MAAMA MAN : a gay person, an effeminate man, a weakling

MACA : thorn, prickle.

MADDA : mother

MAFIA : big-time criminals

MAGA DOG : mongrel

MAGA : thin (from meagre)

MANACLES : chains

MARINA : a man's undershirt, guernsey; a tank-top style.

MAROON : n. free black warrior-communities which successfully resisted British hegemony during eighteenth century and early nineteenth century. From Spanish cimmaron-untamed, wild

MASCOT : denoting inferior status

MASH IT UP : a huge success

MASH UP, MASH DOWN : destroy

MAAS : n. from master or massa. Now freed from its class origin; a respectful form of address to an older man.

MASSIVE : respected (6), used with LARGE to add emphasis

MENELIK, RAS : n. Ethiopian nobleman who rallied his troops to resist Italian aggression. Defeated Italians at Adowa 1896

MONKS : amongst.

MONTELL : The male version of a sketell, gigolo

MORE TIME : see you later

MR. T : the boss

MUS MUS : a rat

MY BABY MOTHER /FATHER : the mother/father of my child

MYAL : n. a form of benign magic oposed to Obeah, hence myalman. From Hursa maye-wizard, person of mystic
power.

NAGAH : n. pejorative for a black person

NAGO : n. Yoruba person, practice or language. From Ewe anago-Yoruba person

NAH< : adv. will not. Emphatic as in "Me nah do that"

NANA : midwife; nanny or nurse.

NASH : female genatalia

NATTY, NATTY DREAD, NATTY CONGO : 1. dreadlocks 2. a person with dreadlocks

NAZARITE : Ancient Hebrew meaning to "separate", consecrated, set apart by choice and devotion

NIYABINGHI :

1. "death to all black and white oppressors"

2. East African warriors who resisted colonial domination

3. large Rastafarian meeting and spiritual gathering

4. referring to orthodox, traditional Rastas

5. a variety of drumming

NIYAMEN : name for Rastas referring to Niyabinghi warriors of East Africa

NO KYA : no matter, as in "no kya weh im tun", no matter where he turns.

NO TRUE ? : isn't it so?

NUH : interrogative at end of sentence; literally, "Is it not so?"

NYAM : to eat.

(TOO) NYAMI-NYAMI : title given to those who like to eat any food they encounter, without discretion

NYING'I-NYING'I : nagging, whining.

O-DOKONO : boiled maize bread.

OBEAH : traditional African "science", relating to matters of the spirit and spirits, spells, divinations, omens,
extra-sensory knowledge, etc.

OHT FI : about to, on the verge of, as in "it oht firain", it is about to rain, it looks like rain.

ONE LOVE : a parting phrase, expression of unity

ONE-ONE : adjective, one by one, thus any small amount.

ONGLE : only.

PAKI : calabash, gourd.

PAPAA : pawpaw, or papaya melon.

PATU : owl.

PAYAKA : heathen

PYAKA : tricky or dishonest.

PEEL-HEAD :bald-headed, usually certain chickens or vultures.

PEENYWALLY : a kind of large fire fly, actually a type of flyig beetle.

PEER : avocado pear.

PICKY, PICKY HEAD : brush haircut.

PICKY-PICKY :

1. finicky or choosy

2. Used of uncombed hair just starting to turn into dreadlocks.

PIKNY : pickaninny, child.

PINDA : peanut.

PIRA : a low wooden stool.

PITY-ME-LIKL : a type of very tiny red ant whose bite is so hot and long-lasting it resembles a sting.

POCOMANIA, POCO : christian revival, distinct drum rhythm

POLYTRICKS : politics (by Peter Tosh)

POLYTRICKSTERS : politicians (by Peter Tosh)

POPPY-SHOW : from puppet show, it is used in the idiom, tek smadi mek poppy-show, which means to make fun of someone or shame them, making them look ridiculous.

PUM-PUM : a woman's genitals

PUNAANI or PUNNI : a woman's genitals

PUPPALICK : somersalt.

PUTTIN' AWAY : a preposition, meaning "except for", or "except".

PYAA-PYAA : sickly, weak; feeble, of no account.

PYU : from spew; verb used of running sores or anything similarly dripping or oozing.

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.