dixie
[cf. DAE Dixie Southern States, and hit the bush, trail, etc. to take to the places desig-nated, to get going colloq.] v. phr. to get ...
hoe-cake
[cf. US South hoecake an unsweetened cake made of corn meal; "the negroes bake theirs on the hoes that they work with" but cf. obs. ...
hog
n. 1, [Atlantic; OED, originally had reference to the age or condition of the animal; W3 especially an adult or growing animal] an adult swine, ...
hog banana
n. a variety of banana. = WATER BANANA (Gen.) ...
hog bush
n. a shrub, Rhachicallis americana: 1920 (Britton 409). = SANDFLY BUSH, SALT-WATER BUSH, WILD THYME (Inagua) ...
hog cabbage
n. 1. [cf. CABBAGE PALM] a kind of palm tree: 1905 Cyclospathe northropi (Sha-tuck 232). 1920 Pseudophoenix vinifera (Britton 61). 1977 P. sargentii (Patterson 9). ...
Hog-catcher
[from the herds of wild boar off which the inhabitants supposedly live] n. nickname for a native of Inagua. (Black) ...
hoggish
[Car.; cf. Brit. dial. Mid hoggish snappish, obstinate EDD; cf. also HOG argue] adj. ill-tempered; irritable: That man down so, he real mean and hoggish ...
hog grass
[W Car. idem "bracken, which is the shelter of wild hogs in the hills" DJE; cf. Brit. dial. Mid idem, different sp. EDD] n. a ...
hog lice
n. sing, or pl. the woodlouse, Armadillidium vulgare, a gray insect which lives under stones and can roll its body into a ball: That's a ...
hog nest
/hohg nes/ [cf. OED horse nest mare's nest obs. → 1639, perhaps influenced by hog, its sty being a symbol of slovenliness] n. a place ...
hog palmetto
[cf. HOG CABBAGE 1 ] n. a tree: 1731 The Hog Palmeto. . .Trees grow to the height of ten or twelve feet. . .within ...
hog pepper
[Krio idem (Hancock p.c.)] n. a large variety of chili pepper, Capsicum sp. (Nassau) ...
hog plum
[Atlantic; "plum-like fruit neglected because of its coarseness and proneness to be wormy" DJE, but cf. Sp. hobo, jobo idem WFF from Taino hobo idem ...
hog potato
n. a vine (Ipomea sp?) with tubers from which starch is made: We's call it hog potato. Had to dig dat, and grater it and ...
hog-sty, hog-style
[from merger of sty(e) inflamed swelling at the margin of an eyelid, and sty(e) pen for swine; second form influenced by style] n. a sty ...
hog up
v. 1. [Belize idem (Dayley); cf. OED hog to appropriate greedily, US slang] to eat greedily, taking mor than is needed: She ain't take care ...
hold (1)
v. 1. [OED, to occupy, be in (a place): 1704 "One who holds the very next aparment"] to be temporarily lodged: They can't hold in ...
hold (2)
in various idioms:
hold back. See HAUL BACK.
hold down [Car.] phr. to rape. (Black)
hold up [OED, to keep from falling] phr. to keep a grip on ...
holding: I holding
[cf. OED hold to maintain one's position (against an adversary): to endure] phr. (in response to "How are you?") I'm all right; things are going ...
hole
n. 1. [cf. CAVE-HOLE and Scots hole cover, shelter CSD, from an older form akin to German Höhle cave] cave: 1918 A tiger saw her, ...
hole-in-the-wall
[W3, a small and insignificant place; the name of a settlement on Abaco] n. a style of plaiting STRAW1, leaving openings (Wyannie Malone Museum display). ...
hollow
[Krio idem (Hancock p.c.); OED idem, to shout, with variant holler (more frequent in US)] v. to shout: 1918 He asked him what he was ...
holt
[Gul. idem (Gonzales 1924:88); cf. Brit. dial. Mid, South holt grasp OED; also US dial. South WEA] n. (in wrestling) a hold: 1940 Unca Gabe ...
home-boy
[also US Black (Major); cf. Haitian neg la kay (lit, home person) idem (L. Emile p.c.); cf. SA home boy mode of address or reference ...
hominy
[DAE, from rockahominy, of Algonquinian origin...the hulled kernels of Indian corn, either broken up into a coarse meat or whole] n. a side dish made ...
honey
[OED, a preparation consisting of the expressed juice of dates or other fruit of palm trees] n. the natural syrup made by boiling down fruit ...
honeycomb
[OED, attributive: resembling honey-comb] n. a kind of rock, which is the residue of honeycomb coral. (San Sal.) ...
honeycomb cowfish
[from its hexagonal spots] n. a fish, Acanthostracion polygonius: 1968 (Böhlke 680). cf. COWFISH, ROCK SPOT FIsh (Black) ...
hongry
/hóhnggri/ [cf. US Blak "Hungry is to be just hungry; hongry is to be famished" (Johnson 1972: 143); also US dial. South WEA; evidently from ...
hook (1)
[Car.; cf. DJE hook hoop, vine sp. from hoop a ring, but cf. Sp. bejuco /behúuko/ vine sp.; cf. Bah. hoop /hup/ and US Black ...
hook (2)
n. a long pole with a metal hook for gathering sponges from the sea floor: I got my hooks right in the barn there now ...
hooker
[cf. HOOK v. and Scots HOOKER a reaper, one who wields a sickle CSD] n. a man who collects sponges from the sea floor: 1928 ...
hook-off-the-nail
[cf. Brit. off-the-peg ready-made (of clothing) (M. Pye p.c.)] phr. ready-made clothes: A hook-off-the-nail wasn't a thing of that day (Long). ...
hook up
[cf. US colloq, tied up idem] phr. 1. held up; delayed: Sorry I late-I get hook up at home (Nassau). (Black)
2. (of clothing) too ...
hoop
/hup/ [probably from regional Brit, pronunciation; cf. COOP /kup/) n. the rim of a bicycle wheel, rolled with a stick by children as a game. ...
hopper
[cf. POPPERS 2, UPPERS] n. 1, sing. a hit without a bounce in baseball; a fly ball: He caught a hopper (Inagua).
2, hoppers pl. ...
Hopping John
[cf. US dial. South idem "rice and cowpeas cooked together, usually with a piece of bacon or a hambone. ..probably from pois a pigeon" WSC; ...
horm
/hohm/ [from hum; for sound shift cf. HONGRY ] v. to hum. (Gen.) ...
hormer
/hóhma/ [cf. HORM + -er] n. a buzzer or device to make a kite hum. (Nassau, White) ...
horn
[cf. OED, hardened or thickened epidermis, perhaps also from its pointed shape] n. the operculum or horny lid of the conch or other gastropods, which ...
hornet
[W3 different sp] n. the love bug, Plecia nearctica, a flying insect with an orange thorax which digs in the ground. (Crooked) ...
horn-tribe
[cf. HORSE-KIND] n. all horned animals: 1918 Dere once was a horn-tribe party. All de creeturs wi' horns would have a gran' time (Par-sons 104). ...
horny horse
n. a kind of sea horse (sp?). (Exuma) ...
horse ass
[cf. US slang horse's ass a foolish person DAS, but cf. "He doesn't know lemon from a horse's ass" DARE] n. nothing: 1977 This government ...
horse-back
[OED, to mount (a borse) obs. →1607, but connection obscure] v. to gulp down: 1471 The drinker now gulps (or "horse-backs") the first one or ...
horse bush
n. a tree, Peltophorum adnatum: 1910 (Northrop 157). (Black)
2. a weedy herb, Heliotropiunz parviflorzon: 1920 (Britton 363). = SORE BUSH, ROOSTER COMB, SCORPION TAIL ...
horse conch
n. a variety of conch (Strombus sp.). (Exuma) ...
horse-eye jack
[W Car.; from its protruding eyes] n. a variety of jack fish, Caranx sp. (Gen.) ...
horse-flesh (mahogany)
[OED idem 1851→] n. a tree, Lysiloma sabicu, with hard, reddish wood: 1788 An uncommon sort is called here, from its colour and coarse wood ...
horse grass
[OED horse often denoting a large, strong, or coarse kind (of plant)] n. a variety of pasture grass, Panicum maximum. = GUINEA GRASS (Gen.) ...
horse hole
[cf. Brit. dial. Irel. idem, a place for watering horses EDD] n. part of a dry pond which remains moist: Horse-holes are circular areas in ...
horse-kind
[DJE idem "on the analogy of mankind . . .breadkind, etc."1 n., Obs? animals of the equine sort (horses, mules, donkeys): 1832 Got John Dickson's. ...
horse-nick
[cf. ARSENICKER ] n. a large, brownish-gray bird with long legs. (Eleu) ...
horse radish
[OED different sp.] n. the beet. (White) ...
horse-radish tree
[OED Moringa pterygosperma1859 →] n. a pod-bearing tree, Moringa sp.: 1835 The pod of the horse-radish tree [Hyperathera moringa] (Journal 9). 1978 Horse-radish (Moringa oleifera). A ...
horse-shit
[from appearance] n. a species of mushroom. (Eleu.) ...
hot
adj. 1. [OED, severe, intense (of suffering) obs.→ 1722] (of labor contractions) sharp, in-tense: This is for sharpen the pain, make the pain come hot, ...
hot
v. [Atlantic; OED idem "now colloq. or vulgar"; dial. in Brit. EDD, US ADD] to heat up (food, etc.): 1966 (He) get hot water, he ...
hot boy
n. 1. [W Car.; cf. OED hot lustful] a hot-blooded young man-about-town, a playboy. (Black)
2. [cf. Brit. slang hot well known to the police ...
hot the pain
[cf. HOT adj. and v] phr. to give an alcoholic drink to a woman in labor in order to hasten contractions: 1980 (Dorsett 5). ...
hotty patty
[cf. Haitian pate pâté en croüte; meat pie HCEFD; hotty is clearly from hot heated, piquant, but the second syllable may have been influenced by ...
houny
/háwni/ [from its resemblance to houndfish] n. the red-fin needlefish, Strongylura notata. (Gen.) ...
house-girl
[cf. OED house of persons: employed in or about a house, e.g. house-servant] n. a maid or housekeeper: 1918 He had a pretty house-girl name ...
house lizard
[Car.; "frequent dwellings-in contrast to ground lizards, tree lizards, etc." DJE] n. various small lizards (Anolis sp.). = TOILET LIZARD (Black) ...
house spider
[W Car.] n. a spider, Heteropoda venatoria, often found in houses. = BANANA SPIDER (Gen.) ...
Household Articles
Bahamian homes were traditionally furnished simply with many homemade items since goods of foreign manufacture were difficult to obtain. These are now being replaced by ...
house-top
[OED, roof, but for many speakers restricted to set phrases, e.g. "shout it from the house-tops"] n. roof; top of the house: 1918 De rooster ...
how
conj. 1. [cf. OED how as.. as Obs.→ 1754] as (soon as): Just how I reach grade five my mother take me from school (Nassau). ...
how?
interrogative [W Car.; cf. Sp ¿ Cómo? How? What (did you say)?, but also US dial, how idem ADD] What (did you say)? (Black) ...
how be?
[Brit. dial. West idem] phr. a greeting; How are you?: 1929 I goes and says, "'llo, mudder, how be?" and she say, "Chile, I'm not ...
howdy
[Atlantic; cf. Krio adu short for "adukpε (Yoruba ditto) greeting on first encounter = Hello!" KED; "In Britain [howdy] became dial. or provincial in the ...
How is it?
[Car.; cf. lbo ka ko di (lit. how is it?) idem (Okolo p.c.)] phr. a greeting: How are you? (Gen.) ...
howl
[cf, howl v. and Bah. alternation of /h/ with initial vowels; cf. also OED howle owl obs.→ 1520] n. the owl. (Gen.) ...
how much?
[Atlantic; cf. MUCH much, many] interrogative how many? How much hours you was there? (Nassau). (Black) ...
How you do?
[Krio idem (Hancock p.c.); cf. HOWDY and OED "How d'ye do?" ] phr. a friendly greeting; How are things going?.(Black) ...
hub drum
[from hub (cap) + drum, perhaps influenced by humdrum] n. a kind of drum made from a car-wheel hubcap which is struck with a BEATER: ...
hucks
[Car.; Gul. idem (Gonzales 1924:254); "by metathesis from husk" DJE, but cf. Brit. dial. South huck husk EDD] n. the inedible covering of various vegetables, ...
hug somebody up
[W Car.] v. phr. to embrace someone tightly: When she come in the door she hug me up (Andros). (Gen.) ...
hulk corn
[probably from hull(ed) corn with gem-ination of /k/, but cf. Scots hulter corn husked corn CSD ] n. soup made of maize. (Andros, Inagua) ...
hully-gully
[probably from the title of a popular song, itself possibly akin to US dial. South hulgul a children's game WSC] n. young people who wear ...
human society
/hyúwman, yúman, hyuwmán/ [from humane, influenced by human] n. the Bahamas Humane Society, with a veterinary clinic: [a child] Why they send horse to the ...
humbug
[Atlantic; OED, "a slang or cant word that came into vogue c. 1750...the facts as to its origin appear to have been lost...a hoax; an ...
hummer
/hóma, hóhma/ [OED idem, a humming bird (but meaning seems to be 'a bird that hums); cf. HORM ] n. the humming bird, Doricha evelynae: ...
hunger
[ W Car.; "in standard English no longer literal" DJE] v. to be hungry. (San Sal., Mayag) ...
hungry
/hónggri, hóhnggri/ [Atlantic; by shift of syntactic category] n. hunger: 1918 He couldn' bear no hongree no more (Parsons 27). 1936 If hungry ever hit ...
hunterman, huntin' man
[Atlantic; cf. OED hunter-boy; hunting-man a man addicted to hunting] n. a hunter: 1895 Hunte' man (Edwards 71). 1918 De hunterman tol' him 'bout a ...
hurrah nest
[cf. nautical hurrah's nest: state of confusion that characterizes a midshipman's chest, or any untidiness on the deck of a ship DSS; DAS idem confusion, ...
hurricane bird
n. the frigate bird, Fregata magnificens: 1960 (Bond 28). = GALE BIRD 2 (Black) ...
hurricane grass
[brought by seeds blown in by a hurricane? ] n. a sedge, Fimbristylis spathecea: 1920 Soon
after the hurricane of August 13, 1899 this sedge appeared ...
hurricane ham
[from curing for use in emergencies] n. dried conch: 1979 Conch. . .called "Hurricane Ham". .because years ago and still today in some of the ...
hurricane hole
[from use as shelter for boats during storms] n. a landlocked harbor with an artificial CUT (channel to sea) for access: This is the hurricane ...
hurricane room
n. a room built especially to provide shelter in a hurricane: 1963 A small hurricane room, eight by twelve with walls eighteen inches thick (Cottman ...
hurry
v. to be in a hurry; to be hurried: 1936 Sign dis, I hurry (Dupuch 41). (Black) ...
hurt your head
[cf. WORRY YOUR HEAD] phr. to worry, fret: Don't hurt your head about it (Nassau). (Black)
2. to make a great effort: I had no ...
hush
[OED, to silence (a speaker)] v. to stop (talking): 1895 Hush talkin' you' nonsense, boy! (Edwards 94). (Gen.) ...
hush your mouth!
[US Black idem ESEA; also US dial, South ADD] v. phr. an expression of surprise: You don't say! (usually used by girls). (Gen.) ...
huss
[from OED husk to remove the husk from, by simplification of final consonant cluster] v. to winnow. (Black)
—n. husk; unusable outer part of vegetables, ...
head: have a straight head
[Car.; cf. OED straight (of a person) steady] phr.
to be level-headed or emotionally stable. (Gen.) ...
Hairstyles
Outmoded attitudes are preserved in the term BAD HAIR for hair which is TIGHT, with a lot of SEEDS and PEAS ...