C

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

  • cabbage
    [Car.; OED 1638 → DJE 1725 →; DAB 1879 →] n. the tender terminal bud of palm trees, eaten as a vegetable: 1835 The heart ...
  • cabbage palm
    [OED 1772-84 (pub. 1790); DAB 1835 →] n. the fan-leaved palm, Sabal palmetto, or others with edible terminal buds: 1783-84 (pub. 1788) Cabbage Tree or ...
  • Cable Beach
    [terminus of the telegraph cable from Florida installed in 1904] n. an area west of Nassau. ...
  • caboose
    [W Car.; OED, fireplace on a vessel; DARE, cookhouse on a vessel ... any small, cramped building] n. 1. a hearth for cooking on a ...
  • caca
    /káka/ n. [Pan-Creole; "Kaka or variants of it occurs in English, Dutch, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Polish, etc." (Hancock 1969:71); also Mauritian Cr. Fr. (P. Baker ...
  • Caicos
    /kéykas, káykas/ [perhaps from Sp. icaco from Taino hikako cocoplum (see quot.)] n. several islands to the southeast of the Bahamas; geographically they are a ...
  • cake
    /keyk/ [cf. DIE keke idem, also KUNKA ; cf. DAS cake female genitalia (Negro); US Black "sexual double entendre of. . cake and bread" (Dillard ...
  • calaboose, calaboosh
    /kálabuws(h)/ [Trim idem (Winer); OED Negro French of Louisiana cala­bouse jail (also Haitian) from Sp. calabozo dungeon; cf. W3 idem dial.] n. jail (a Haitian word known by ...
  • calalu, callalou
    /kálaluw/ [Car.; probably of Amerindian origin and borrowed into coastal African languages via 18th century creole Eng.; now obs. in Krio (Hancock p.c.); DJE "fr. ...
  • call
    v. to say or speak, as in the idioms: call sign [W3 letters identifying a radio transmit­ter; perhaps from naval usage to signal an accident] phr. ...
  • calm head
    [cf. Scots calm smooth, even CSD] n. a head characterized by a broad forehead and a receding hairline with scant hair, revealing scalp. (Black) ...
  • camallamee
    See GUM-ELEMI. ...
  • camally
     /kamáli/ (Black); camoley /kamówli/ (San Sal.) [etym?] n. usually carnally bump: a swelling on the head caused by a blow: He gone fall down yesterday and get ...
  • camp
    (Gen.); campus (Andros) [cf. Sra. kampoe hut, forest camp WST; MCC kyamp idem; DAE camp temporary quarters used when hunting, engaged in lumbering, mining, etc.] n. 1. a hut ...
  • can
    [origin popularly thought to lie in the earlier use of tin cans as drinking cups by the poor, but cf. Scots can cup CSD "also Australian; probably ...
  • cancer-tree, cancer-bush, cancer-plant
    [cf. SA cancer-bush different sp.] n. a shrub, Jacaranda coerulea: 1889 Cancer plant (Gardner 397). 1978 Cancer bush . . used to bathe skin cancer (Higgs ...
  • can cream, cream
    [cf. US can tin] n. evaporated or condensed milk: 1978 One-half pint can cream . . a small tin of cream (Higgs 14, 37). (Gen.) ...
  • candle-berry
      [W3 different sp.] n. a shrub, Byrsonima cuneata: 1920 (Britton 205). = GUANA BERRY (Exuma, Mayag.) ...
  • candle bush, candle tree
    [from similarity of flowers' erect  racemes to candles] n. a shrub, Cassia alata: 1978 (Higgs 3). (Exuma, Mayag.) ...
  • cane grass
    [W3 different sp.; from resemblance to sugar cane] n. a plant, Lasiacis divaricata: 1920 (Britton 25). = WILD CANE cf. SMALL CANE (Black) ...
  • canelly
    See CAMALLY. ...
  • canep
    See GUINEP. ...
  • canes
    [W3 pl. canes or cane (unclear whether this includes all senses); OED "canes . ful of sugre" 1481] n. pl. stems of sugar cane (count noun): 1977 ...
  • cane tea
    [Cf. TEA] n. a hot drink made from sugar cane: We grind de cane and boil de water from de cane, and when you done boil ...
  • canimo
    /kanimów/ [etym?] n. a fish, Synodus saurus. = BLUE-STRIPE LIZARD FISH ...
  • cankerberry
    (Gen.); cankyberry (San Sal., Mayag.); crankleberry (Ragged) [OED cankerberry 1756 only; W3, DJE also Solanum bahamense] n. a plant, Solanum bahamense, with red berries used to treat thrush ...
  • can lamp
    n. a lamp made from a tin can filled with kerosene and a rag for a wick. (Andros, San Sal.) ...
  • can't
    /kyan(g)/ [Atlantic; cf. DIE can used for Std. E. do or will, esp. in negative; also Liberian (d'Azevedo 8)] negator, often equivalent to standard Eng. ...
  • cap
    [from its circular shape] n. the operculum or horny lid of the whelk or other gastropods, which closes the shell when the foot is retracted: 1978 Wash whelks ...
  • capable
    [OED, competent, but cf. Krio ebul: A ebul am I am a match for him KED] adj. able to cope with or dominate a person: He ain't ...
  • caper tree
    [OED, W3 C. spinosa] n. a pod-bearing shrub, Capparis flexuosa: 1835 A bottle of Capers, produced and pickled in Nassau (Journal 40); 1977 (Patterson 33). ...
  • capnit
    [US dial. North idem ADD; from catnip by metathesis] n. catnip, a fragrant herb (Nepeta catarta).= WHITE CATNIP 1 (Black) ...
  • capoonkle, kerpunkle
    /kapú(w)ngkal/, catoonkle /katú(w)ngkal/ [etym?] adj. usually capoonkle up, etc. 1. confused : Why everything so capoonkle up? (Nassau). (Black) 2. under the influence of alcohol ...
  • capsize
    [Atlantic; OED, to upset, overturn (esp. on the water) . . . a sailor's expression; but cf. 1811 DVT He capsized He fell out of his chair] ...
  • caracas
    (Exuma); crackers (Eleu.) /k(a)rákaz/ [from maracas dried gourds containing pebbles, used as musical instruments; influenced by Caracas (Venezuela), crackers] n. dried poinciana pods shaken as musical rattles. = ...
  • card
    [DJE idem] n. a domino. (Black) ...
  • care, caar, cah
    /k(y)ah/ [Atlantic; probably a hypercorrection of carry by analogy with yerry hear] v. to carry: 1817 I am thankfull to heare how well the Blessed Work ...
  • care: ain' care
    [W Car.; cf. Belize no kee (Dayley 1979), Jam, no kya DJE; Krio adoke no matter if KED] phr. it doesn't matter: Ain' care if all ...
  • careful
    [OED, full of care arch. → 1814; Scots idem CSD] adj. care-ridden; anxious; wary: She so careful with all them little children since her mama die ...
  • car-garage
    n. automobile repair shop: The car-garage on Mackey Street is fixing his car muffler (Nassau). (Black) ...
  • carl
    [cf. CURL(Y)-TAIL LIZARD] n. a lizard, Leiocephalus sp. (Abaco) ...
  • carrion crow, carryin' crow, carrin' crow
    [carrin' crow, influenced by care carry; cf. US dial. South kyar'n crow idem ADD; W3 carrion crow different sp.] n. the turkey vulture, Cathartes aura: ...
  • carry
    /kyári, k(y)éri/ v. 1. [Atlantic; OED to conduct, escort, lead arch.; Brit. dial. North, Irel. EDD; US dial. South idem DAB] to accompany; lead: 1832 Carrying horses to ...
  • cascate
    /kaskéyt/ [cf. OED cascade to vomit, vulgar ?obs.; also dial. in Brit. EDD, US ADD] v. to vomit: 1963 "Dis mawnin', Doctuh, I cascade and cascade". . . ...
  • case: get (or jump) on someone's case
    [US Black idem, to verbally harass or chastise (Claerbaut 1972); the allusion seems to be to a police detective's or welfare worker's case and is probably of US ...
  • cashia
    [cf. Vir. casha thorn tree of the accacia family (Roy 1974) but it is unclear whether Bah. cashia is related to the genus Acacia W3 or Jam. ...
  • cassada
    /kasáda; varies with kasáva, kasáwa/ [W Car.; cf. OED cassava from Sp. casabe from Taino casávi, with cassada as variant] n. cassava, Manihot utilissima, a plant ...
  • cassava bark
    [cf. BARK] n. the hard skin of the cassava root. (Black)            • ...
  • cassava bread
    [Car.] n. a round bread made from grated Cassava root: We had that to eat with the potato bread and the cassava bread (San Sal.). (Gen.) ...
  • cassava head
    [W Car.] n. a short piece of cassava stalk, planted for propagation. = CASSAVA STICK (Inagua, San Sal.) ...
  • cassava pie, cassava crust
    [ cf. Bermuda "Without a casava pie, Christmas would not be Christmas" (Parsons 1925:265)] n. a meat pie with dough made of grated cassava: 1978 Cassava pie [with chicken] ...
  • cassava stick
    [ Atlantic] n. a short piece of cassava stalk, planted for propagation. = CASSAVA HEAD (Andros) ...
  • cassava trash
    [W Car.; cf. TRASH] n. the lumps and fibres left after sifting grated cassava. (San Sal., White) ...
  • cassava wood, cassada wood
    [DJE different sp.] n. a tree: 1920 Dipholis salcifolia (Britton 322). 1977 Bumelia salcifolia (Patterson 49). = WILD CASSAVA (Black) ...
  • cat
    [DHS "the female pudend . otherwise puss, cf. Fr. le chat" and Haitian chat idem TDKE; cf. also CUT] n. female genitals (older term). (Exuma) ...
  • catacoo
    /kátakùw/ [cf. Jam. cutacoo field basket, from Twi kotokù  [ bag, pouch DJE] n. a basket for crops: Ile take one flask of Key gin, take one swallow, ...
  • catajean
    /kátajiyn/ [etym?] n. a fish, Anisotremus surinamensis?, resembling a large margate. (Exuma) ...
  • cat-bird
    [W3 different sp.] n. the blue-gray gnatcatcher, Polioptila coerulea: 1960 (Bond 178). = CHEW-BIRD, SPAIN-SPAIN, COTTON BIRD ...
  • cat boil
    [Car. idem, stye on the eyelid] n. a boil on any part of the body: She got two cat-boil--­one on the face and one on ...
  • catchers
    n. tag, a children's game: 1973 play catchers (Missick 5). (Exuma) ...
  • catchers' kisses
    also kissing catchers [cf. CATCHERS] n. a variation in the game of tag in which the catcher kisses the one caught: The children who's go ...
  • cat-eyes
    [cf. Cam. pusi-ay eye of a mulatto or albino CCD and Jam. puss-eye albino Negro (the allusion is to the squinting eyes) DJE but cf. ...
  • cat-gut(s)
    [cf. OED cat leap "Sault du Chat, the catleape; a certain Trickdone by Tumblers" 1611] n. a forward somersault: Jump or turn cat (Eleu.). cf. ...
  • Cat Island
      [see 1888 quot. for etym.] n. a major island of the Bahamas, formerly called San Salva­dor: 1786 Columbus. . . landed in Cat-island, which ...
  • cat mint
    [OED, common Brit, name for US catnip (Nepeta cataria)] n. a fragrant herb related to catnip: 1835 Nepeta coerulea . . . Cat mint (Journal ...
  • catnip
    (White); capnit (Black); catnit (San Sal.) [cf. W3 catnip different genus] n. an aromatic plant, Salvia serotina, used medicinally: 1978 (Higgs 8). Worm-da-fuse and catnip, ...
  • catoonkle
    See CAPOONKLE ...
  • cat('s) paw
    [W3 different sp.] n. a prickly plant, Solarium didymanthum, with yellow berries: 1920 (Britton 384). (Black) ...
  • cattles
      [OED cattle livestock (→ 1741) .. . usually bovine ... ordinary plural] n. pl. heads of cattle or other livestock: 1966 I'm going to ...
  • cat-tongue
      n. a plant, Priva lappulacea, used medicinally: 1920 (Britton 367). 1905 One of the plants, which is boiled and the decoction used for the ...
  • catty-corner
     [US dial. idem ADD; W3 "variant of catercorner from cater rhomboid, from Fr. quatre four"] adv. diagonally opposite: catty-corner from the store. (Gen.)   ...
  • cat-wash
     [from a cat's manner of washing itself] n. a bath with a washcloth without a tub or shower. = COWBOY, WASH-OFF (San Sal.) ...
  • cave-bat
    n. the bat, a flying mammal, as opposed to BAT moth: I won't go in them big cave-hole 'cause I scared of the cave-bat (Andros). = ...
  • cave earth, cave dirt
    [euphemism; cf. OED cave-earth a layer of earth forming the old floor of a cave before the deposition of stalagmite (Geol.)] n. bat guano used ...
  • cave-hole
    [of OED cave a hollow place opening more or less horizontally under the ground] n. a very deep hole: 1832 Our oldest Mare Colt Blass ...
  • cay, key
    /kiy/ [Car.; from Sp. cayo from Lucayo cayo W3; cf. Arawakan cairi island (Albury 1975: 5), Island Carib acráera idem (Taylor 1977:20); OED's European origin ...
  • caya
    see KAYA. ...
  • cedar
    [W3 different genus] n. 1. a tree, Juniperus barbadensis: 1905 (Shattuck 203). 2. a tree, Casuarina litorea. = CHRISTMAS TREE 2 (Black) ...
  • ceement
    /síyment/ [US dial. South, Black idem ADD] n. cement: The ceement for our house already done hard, so it ain't no more good (Nassau). (Black) ...
  • ceiling
    [cf. OED, 1784 "Between the inside lining of tile ship's bottom, which is called the ceiling, and the outside planking, there is a space of about ...
  • Celia cassava
    /síylya kasáva/ n. a variety of cassava. (Andros) ...
  • centipee
    /sénapiy/ [Atlantic; cf. also US dial. South santy fay, Santer fee ADD, santapee (Ayres 1950:77); OED "centipie, centapee in W. Indies and early navigators was prob. from ...
  • cerasee
    /sérasiy/, sorasee /sóhrasiy/ [W Car.; "etym. unknown—poss. fr. Fr. céracé waxy, but. cf. Twi nsuró a climbing vine" DJE] n. a vine, Momordica charantia, with yellow flowers and ...
  • chack
    See CHOCK. ...
  • chain of love
    ["Its pink, heart-shaped blossoms can be stuck together" (Higgs p.c.)] n. a vine, Antigonon leptopus: 1956 (Higgs 69). (Exuma) ...
  • chain moray
    n. an eel, Echidna catenata: 1968 (Böhlke 87). (San Sal.) ...
  • chairman
    n. the master of ceremonies of a church fundraising CONCERT, who announces hymns and the running total of donations, and in some places (especially San Sal.) acts as ...
  • chalk: that's chalk
    [possibly from OED chalk mark or score made with chalk in various games, i.e. something is so firmly planned that it may as well have already ...
  • chamber pot
    n. a large pot used for cooking. (Black) ...
  • chance
    n. (in betting) the odds: 1954 I wouldn't give no chance (odds) on that (Crowley 221). (Black) ...
  • chance: take chance for chance
    phr. (of two men) to share a mistress: I think he and he pa does take chance for chance with her (Andros). ...
  • chancilla
     /chánchila/ [from tarantula] n. 1. the large, hairy GROUND SPIDER, Theraphosidae sp. = GRAND SPIDER 2. an insect (sp?). (Inagua) ...
  • chaney vine
    (Black); chaney briar (Exuma) /chéyni/ [cf. US dial. South chaney briar the China briar (Smilax sp.)WSC, and Jam. China withe /chèyni wis/ (Smilax havanensis); from Chany China, also Gul. (Gonzales ...
  • change
     [from small change] n. bus fare: [a jitney driver] I want change from all those that just got on (Nassau). (Nassau, San Sal.) ...
  • change on somebody
    [cf. OED change give in exchange obs, 1609 Bible "God changed unto him another hart"] v.phr. to deceive or confuse somebody by changing something. (Black) ...
  • chap
    See CHOP. ...
  • charcoal
    [OED, oxidized residue of burnt wood] adj. (of persons) having a grayish-brown com­plexion (used mainly by older people). cf. DUSTY (Ragged, Nassau) ...
  • Charles Town
    [after Charles II, King of England 1660-85] n. former name of Nassau: In 1664 . . . the Spaniards forthwith attacked and practically demolished Charles Town ...
  • chat-chat
    [Car. to gossip continually DJE] n. a very talkative person; a gossip. (Exuma, Mayag.) ...
  • chatty
    /cháti/ n. 1. [OED "Anglo-Ind. (Hindi charti earthen vessel) pot for water", DHS idem; Hindi is not an unlikely source, given the movements of the British army; cf. MCC dikwa ...
  • chaw
    [OED very common in 16-17th c ... now esteemed vulgar; also Brit., US dial.] v. to chew: 1918 Chawfine, chew him up! [to dog] (Parsons 67). (Gen.) ...
  • cheap
    [cf. Jam. just as cheap equally well: "I had just as cheap go as stay" DJE II; cf. OED cheap costing little effort: "He thinks it as ...
  • Cheap John Stirrup
    ["The name is an excellent rendering of the bird's song" (Bond p.c.)] n. a bird, the black-whiskered vireo (Vireo altiloquus): 1960 (Bond 185). ...
  • check (1)
    [cf. Scots chack of the teeth: to chatter with cold CSD] n. a chill; a cold contracted from exposure: 1936 (Dupuch  121). She get soak ...
  • check (2) or cheque
    [cf. DJE checks a small piece; OED chequeen, an old gold coin of Italy, pace Craton, seems an unlikely source given its high value] n. three halfpence ...
  • checkerboard
    [see quot.] n. 1. the wool sponge: 1977 The hookers nicknamed them checker­boards because white reef sediment sifted over them like flour, but the the eyes stayed black ...
  • chee-chee
    (Mayag., Inagua); chim-chim (Nassau) [cf. DJE chichi bud (imitative) a singing bird cf. also Yoruba tintin sp. of small song bird (Oyedeji p.c.)] Also chimmy ...
  • cheek somebody up
    [cf. OED cheek, Scots cheek up idem CSD) v.phr. to be impertinent to somebody. (Eleu.) ...
  • cheeks
    [cf. OED cheek idem] n. impertinence: Don't give me no cheeks! (Gen.) ...
  • cheers
    [cf. OED cheer shout of approbation] n. (at a fund-raising church CONCERT) rhythmic applause by the choir and congregation for a generous donation. (Inagua, Mayag.) ...
  • cheese bush
    n. the jacaranda tree, Jacaranda coerulea;= CANCER BUSH, CLOCK BUSH, HORSE BUSH 4, WHAT O'CLOCK (Andros, White) ...
  • chenille bug
    /sheníyl bog/ [from Fr. or Haitian chenille caterpillar] n. the larva of an insect (sp?), a caterpillar which eats cotton plants: 1962 Before the appearance ...
  • cherry
    [Trin. idem (Winer); from the appearance of its red fruit] n. the Surinam cherry, Malpighia glabra. = JAMAICA CHERRY, NATIVE CHERRY, WILD CHERRY (Black) ...
  • chest-bone
    [Belize idem (Dayley 1979)] n. breast bone: When somebody's hear stops, you suppose to press down on their chest-bone (Nasau). (Black) ...
  • chew-bird
    n. the blue-gray gnatcatcher, Polioptila coerulea: 1960 (Bond 178). = CAT BIRD, COTTON BIRD, SPAIN-SPAIN ...
  • chewstick, chawstick
    [Atlantic; from the chewing of its twigs to clean the teeth] n. a shrub, Gouania domingensis: 1889 chewstick (Gardner 373); 1910 chawstick (Northrop 124). (Inagua, ...
  • chew-tobacco
    [Belize idem (Dayley 1979)] n. chewing tobacco. (Nassau) ...
  • chickchanny, chickcharney
     /chikchá(h)ni/; Also chincharny, chickanny [etym. uncertain; Craton suggests Arabic shitani devil (1966:18), whence also Krio setani, shaytani spirit of evil (cf. Mandinka, Susu setani, Temne sethani, Hausa ...
  • chick-chick
    [Car.; from the reduplication of chick] n. a baby chick. (Black) ...
  • chicken fight
    n. cock fight: Hitians have chicken fight back of the bush (Nassau). ...
  • chicken gizzard
    [from the appearance of the bi-lobbed leaf] n. a plant (sp?) whose leaves are boiled into an infusion for diarrhea. (Eleu.) ...
  • chicken peas
    [OED, W3 chick peas different sp.; see quot.] n. a plant, Aeshynomene grandifolia: 1788 Chicekn peas, a tree of very rapid and tall growth, recommends ...
  • chicken toe
    [W3 different sp.; from appearance of five leaflets] n. a tree, Tabebuia bahamensis: 1977 (Patterson 91).= BEEF BUSH, OLD WOMAN, FIVE-FINGER, FOWL-FOOT. (Black) ...
  • chicken-toe potato
    n. a red variety of sweet potato. (Andros) ...
  • chickereely
    /chikaríyli/ (Exuma, Nassau); chick­toree /chiktoríy/ (Berry) [cf. Vir. chicheri, Car. Sp. pitirre DM] n. the grey kingbird, Tyrannus dominicensis. = PICKCHEELY, FIGHTER, PICK-PETER, KILL-EM-PETER, SAPEERY ...
  • chick-of-the-village
    n. a bird, the thick-billed vireo (Vireo crassirostris): 1960 (Bond 182). (Andros) ...
  • chiefer
    [from CHEAPER] adv. rather: I tell him say I chiefer stay out here. (Cat) ...
  • child
    /chayl/ n. 1. [Trin. idem "never used among males" (Ottley 11); Guy. idem "irrespective of sex or age" (Yansen 35); cf. Scots chiel child ... term of ...
  • child, please!
    phr. an exclamation of surprise or disbelief (among young women): Well, child, please! I even didn't know she bin pregnant (Nassau). ...
  • children
    /chíran/ [cf. US dial. South mother potatoes sweet potatoes from which slips are grown for planting WSC; the Bah. name may derive from the many ...
  • chillun, chi'ren
    [Car; US dial. South (pl.), Black ADD] n. sing. child: 1918 ev'ry chillun (Parsons 18). (Black) n. pl. children: They don't want their chi'ren say they scatter off (San ...
  • chilly bin
    n. an insulated cooler with ice, usually for beverages: 1977 (Albury 157). He's put all the sodas in the chilly bin to keep them cool (Nassau). ...
  • chime
    See CHINE. ...
  • chim-chim
    See CHEE-CHEE ...
  • chimley, chimlay
    [Brit., US dial, idem DAE] n. chimney: 1918 Den she tol' de sweetheart he mus' run out an' get up in de chimlay (Parsons 77). ...
  • chimmy, chimper
    See CHEE-CHEE ...
  • china closet
    n. a wardrobe (for clothes). (Black) ...
  • chinas
    n. pl. pieces of china; crockery: As I looked through the house for the thief, I noticed that a few of my chinas were missing (COB). ...
  • chinchary
    [cf. Vir. chichery idem (Seaman)] n. the gray kingbird, Tyrannus dominicensis: 1960 (Bond 150). cf. CHICKCHANNY 2 (Andros) ...
  • chich or chinch up
    [cf. MCC chíncha idem; cf. OED chinse to caulk, now nautical] v. to caulk; to seal (a crack) by wedging material into it: 1976 To ...
  • chin-chin
    See CHEE-CHEE ...
  • chinchy
    adj. 1. [US dial. idem ADD; OED, niggardly obs. 1653] stingy: That man so chinchy! All them dilly on he tree and he won't give us none! ...
  • Chine
    (Mayag.); chime (Inagua, San Sal.) [cf. OED chime, chine idem; Scots chine idem CSD] n. rim (of a barrel): 1966 Rabby. . . . rake off ...
  • Chinee, Chiny
    /cháyni/ [Atlantic; cf. OED China a Chinese obs. → 1634; "Chinese , . ,a sing. Chinee has arisen in vulgar use in U.S. (so sailors say Maltee , Portugee)" ...
  • Chinee shop
    [Car.; cf. US dial. South, Black cheny store idem ADD; cf. CHINEE; cf. Réunion Cr. Fr. "Le creole ne dit pas 'aller a l'épicerie' mais 'aller chez ...
  • Chinese roach
    [US Black idem (Labov 1972:317); cf. DJE "Chiney ...implies small size] n. the small German cockroach (Blattella germanica) as opposed to the three-inch DRUMMER ROACH. = AMERICAN ROACH, HAITIAN ...
  • chinker
    See CHEE-CHEE. ...
  • chinny briar, chinny bush
    [cf. CHANEY VINE] n. a plant, probably Smilax havanensis: Chinny briar fine-fine, with plenty prickle. (Adelaide) ...
  • chip-chip
    (Black); chippie (Nassau) [cf. DJE chip-chip bird (onomatopoeic) American warblers] n. the yellow-throated warbler, Dendroica petechia, D. dominica: 1960 (Bond 194); 1972 (Paterson 131-46).= YELLOW ...
  • chirone
    /chirówn/ [etym?] n. a pair of STRAW1 saddle bags: 1963 Across [the horse's] back I hung what on Crooked Island is called a chirone: a ...
  • chiss
    (Black); chist (White) [cf. US dial. South chist ADD; OED chist obs. → 1601]  n. chest, trunk: 1832 Chist of drawers (Farquhqrson 58). 1895 She ...
  • chock, chack, chuck, jock
    [Car.; cf. OED chock as close or tight as can be; also Cr. Fr. zuk as far as (Hancock 1969: 69)] adv. all the way: ...
  • chocolate-brown
    adj. of mulatto complexion: 1979 (LaRoda 15). (Black) ...
  • chocolate tea
    [cf. TEA any hot drink] n. hot cocoa: He like to drink chocolate tea in the morning (Nassau). (Black) ...
  • choosy
    [W3, fastidiously selective] adv. carefully: 1954 He travel. He going choosy (Crowley 222). (Nassau, San Sal.) ...
  • chop, chap
    /chap/ v.t. 1. [Car.; cf. OED chop to cut (with an ax etc.)] to assault a person with a machete, or anything sharp: The next boy take one knife ...
  • chow-chow
    /chawchaw/, cho-cho /chowchow/ [Atlantic; cf. DJE chocho "fr. Brazilian native name chuchu" but cf. Brazilian Port. chuchu plants cicurbitácea (termo africano) (Mendonça 1973:13); cf. Réunion Cr. Fr. susu ...
  • Christ
    See JESUS CHRIST ...
  • Christmas bush
    [W3, DJE different sp.] n. a shrub, Cassia bicapsularis, with pinkish flowers and long brown pods: 1920 (Britton 116). (Gen. ...
  • Christmas candlesticks
    [W Car. different sp.] n. a plant, Leonotis nepetifolia, with reddish flowers on a tall stem: 1971(Rabley 43). (Eleu., Inagua) ...
  • Christmas daisy
    [OED different sp.] n. a plant, Montanoa hibiscifolia: 1972 (Durrell 79). (Andros, Mayag.) ...
  • Christmas flower
    [OED different sp.] n. 1. a plant, Ipomoea sidifolia: 1889 (Gardner 393). 2. a plant, Turubina corymbosa: 1920 (Britton 354). 3. the poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima: 1971 ...
  • Christmas okra
    [DJE idem "short and thick"] n. a variety of okra up to ten inches in length which is harvested at Christmas time. (Andros) ...
  • Christmas rose
    [DJE same sp?] n. a tall plant (sp?) resembling the pineapple with a long stalk bearing strongly scented pink, white, or yellow flowers, which bloom at ...
  • Christmas tree
    [OED, usually a fir] n. 1. a tree (sp?) resembling the pine but with yellow and white flowers. (San Sal., Mayag.) 2. a tree, Casuariana litorea. ...
  • chuck
    See CHOCK. ...
  • chucking in the bag
    [OED chuck toss, jerk] phr. a sack race. (Nassau) ...
  • church
    v. 1. [OED to be churched to be taken to church to receive rites ... esp. of a newly-wedded pair ... on first attendance at ...
  • churchyard rose
    n. a plant, Vinca rosea (Rabley p.c.); Churchyard rose. You go in the churchyard and that's the white one and the red one ... They ...
  • Cigatoo, Ciguatea
    [cf. Taino cigua sea snail (Taylor 1977:21); Cuban Sp. idem WFF] n. Obs. a former name of Eleuthera, a major island of the Bahamas: [On] ...
  • Cigillian
    /sigíliyan/ [cf. Cigaoo, although the popular derivation is from St. Georgian (Byrle Patterson p.c.)] n. the nickname for a native of the white community of ...
  • cinnecord
    /sínikohd/ (Gen.); Cindy Carter /síni káhta/ (Mayag.) [etym?] n. a tree, Acacia choriophylla, with small yellow flowers and thick brown pods: 1905 (Shattuck 224). (Gen.) ...
  • cipher
    /sáyfa/ [cf. Krio sayfa an insignificant or useless person KED; cf. also Krio, Guy. sayfa think (Hancock 1969: 42); cf. OED, a person who fills ...
  • city boy, city girl
    n. a native of Nassau. cf. ISLAND BOY (Black) ...
  • clad
    See CLOD. ...
  • clampers
    (Mayag.); clamps (Gen.) [cf. Brit. dial. clamper a clamp OED; Scots claams a shoemaker's pincers CSD] n. a crab's large pincers. = BITER ...
  • clampsy
    [cf. OED clabber milk naturally curdled] adj. sour (of milk, cream). = CLODDY (Andros, San Sal.) ...
  • claps: the claps
    [cf. OED clap obs. in polite use, gonorrhoea: "Claps at Court" 1645] n. gonorrhea (considered vuglar): He get the claps from foolin' round (Nassau). (Gen.) ...
  • clap somebody up
    v. phr. to applaud somebody. (Eleu., Exuma) ...
  • clap your hip
    [cf. HIP buttocks a Yoruba gesture of scorn (Oyedeji p.c.)] v. phr. to make an insulting gesture. (Black) ...
  • claver
    /kláva/, clower /kláwa/ [cf. OED clabber to curdle, + /b, v, w/ alternation] v. to turn sour:  The milk claver (San Sal.). = CLOD ...
  • claws: a round o' claws
    [by analysis of applause as a plaws, influenced by claws in reference to the hands] n. phr.  a round of applause. (Black) ...
  • clean
    v. 1. [OED, said by servants of making themselves clean] to wash oneself: [to a child at bedtime] Go clean! (San Sal.). [to a child ] Every time ...
  • clear
    adj. 1. [Car.; OED, of women: beautiful, fair obs. → 1578] of a light-brown complexion: 1785 A Negro man. . . of a clear black complexion (Bahama Gazette). ...
  • clear, clare
    /klia/ v. 1. [DJE idem; OED, to explain] to solve (a riddle): 1925 Clare this riddle (Finlay 295). 1966 If you could find me a puzzle that I ...
  • cleavers
    /kliyvaz/ [cf. W3 clave /klávey/ Am. Sp. keystone "one of a pair of cylindrical wooden sticks used as percussion instruments by being struck together while being held in cupped ...
  • cline
    See IN THE CLINE ...
  • clip out
    v.phr. to remove legs and claws (of crabs): I put Nell to clip out some crab. (Andros, San Sal.) ...
  • clipso
    [cf. W3 calypso a genus of herbs] n. a shrub (sp?); it is low, has blue-green leaves, and grows among rocks: 1966 That was a high, high, high clipso ...
  • cloak
    v. 1. [cf. OED to protect, shelter obs. → 1590] to hide a person in one's home. (Eleu.) 2. [probably from coax] to coax, seduce: He cloak her ...
  • clock bush
    n. the jacaranda tree, Jacaranda coerulea, with blue-purple flowers: 1977 (Patterson 116). = CANCER TREE, HORSE BUSH 4, CHEESE BUSH, WHAT O'CLOCK (Adelaide, Inagua) ...
  • clod, clud
    (Nassau, Mayag); clog, cloud (Eleu); clot (White); clut (San Sal.), clad (Aklins) [cf. DJE klad sour milk, to congeal (from clot n., v.); cf. also Brit. dial. clag ...
  • cloddy, cluddy
     (Nassau, Mayag.); cloggy, cloudy (Eleu.); clotty (White); clutty (San Sal.) [cf. CLOD etc. + -Y ] adj. (of milk, cream) sour: You see that milk there how ...
  • clog, cloggy
    See CLOD, CLODDY ...
  • close
     /klowz/ [cf. W3 clothes /klowdhz, klowz/] n. a piece of clothing (count noun): 1928 a white clo'se (Parsons 482). (Andros, Mayag.) ...
  • cloth
    [cf. OED cloth clothing obs. → 1816] n., Obs? clothes: 1918 Dick and Harry they went home and dress down, but Jack been in his ...
  • cloud, cloudy
    See CLOD, CLODDY ...
  • clower
    See CLAVER ...
  • club
    [cf. night-club] n. a public bar serving food and having a juke box and dancing area: 1966 (Otterbein 17). (Gen) ...
  • club in
    [cf. OED club together idem] v. phr. to pool resources (usually monetary). (Gen.) ...
  • clud, cluddy
    See CLOD, CLODDY. ...
  • club-stick
    [cf. Prov. club of stick (Washabaugh 1980:1); cf. also STICK wood, a mass noun with which club may have been used as a quantifier by analogy ...
  • clut, clutty
    See CLOD, CLODDY ...
  • co
    /kow/ [cf. Krio anko from & Co. friend KED; cf. & Co. and company, sometimes pronounced /and kow/] n. company: 1918 Dem four used to work ...
  • coal
    [Atlantic; cf. OED idem obs. →1799] n. charcoal: She say coal is the best thing to use if you cookin' outside (Nassau). (Gen.) ...
  • coal of fire
    See FIRE BUN. ...
  • coal pot
    (Black); coal stove (Elms.) [coal pot: Atlantic; cf. Sra. korpatoe, Dutch koolpot idem WST; US coal stove is a large stove] n. a pot-like iron brazier ...
  • coast
    /kows/ [OED, the side of the land] n. a small area of land: She want dis piece a grass weed out. She say you take dis coas' and you ...
  • coby
    /kówbi/ n. 1. [cf. Sra. koebi fish sp. WST; OED cob, cobbo a fish obs. → 1804] a thin fish (sp?) with red and blue skin. (Mayag.) 2.   [cf. CORB] ...
  • cocker-roach, cockaroach
    /kóhkarowch/ [Car., New York City folk pronunciation ).1. Roper p.c.); cf. OED, 1624 cacarootch from Sp. cucaracha; W3's derivation "irregularly from (Latin) cuca caterpillar, moth" dubious since ...
  • cock-eye
    [from appearance?] n. a.smali black fish (sP?). (White) ...
  • cockroach berry, roach berry
    [DJE idem] n. a shrub,Solanum aculeatissimum: 1920 (Britton 383). (Andros) ...
  • cockspur prickle
    [cf. DJE cockspur: same sp?] n. a large, prickly shrub (sp?) which grows near the sea. (Adelaide) ...
  • cocktail
    [W3 an appetizer (e.g. shrimp cocktail)] n. a between-meal snack. (Black) ...
  • cock up
    [cf. Vir., to relax by throwing up one's legs on a desk or chair; cf. OED cock to stick or turn up] v. phr. 1. to raise (a ...
  • cocky ball
    [etym?] n. golf ball. (Nassau) ...
  • cocky pilot
    [cf. W3 pilot fish] n. a sucking fish (sp?) with green and gray stripes resembling an angelfish. (Nassau) ...
  • coco, cocoa, coca, koka
    /kóviko(w)/; co /kow/ [cf. Trio. Cr. Fr. coucou a hollowed-out calabash (Thomas 20); cf. (HARD-SKIN) COCOBEY and Ewe kong ko cup (Turner 1949:114), as well as Yoruba ...
  • cocoa-pease
    n., Obs? an unidentified variety of pea or bean: 1918 thick patch of cocoa-pease ...
  • cocoa tea
    [Atlantic; cf. Cr. Fr. dite kako du thé cacao DJE; cf. TEA any hot drink] n. hot cocoa: I always drink my little cocoa tea before I go ...
  • cocobey
    /kówkowbey/ [cf. DJE cocobey rough skin from Twi kokobé leprosy; the connection may be the rough surface of the pod or COCO; cf. also Haitian kokobe infirme ...
  • coco-macock
    See CUCKOO MACK-EYE ...
  • coconut bird
    [see quot.] n. the black-cowled oriole, Icterus dominicensis: 1910 Cocoanut Bird. . .the natives say that it builds its nest in the cocoanut trees (Northrop 66). = ...
  • coconut bomb
    See BOMB. ...
  • coconut bread
    n. 1. [W Car.] white bread made with coconut oil. (Gen.) 2. [Trin. idem (Winer)] white bread made with grated coconut. (Inagua) ...
  • coconut bugs
    n. the palm weevil, Rynchophorus cruentatus, which bores into the heart of the coconut palm. = BLACK BUG, BLACK BEE (Mayag.) ...
  • coconut cake
    n. an unbaked confection of sweet­ened coconut: 1980 Coconut cake. . .circular. . . usually white (Watson 13). ...
  • coconut cream
    [Car.] n. 1. a rich liquid made from COCONUT MILK: 1978 Pour over grated nuts enough boiling water to start the milk oozing. . .Allow to stand. ...
  • coconut doughby
    doughby /dówbi, dúwbi/ [cf. doughboy dumpling] n. a dessert made of sweetened grated coconut sandwiched between two dumplings and boiled. (San Sal., Mayag.) ...
  • coconut duff
    [cf. DUFF] n. a boiled pudding with grated coconut, served with a custard sauce: 1978 (Higgs 91). (Gen.) ...
  • coconut jelly
    [Car.] n. often shortened to jelly. the jelly-like flesh inside an unripe coconut: 1978 Cover [whelks] with cold unseasoned jelly, coconut water, and boil for ...
  • coconut jimmy
    n. sweetened dough spread with a coconut filling, rolled up, and baked: Jeff, mum­my say must grater the coconut for the jimmy till she come (Nassau). ...
  • coconut milk
    [Car.] n. the juice wrung from grated coconut meat, used as a sauce: 1835 The kernel. . .is placed in is cloth, and water being poured on ...
  • coconut pearl-edge
    n. a style of plaiting narrow strips of STRAW1 tightly with a looped edge (Bannister display). (Mayag.) ...
  • coconut rush
    [cf. RUSH gratings] n. a flat, cake-like candy made of browned grated coconut and sugar. (Andros, San Sal.) ...
  • coconut tart
    (Black); coconut patty (Grand Bah.) n. a dessert made of dough baked with a layer of coconut sauce in the middle. ...
  • coconut trifle
    [cf. Brit. trifle an elaborate pudding] n. 1. a pudding made with grated coconut. (Exuma) 2. a sweet dough with grated coconut, baked in a loaf. ...
  • coconut water
    [Car.] n. the salty-sweetish, cloudy liquid in an unripe coconut: 1978 Cover [whelks] with cold unseasoned jelly, coconut water and boil for one hour (Higgs ...
  • coco plum
    [Car.; from Sp. icaco from Taino hikako; cf. Island Carib icácou (Taylor 1977:21)] n. a shrub, Chyrsobalanus icaco, or its plum-like fruit: 1731 Cocoa Plum ...
  • coco-six
    n. a style of plaiting broad and narrow strips of STRAW1 (Bannister display). (Andros) ...
  • cod-pepper
    [QED. DJE idem; from shape?] n. a variety of chili pepper, Capsicum sp.: 1782 They have. . .cod and bird pepper (Bruce, quoted by Albury 1975:80). Cod ...
  • coffee-tea
    [Atlantic; cf. TEA any hot drink] n. coffee (as a beverage): My father have his can of coffee-tea every morning (Nassau). (Black) ...
  • cokay
    /kówkey/ [cf. Haitian kwoke idem HCEFD; cf. Réunion Cr. Fr. kóké idem from Fr. dial. West coquer 'couvrir la femelle (des oiseaux de basse­cour)' (Chaudenson 1974:730)] v. to ...
  • cold
    n. [cf. Gul. coat idem (Writers' Program 1940:60); Vir, cold idem (Highfield); Belize kool 'sleep in the eye' (Dayley)] mucus running from the eyes or nose due to ...
  • cold
    v. [OED idem obs.→ 1450; reinforced by gen­eral merger of v. and adj. influenced by African syntax] to become cold: I putting this on the ice so that ...
  • cold in the arm, eye, hand, etc.
    [Car.] n. phr. an inflammation or swelling: My hand swell up—I mussy get cold in it (Nassau). (Black) ...
  • collection box
    [cf. US colloq. box idem] n. the female genitals. (Eleu., Exuma) ...
  • colleesion: in colleesion
    /kalíyzhan/ [cf. OED col­lision hostile encounter] phr. in strife: They in colleesion [quarreling]. (Eleu.) ...
  • Collins Wall
    [originally the western boundary of the estate of Tom Collins, for whom the drink is named] n. the name of a concrete wall in Nassau ...
  • colly
    n. 1. also pot colly [OED idem obs. exc. dial.; also Bermuda, US dial. South ADD] soot. (Gen.) 2. [cf. Jam. Rasta colly, colly-weed ganja ...
  • comallomy
    See GUM ELEMI ...
  • coloured
    [OED, having skin other than "white"; esp. wholly or partly of the negro or "coloured" race; in the US this term, usually equivalent to "Negro", ...
  • combruction
    [cf. DHS, Vir. ruction uproar (Roy 1974)] n. commotion. (Gen.) ...
  • come
    v. 1. [Atlantic; DJE "from become or perh. come as abbr. of come to be" but cf. OED come 24a to become (e.g. come true, ...
  • come back
    v. phr. to have a bowel movement: My child have tight bowels; he can't come back (Nassau). (Black) ...
  • come before
    [cf. come before a judge] v. phr. to concern (usually after a negative): This don't come before you. (Black) ...
  • comforter
     [DJE idem] adj. more comfortable. (Black) ...
  • comical
    [W. Car.; Gui. idem (Gonzales 1922:293); cf. OED dial, peculiar, difficult to deal with] adj. fussy; cantankerous: Everybody is be comical sometime (Nassau). ...
  • coming moon
    n. phr. waxing moon. = YOUNG MOON cf. WASTE MOON (Adelaide) ...
  • commandant
    [OED, commanding officer, esp. the military governor of a fortress, town, or district] n. (under British administration) the chief of the police and fire departments ...
  • commerce
    /kamóys/ [OED, the stress was originally on the second syllable] n. commerce. (Nassau) ...
  • commissioner
    [OED, the representative of the supreme authority in a district] n. the highest government official on outlying islands (a colonial terns retained after independence): 1936 ...
  • commonage land, common edge land, communist land
    [cf. OED commonage land held in common] n. land without title held by a group: 1980 According to the Dev-Bank. ... commonage land refers to ...
  • company
    v. [W Car.; OED, to keep company with arch. →1814; Scots idem F,DD] to provide companionship. (Black) —n. social peer; a person of the same ...
  • con
    [Gul. idem ADD; from cousin] n. cousin, as term of address or with the Christian name: 1970 (Wallace 46). Con Mary (San Sal.). (Black) ...
  • concert
    ["In Cayman a concert is almost any kind of public entertainment and need not be musical" (Doran 1954:84)] n. a church program to raise funds; ...
  • concertine
    [from resemblance to a concertina] n. a style of plaiting STRAW1 into a spiral to decorate hats (Wyannie Malone Museum display). (Andros) ...
  • Conch
    /kohngk/ [from conch, the large sea snail (Strombus sp.) eaten by Bahamians; cf. OED Conch "a local nickname for the lower class of inhabitants of the ...
  • Conch
    Conchs are very abundant in the warm seas around the Bahamas. They are gastropods with foot-long shells resembling those of snails, and they have always been one of ...
  • conch-breaker
    (White); conch-chopper (San Sal., Mayag,) n. a tool for chipping the end off a conch shell to extract the flesh: 1977 (Albury 15).  ...
  • conch bubby
    [cf. CONCH + BOBBY breast, from shape; cf. DUG] n. the soft, black protrusions on the body of a conch: Boy, conch (tubby ugly—it so black and slimey ...
  • conch-eye
    n. the conch's operculum, the horny cover sealing the shell when the foot is retracted. = CAP, (CONCH) HORN, HELMET, SPUR (White) ...
  • conch fish
    [from its living inside the shell with the conch] n. a fish, Astrapogon stellatus: 1978 The three-inch conchfish. . is not a parasite; it only ...
  • conch jack
    [from its preference for conch as bait] n. a variety of blue jackfish, Caranx sp., which often follows sharks. (Black) ...
  • conch-killer
    [etym?] n. a grayish-white shellfish: Conch-killer. . .zigzag shaped (Andros). ...
  • conch-shell
    [Car.] n. a conch-shell horn, used as a signal: 1978 These conch shells each have a small hole pierced either at one or both ends of the ...
  • Conchy Joe
    See CONKY JOE ...
  • coney (1), cony
    [cf. BAHAMA CONEY] n. Obs, a mammal, probably the hutia (Geocapromys ingrahami) 1647 There is scarcely any beast on them save a Cony, that bath a talk ...
  • coney (2), cony
    [cf. OED cone a marine shell of the genus Conus or family Conidae of Gastropods] n. Obs. a shellfish Cap?): 1782 Their shell-fish are conques, periwinkles, ...
  • coney(fish)
    /kówni/ (Gen.); coony /kúwni/ (Nassau, Inagua> [cf. OED cony the Nigger-fish, Epi­nephelus punctatus, of the West Indies (no date); cony-fish the Burbot; DJE cony-buck the trunk-fish] n. a fish, ...
  • confuddle up
    [cf. Scots carfuddle to rumple CSD] phr. confused, mixed up: He all confuddle up wit' all dem numbers (Nassau). (Gen.) ...
  • confuse
    v. to upset (the stomach): 1880 Straw­berries. . ."confused" his stomach (Ives 163). (Mayag.) confuse up [confuse + mix up] phr. to confuse: 1940 He like to cuss ...
  • confusion
    [Car.; Gul. idem (Parsons 1923:143)] n. a quarrel: You tryin' to cause confusion? [a fight between two other people] (Nassau). (Black) ...
  • Congo
    n. 1. [Car.; DJE "a negro from the Congo region.. .(The Congo were later comers than Gold Coast and Guinea negroes, whose Jamaican- born descendants looked down ...
  • Congo drum
    n. a large drum which stands on the floor, as opposed to the bongo drum, which is held in the lap. (Eleu., Exuma, White) ...
  • Congo tea
    [from place of origin? cf. 1811 DVT "Will you lap your Congo with me? Will you drink tea with me?"] n. Obs. a variety of tea: 1784 Congo and ...
  • Congo Town
    [cf. Krio Kongotong western sub­urban village of Freetown formerly inhabited by Krios of Congo origin; cf. CONGO 1] . the name of several settlements or districts: 1. ...
  • Congo worm
    [cf. DJE idem; cf. also W3 congo snake, congo eel a snake-like amphibian, Amph­iuma means] n. an animal (sp?): Congo worm is a worm which ...
  • Conian
    /kowniyan/ [short for Abaconian] n. a native of the island of Abaco: He live in Nassau, but he is a Conian (Nassau). (Black) ...
  • conjessy (mouth)
     [Pan-Creole; cf. Trin. Cr. Fr. congosal quarrelsome (Thomas 32), DJE kon­kongsa deceitful (person) from Twi nkonkonsá deceit, hypocrisy] n. a prying gossip: 1970 Das Con Jessie ...
  • conk
    [cf. US Black conk pomade for the hair (Major); DAS conk (of Negroes) to apply a mix­ture containing lye to the hair in order to ...
  • conky, conchy, conchi
    /kóhngki/ n. 1. Obs? [cf. CONCH + -y (diminutive)] a white or near-white Bahamian: 1929 Conchies ... (half-breed white people in Nassau) (Defries 116). cf. ...
  • conky-bine
    [cf. Car. concubine lover (man or woman) DJE; Gul. conkywine idem (Gonzales 1922: 293); cf. OED concubine as applied to a woman, quot. → 1815, ...
  • constructor
    [Belize idem (Young); influence by construction] n. the constrictor (snake). (Eleu.) ...
  • consumpted
    [cf. Scots consumpt consumption OED] adj. tubercular; having tuberculosis: He was so consumpted till when he cough, people used to move away from him (Nassau). ...
  • contes
    /kantés/ [perhaps influenced by stress pattern of verb] n. a contest: 1966 (Crowley 101). (Black) ...
  • contract time
    [from work contract] n. the 1940's, when many Bahamians went to the US to pick crops as migrant laborers. (Eleu.) ...
  • convenient
    [from convenience, construed as a plural] n. convenience: 1918 The were houses and gardens and all kinds of convenient (Parsons 19). (Black) ...
  • conversate
    [W Car.; back-formation from conversation] v. to converse; to have a conversation; You can't push the trolley because someone would be there conversating (Andros). When you ...
  • coob
    /kub/ [Car.; also dial. in Brit. EDD, US South ADD] n. 1. a chicken coop. (San Sal) 2. the local jail. (San Sal.) ...
  • Coobians
    See CUBIANS. ...
  • cooda
    /kúwda/ [W Car.; cf. Krio kuta idem KED] n. the barracuda, a large fish (Sphyraena barra­cuda). = BARRACUTA, BARRY, HANGY (Andros, Nassau) ...
  • cooker
    [OED, a stove] n. a stove made from a steel drum: 1977 Homemade stoves... were called cookers. They were 55-gallon drums with the top cut out and almost filled ...
  • Cooking
    Traditionally, Bahamian methods of cooking were determined not only by the raw material available (see FISHING, CONCH, AGRICULTURE), but also by the means available to prepare it ...
  • cook kitchen, cooking kitchen
    [cf. W Car. cookroom idem] n. cooking area, either a room or a separate shed. cf. FIRE KITCHEN (Mayag., Andros) ...
  • cool drink
    [Car.; SA idem, cf. Afrikaans koeldrank idem] n. a beverage to cool the drinker; now usually cooled: They say they want a cool drink, so ...
  • cool hutch
    [OED hutch hut, cabin; cool from camping out during particularly hot weather] n. a crude hut made when camping out. (Nassau, San Sal.) ...
  • cooling board
    [cf. US Black "The corpse.. is placed on a coolin' board (two planks supported by a 'horse' at either end, and covered with a sheet which ...
  • cool off
    [OED, to diminish intensity of emotion] v. phr. to calm a person down: You try to cool off those two girls (after a boating accident) (Eleu.). ...
  • cool (it) out
    v. phr. 1. [Car., US Black] to relax in the shade and cool off: On the beach you meet him and the woman cooling it out ...
  • coontie sago, country sago
    /séyga/ [cf. DAE coontie idem from Seminole kunti idem] n. a cycad, Zamia integrifolia, from which edible starch is obtained: Das what dey raised me off was sago, ...
  • coony
    See CONEY. ...
  • coop
    /kup (not kuwp)/ (Black); cup /kop/ (Nassau, Long) [/kup/ is also found in the US where it is the preferred pronunciation in the South (Kenyon and Knott)] ...
  • coot
    /kuwt/ [W Car.; cf. US dial. South cooter turtle ADD, Gul. kuta from Bambara, Malinke kuta idem (Turner 1949:197); DJE coot 'of turtles: to copulate' ...
  • copper
    [DHS, a penny or a halfpenny] n. 1. an English penny: 1940 Y' cud buy breadfruit two fer copper (Dupuch 61). cf. BIG COPPER, SMALL ...
  • copper-bread
      [cf. COPPER 2 + BREAD 3] n. female genitals: Look at that baby copper-bread—it so small (Nassau). (Nassau, Exuma) ...
  • coppet
    /kóhpit/ [cf. OED coppice thicket, perhaps influenced by carpet] n. 1. a tall growth of trees: 1910 The coppet about here is largely logwood (Northrop 21). That big ...
  • coppice Joewood
    [cf. JOEWOOD n. a shrub, Jac­quinia berterii, with orange berries: 1977 (Pat­terson 73). (Inagua) ...
  • copple
    [OED, a little summit or eminence, 1600 only; cf. also coppice thicket] n. Obs? a thicket: 1918 You see dat coppel of bush ober yonder? . ...
  • corb
    /kohb/, cub /kob/ [cf. OED cob a fish obs. →1804, but probably from cub the young. . .of the whale or shark W3] n. a flat-headed, man-eating shark, Carcharhinus leucas: ...
  • corkscrew
    [from twisted leaves] n. 1. a plant, Croton sp. (Black) 2. an airplant, Tillandsia juncea: 1972 (Durrell 73). (Eleu.) ...
  • cork up
    /kohk op/ [Car.; cf. OED caulk to stop up crevices, cork to stop up a bottle, converging in dial, without postvocalic In] v. phr. 1. to be constipated. ...
  • corkwood
    [OED, W3, DJE different sp.] n. a tree, Annona aquatica: 1835 The woody part of the root of this tree is so soft, that it is ...
  • corn
    /kohn/ n. 1. [Vir. idem (flighfield); cf. Krio finga kon wart on finger KED; OED corn a callus, chiefly on the toes or feet] a callus, also on ...
  • corn
    /kohn/ v. 1. [cf. OHS con to subject to a confidence trick] to cuckold. (Nassau) 2. [cf. Vir. co'n yo bum idem (Roy)] to beat: You do ...
  • corner
    /kohna/ n. side street: What the corner name? (Nassau). cf. THROUGH THE CORNER (Nassau) ...
  • corner-boy
    [US Black, one who "hangs out" on the corner (Roberts); DHS, a loafer (Anglo-Irish)] n. 1. a boy selling newspapers on a street corner. (Nassau) 2.a hustler; a young ...
  • corn fish
    [OED corn to preserve with salt]. n. fish that have been dried and salted: 1963 Dis corned fish. Peoples on Crooked Island likes fish hung in de sun ...
  • corn husk
    n. 1. [US dial. South idem ADD] a corn cob. (Eleu.) 2. a kind of liquor: 1966 Get him half a pint of corn husk (Crowley 121). ...
  • corn row
    See GUINEA CORN ROW. ...
  • corn soup
    n. stewed corn and beans in a broth. (Black) ...
  • corn yuck
    n. a dish made of shredded crabmeat and grated fresh corn cooked together: Corn yuck is olden-days food (Andros). ...
  • corn stick
    [Atlantic] n. the corn cob. (San Sal., Mayag.) ...
  • corrupt
    [OED, to spoil (flesh).. .by putrid decom­position arch.→.1796] v. to decompose: 1954 Like when a man bury for about three or four weeks, and you know ...
  • corruption
    [W Car., US dial. 'pus' ADD; OED, de­composed or putrid matter, esp. in a sore, boil, etc.; pus obs. exc. dial.] n. decomposed matter: 1954 He ...
  • corunten lizard
    /kóhranten/ [possibly connected to the Courentyne River, Guyana but cf. CURLY-TAIL] n. a lizard (sp?). (Andros) ...
  • cotch
    [Car.; cf. Bajan scotch foot-hold (Collymore 96); DJE cotch "cf. OED scotch a block placed under a wheel; to block (a wheel)"] n. a support or prop (e.g. ...
  • cotton bird
    n. the blue-gray gnatcatcher, Polioptila coerulea: 1960 (Bond 178). = CAT BIRD, CHEW BIRD, SPAIN-SPAIN ...
  • cotton tree
    [Car.] n. the silk-cotton tree, Ceiba pentandra: 1940 D' branches o' de cotton tree (Dupuch 56). (Gen.) ...
  • cotton-wick
    n. a fish, Haemulon melanurum, a striped grunt: 1968 (Böhlke 374). (Nassau, White) ...
  • cough bush
    n. 1. a plant, Pluchea odorata, used to make an infusion for coughs: 1910 (Northrop 189). = WILD TOBACCO 1, SOUR BUSH (Gen.) 2. any plant so used. ...
  • could
    /kud/, coulda /kúda/ [Vir. idem (Highfield); from could and could've] auxiliary verbs 1. can (no tense agreement): 1940 Wait, hold dat....a minnit till I cud make up mutt ...
  • count
    [W Car.; Gut idem (Gonzales 1924:60); cf. OED count to esteem, value obs.] v.t. to esteem; to think (a lot) of: 1954 And you know how the Marble ...
  • Counter Bottom, Counter Butter
    [cf. BOTTOM 2] n. an area in Bain Town (Nassau): 1976 Grant's Town, Bain Town, and Counta Butta (all African settlements on the island of New Providence) ...
  • country almond
    [cf. OED country of (one's own) country, obs. exc. dial.→ 1703] n. the native al­mond, Terminalia catappa: 1889 (Gardner 380). = ALMOND (Exuma, Mayag.) ...
  • country-born
    [cf. OED idem obs. 1576 "Rather like Forrainers...then Country-borne people"; DAE idern obs. →1797] adj. native (formerly of slaves born in the Bahamas rather than Africa): 1791 ...
  • country marks
    [DAE, DJE, RED idem] n. Obs. tribal cicatrizing on the face: 1785.4 Negro man... has country marks on each side of his face (Bahama Gazette). ...
  • country people
    cf. countryman] n. people from the same vicinity: 1936 I dunno whut I gon do wid my country people (Dupuch 39). (Eleu., Mayag.) ...
  • country sago
    See COONTIE SAGO ...
  • couple
    [OED, two] n. a few: 1977 A couple. . . five, six, eight or more (Albury 158). A couple can be up to twelve small ...
  • courage
    [OED idem obs. → 1615] n. sexual vigor: 1976 (McCartney 82). = NATURE cf. CUT HIS COURAGE ...
  • courage bush
    [cf. COURAGE, from use to aid sexual potency] n. a plant, Cenchrus hirsutus, re­lated to BUR GRASS, used medicinally: 1889 (Gardner 361). (Andros, Mayag.) ...
  • courage conch
    [cf. COURAGE; it is a Bahamian folk belief that eating conch increases sexual potency and desire] n. a variety of conch (Strombus sp.). = LAMB CONCH ...
  • courtening
    /kóhtnin/ [Car.; verb stem based on Eng. present participle, courting] v. courting: 1918 Those boys did want to courtney [sic] to the king daughter (Parsons ...
  • cousins
    (Black); cussin's (Andros); cuz (Mayag., Inagua) [etym?] n. tightly curled hair on the nape of the neck or the sides of the temples: She get a ...
  • cover
    [from cover by passivization] v. to be covered: (of crabs prepared for cooking) They Just drop in the pot and cover up (Cat). cf. KIVER ...
  • coward
    [Vir. idem (Higlifield)] adj. cowardly: 1966 He get coward (Crowley 55). (Black) ...
  • cowboy
    [etym. obscure; perhaps from media] n. a bath with a washcloth without a tub or shower: I goin' catch a cowboy (Nassau). = CAT-WASH, WASH OFF (Black) ...
  • cow bush, cow bean
    n. 1. a pod-bearing shrub, Leucaena glauca, used medicinally or for fodder: 1832 Cow bush* (*ed: it is not clear whether this refers to cow peas ...
  • cow-fish
    [Car.; OED, a fish, Ostracion quadri­corne. . covered with plates of bone 1885→; DAE idem 1870→] n. a fish, Acanthostracion quadricornis or A. polygonius, with a ...
  • cow-fly
    n. a stinging insect (sp?) somewhat smaller than the DOCTOR FLY (Black) ...
  • cow-grass
    [W3, a clover] n. a tall, slender grass (sp?). cf. BULL GRASS (Black) ...
  • cow-meat
    [Atlantic) n. beef: 1918 Oh, bring that cow-meat! (Parsons 123). (Black) ...
  • cow-milk
    [Car.; cf. also Haitian let bèf lait de vache TDKF] n. fresh as opposed to condensed milk: 1918 An' ev'ry mornin' he goes out for milk for ...
  • cow-peas
    [W3 different sp.] n. a small, reddish bean, Yigna unguiculata (P. Miller p.c.): 1918 cow-pease fiel' (Parsons 83). (Gen.) ...
  • cow-tongue
    [DJE a fern] n. a shrub (sp?) with long, pale leaves. (Adelaide) ...
  • cow-wasp
    /kaw wahs/ n. a brown wasp about the size of a mason wasp; its sting is dangerous, causing a three-day fever: He almost die when ...
  • Crab
    n. nickname for a native of Hope Town, Abaco. (White) ...
  • crab
    See CRABBY. ...
  • crab-and-dough
    n. phr. a dish of land crabs stewed with small dumplings: Ah, crab-and-dough. Jesus, that's my food (Andros). ...
  • crab back
    [cf. BACKS; cf. Ibo azu back; crab-shell (Okolo p.c.) cf. Haitian do-krab-la idem (Gaujean p.c.)] n. crab shell: 1966 Take one damn crab back (crab shell) ...
  • crab basket
    [Car.; DJE, double basket with handle) n. a single, large, coarsely-woven basket without a handle with its mouth sewn nearly shut, leaving only a small hole, used for ...
  • crab-basket plait
    n. a coarse weave of broad strips of STRAW1 for CRAB BASKETS. (Black) ...
  • crabbening
    [cf. DAE crab to catch crabs; verb stem based on Eng. present participle] n. crabbing; catching crabs: We did gone crabbening that night fore it happen ...
  • crabbish
    [OED, cross, crabbed obs.→ 1606] adj. contrary, fractious: That boy's getting to be real crabbish these days (Nassau). (Gen.) ...
  • crab bush
    n. a tall, slender shrub (sp?) used medi­cinally. cf. CRAB WOOD (Black) ...
  • crabby
    (Black); crab (Andros) [etym?] n. vulva and pubic region (especially of preadolescents): All them girls get crabby but they does act like they get doggy instead, with ...
  • Crab-catcher
    n. 1. [DJE idem; from diet] a heron, Nycticorax nycticorax: 1960 (Bond 36). = GAULIN, NIGHT GAULIN (Black) 2. [from the custom of catching the numerous crabs in ...
  • crabfat-and-dough
    See CRAB-AND-DOUGH. ...
  • crab hawk
    [W Car.] n. a gray and white bird (sp?), smaller than a fishhawk, which preys on crabs. (Black) ...
  • crab stick
    [OED, a stick or cudgel of the wood of the crab tree; but cf. STICK wood] n. CRABWOOD 1966 That woman going and he grab ...
  • crabwood
    [Car.; OED, corruption of Carap, the native name of a South American tree, Carapa guianensis] n. various species of trees: 1869 Ebony, crabwood, blackwood (Bacot 89). (Black) 1. ...
  • crack(ed) conch
    [etym. uncertain, but cf. cracker meal] n. deep-fried conch: 1978 Cracked conch . .heat... roll in cracker meal. Fry until golden. Serve with lime, hot sauce, ...
  • cracker
    [cf. US Black, white person (derogatory) (Folb); DAE, a poor white, esp. of Georgia; sup­posedly from cracking of whips or corn] n. a poor white or near-white ...
  • cracker dust
    [US cracker thin, hard, salted biscuit] n. cracker crumbs: 1978 Fill a baking dish with layers of cracker dust and fish (Higgs 26). (Eleu., San Sal.)  ...
  • crackers
    See CARACAS. ...
  • crack rock
    n. gravel, as for building roads, etc, (Black) ...
  • crane
    [W3 different sp.] n. 1. the little blue heron, Florida coerulea: 1972 (Paterson 24). = GAULIN 2. the cattle egret, Bubulcus ibis: 1972 (Paterson 24). (Gen.) ...
  • crane crow
    [from CARRION CROW, influenced by crane] n., Obs? the vulture, Cathartes aura: 1895 (Edwards 70). = CARRYIN' CROW, JOHN CROW, CARRION CROW, CROW ...
  • cranky
    [W Car.; OED idem nautical] adj. (of boats) unstable: A cranky-built boat has steep sides and is easy to capsize (Inagua). (Gen.) ...
  • crawfish
    [W3, resembling the lobster but usually much smaller in size; cf. SA crayfish spiny rock lobster] n. the spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, often larger than the American ...
  • crawfisherman
    [CRAWFISH + fisherman] n. a person who catches CRAWFISH: 1977 (Albury 145). (Black) ...
  • crawl, craw, kraal
    [Car.; from colonial Dutch kraal from Port. curral pen W3, influenced by crawl] n. 1. a pen built in shallow water to keep turtles, conchs, fish, etc. ...
  • crawler
    [craw/ + -er agent suffix cf. flipper] n. the leg of a lobster or turtle: 1918 B'o' Lobster Caught begot so much crawlers he can get ...
  • craziness
    [OED, the state of being crazy] n. un­inhibited or foolish activity: Everything like talking jokes and doing craziness (Long). (Black) ...
  • crazy
    [Vir. idem (Highfield); cf. Krio kres insanity KED] n. 1. insanity or mental retardation: Some have crazy (Eleu.). (Black) 2. [BDNE I idem] an insane or mentally retarded ...
  • crazy hill
    n. a psychiatric hospital formerly located on a ridge overlooking Nassau: 1936 Dey'll probably sen y' up t' de crazy hill fer observa­shun, den sen'y' down ...
  • crease
    n. [Car.; Brit. dial. East idem EDD I a crack (in a wall): 1966 Close up every crease and corner in the house (Crowley 69). Here I stand ...
  • credit: give credit to
    [OED credit to believe] v. phr. to take someone's side in an argument: [When their husbands fought] the wives would intervene and the white wife would ...
  • creek
    /krik/ [US dial. South idem; cf. Brit. /kriyk/ narrow inlet vs. US, colonial /krik/ tributary river, from misnaming of rivermouths by first explorers] n. a salt-water inlet: The ...
  • creeping Charlie
    [W3 different sp.] n. a prostrate, vine-like plant, Wedelia trilobata, with yellow flowers: 1971 (Rabley 31). (Gen.) ...
  • creeter, creatur
    /kriytal/ critter /kríta/ [cf. Gul. creetuh idem (Gonzales 1924:17); US dial. creeter, critter livestock, wild animals DAE; Scots crettur a creature CSD] n. 1. any animal, including ...
  • creole
    /kríyowl/ [OED, from Fr. créole, from Sp. criollo, from Sp., Port. criar to raise, referring to those born and raised in the New World but ...
  • crew
    n. a member of a vessel's crew: I was. . one crew on the boat (Acklins). All the crews and passengers were having a nice ...
  • criard
    /kráyad/ [W Car.; from cry + -ard (agent, as in drunkard)] n. a child easily brought to tears; a crybaby. (Mayag.) ...
  • crib
    [DHS, abode, bed; US Black crib one's home or room (Major); OED, small habitation, cabin; a narrow room] n. a very small wooden house. (Nassau) ...
  • crimlin slips
    [cf. OED crinoline a stiff fabric to expand a petticoat + slip female undergarment] n. a wide petticoat with lace edging. (Eleu.) ...
  • crimp edge
    n. a style of plaiting STRAW1: (Fernander 1980). = SHEPHERD NEEDLE (Crooked) ...
  • crimps
    n. 1. [cf. DAB crimp an artificial waviness or undulation of the hair] waves of tightly curled hair, natural for some people of mixed ancestry: ...
  • crispy
    [Car.; cf. OED crips obs. and dial, form of crisp] adj. 1. [Trin. idem (Winer)] (of fried food) crisp: I like my chicken cripsy-cripsy (Exuma). ...
  • crispy-wood
    n. Obs? a tree, Buxus bahamensis: 1905 (Shattuck 237). = PARROT WOOD ...
  • crocus
    [unrelated to Brit., US sp. but with similar flower] n. a yellow or pink lily-like flower, Zephyranthes eggersiana: 1971 (Rabley 55). = THUNDER LILY (Mayag., ...
  • crocus bag, crocus sack
    [Car.; DJE "probably from its use to bag saffron ('crocus')"; US dial. South idem ADD] n. a burlap bag or similar bag of canvas or ...
  • Cromanty
    [Car.; DJE idem "from the name of a town and settlement area of the Gold Coast, variously spelt Coromanti, Kormantyn...a negro brought from and identified ...
  • Cronie Cadunta
    /krówni kadónta/ [etym?] n. a folk-tale character who is an evil giant that murders people. (Cat) ...
  • crook
    (Inagua); crock (Exuma) [cf. Trin. crook wooden saddle (Winer); Brit. dial. West crook a support or frame of wood, bent in a particular way, formerly ...
  • crop-basket
    [Car.] n. an open oval basket for crops. (Black) ...
  • crop season
    [from planting of crops] n. the rainy season (September, October). (Black) ...
  • crop-time
    [Car.] n. the season when crops are harvested. (Black) ...
  • cross
    [OED, to thwart] v.t. to harm by casting spell: 1976 His wife threatens to "cross" the baby and so either stop its birth or cause ...
  • cross and cross: to go cross and cross
    [from across or cross v.] v. phr. (of a car) to weave from one side of the road to the other: [of a car out ...
  • cross-cut
    [W Car., also US Black (Loman 1967:56)] v. phr. to interrupt (a person speaking). (Black) ...
  • cross-road dirt
    [cf. Reunion Cr. Fr. "Souvent le matin on remarque á un carrefour [krawzel lee restes dun sacrifice nocturne" (Chaudenson 1974:146) also Haitian (Gaujean p.c.)] n. ...
  • cross-step
    n. a fall in wrestling executed by putting the leg at an angle behind the opponent's legs and throwing his body backwards over the hip: ...
  • crotch
    (Andros, Exuma); crutch (Inagua) [cf. US crotch DAE, Brit. crutch OED, both pole or prop with a forked top; the fork of the human body] n. 1. a ...
  • crow
    [from color] n. the turkey vulture, Cathartes aura: 1880 Turkey buzzard...local name: Crow (Cory 134). = CARRION CROW, CRANE CROW, JOHN CROW (Gen.) ...
  • crow('s) broom
    n. a brush made of branches. (Andros) ...
  • crumbles
    See SCRUMBS. ...
  • crutchet
    [cf. Atlantic /kochi/ to curtsey (Hancock 1969:37, KED); from curtsey] n. curtsey or bow: White Bird dancin' an' makin' he crutchet (Exuma). ...
  • cry
    [Car.; cf. OED, of things inanimate: to emit a wheezing or creaking sound obs. →.1781] v. (of new leather) to squeak: 1918 Leetle boy had new piece of ...
  • crying
    [OED cry call out; shout; utter inarticulate exclamations] n. jumping up and shouting with religious fervor (in fundamentalist churches). cf. GET THE SPIRIT/HOLY GHOST (Mayag.) ...
  • cry-well
    [cf. WELL very much] n. a nickname for a person who is easily brought to tears. cf. CRIARD (Exuma) ...
  • cub
    See CORB ...
  • cub
    n. (corn)cob. (Andros, Eleu.) ...
  • Cuba
    [from place of origin] n. a variety of pine­apple: 1880 [Of pineapples] the Cuba, which is of larger size, firmer texture, and less sweet than the sugar loaf ...
  • cubbyu
    /kóbyui/, cobia /kówbiya/ (White); cabbia /kábiya/ (Eleu) [cf. Bermuda, Jam. cubbyu DJE "a form of the word (OED) cabilliau, cabeliau codfish; or a readaptation of the related Fr. ...
  • Cubian, Coobian
    /k(y)tiwbiyan/ [also MCC; cf. US dial. South Texian Texan WEA] n., adj. Cuban: 1888 Coobians (Fowles 282). (Eleu., Exuma) ...
  • cubie
    /kyúwbiy/ [from cube + -y/-ie diminutive suffix) n. a folded paper kite: Little children like to make cubie kites (Nassau). (Black) ...
  • Cuckero, cockero
     [cf. COCKER-ROACH] n. 1.a folk-tale character who is a cockroach: 1918 B'o' Cocker° (Parsons 90). ...
  • cuckoo (bird)
    [cf. Gul. coo-coo owl (Writers' Program 1940:40); OED, W3 cuckoo different sp.; cf. Car. Sp. cucú, Fr. coucou same sp. (Bond 1960:121)] n. the burrowing owl, Speotyto ...
  • cuckoo mack-eye
    /kúwkuw makáy/ (Mayag., Cat); coco-macock /kówkow makák/ (Inagua) [Car.; cf. DJE coco-macca /kaomaka...kitkumakyak/ from Car. Sp. coco macaco or Fr. coca-macaque, the tree Bactris plumeriana and ...
  • cuckoo-rookoo
    /kùwku rukúw/ [Atlantic; cf. kukukuku in Gul. (Parsons 1923:78), US Black (Fauset 1927:239); cf. Scots cocka-roora-koo CSD, Sp. quiquiriqui, idem (Oyedeji pc.) and Ibo kokorokoko idem (Okolo ...
  • cuckoo soup
    [perhaps related to cuckoo owl, also associated with obeah; cf. Gul. "Conjure is another name for hoodoo, voodoo, coocoo" (Writers' Program 1940:97); cf. Réunion Cr. FT. "substance a ...
  • cud
    [cf. US dial. South lose the cud: when a cow stops ruminating she is said to have lost her cud. "Not a disease but merely a symptom of ...
  • cudgniy
    See SCONCHER KNEE ...
  • Cuffey
     /kófi/ Coffee /kóhfi/ [cf. US Black Cuffee black person (Major); US dial. South idem (fa­miliar or humorous) ADD; DJE, from Twi Kòfi day-name for a male born ...
  • cultivator
    [W Car.] n. a small farmer raising mar­ket crops. (Black) ...
  • cunny-hole
    [cf. OEDS II cunny, prob. dim, of cunt but cf. cony] n. (vulgar) vulva. (Black) ...
  • cup
    n. sweet, flavored water frozen in a small paper cup with a stick: Dis summer you could make plenty money sellin' cup (Nassau). The Kool-Aid is ...
  • cup grease
    n. lard from meat drippings, kept in a cup: 1973 He walked around naked, slicked down in cup grease (Missick 41). ...
  • cupshell
    n. bits of broken china used by children as play money: 1940 Abolish money and get along on a cup-shell (Dupuch 22). If y' don't tink quirk y' ...
  • curb
    /koyb/ (Eleu., White); curbs (Exuma); scurbs (San Sal., Inagua); scrubs (Mayag.); curve (Nassau) [etym. uncertain, but cf. scurf anything like scales adhering to a surface W3] n. ...
  • cure-for-all
    [DJE Mem, P. odorata; cf. OED cureall different sp.] n. a plant, Pluchea foetida, with flowers varying from cream to purple: 1971 (Rabley 33). ...
  • curly-tail
    (Gen.); curl-tail (Andros, Berry); curry-tail (Exuma) n. a lizard, Leiocephalus carinatus: 1979 (Atrill 5). = CARL ...
  • currant tree
    [OED, W3, DJE different sp.] n. a shrub, Beurreria tomentosa: 1888 Currant tree ...harmless and mucilaginous and of little value as medicinal agent (Gardner 394 ). ...
  • currency
    [cf. Bajan currency shilling (Collymore); OED currency the local shillings and pence, of less value than sterling money, formerly used in various British colonies (including America)] n. a former ...
  • current
    [W Car.] adj. (of water) having a strong current. (Black) ...
  • curry
    (Black); quarry (soil) (White) [OED quarry where stone is quarried; DAE quarry the stone that is quarried (individualism?)] n. crushed limestone, used in road construction. ...
  • curry-favor (for) somebody
    [cf, OED curry- favourer flatterer obs. → 1563] v. phr. 1. to give somebody an unfair advantage at work because of personal connections: The boss curry-favor ...
  • cursing
    /kóysin/ [W Car.] n. a quarrel; an insulting-match. cf. CUSS-CUSS (Black) ...
  • curve
    See CURB ...
  • curved accent: have a curved accent
    [etym?] phr. to use US Black slang. (Nassau, Eleu.) ...
  • cush-cush
    /kush kush/ [cf. DJE khus-khus cf. OED cuscus the long fibrous aromatic root of an In­dian grass...a perfume made from the grass Vetiveria zizenoides. . .1935 "an ...
  • Cushie
    /kúshi/ n. 1. [cf. DJE Quashie. . .cf. Twi Kwàsi, name for a male born on the first day of the week] a man's nickname: Joseph ...
  • cushy
    /kúshi/ [cf. CUSHIE 2] adj. (of girls) arro­gant, proud. (Eleu.) ...
  • cuss-cuss
    [Atlantic; cf. DJE koskos "cf. Twi kasákàsa to dispute; contend in words, but iden­tified often with English dialect cuss curse. . . a row"; cf. also ...
  • custard apple
    [Car.; cf. DJE idem "pulpy, custard-like fruit" but cf. also OED costard apple (Old Fr. coste rib) a large ribbed apple] n. 1. various species ...
  • cut
    n. 1. [cf. a cut of meat] a piece (of something baked): 1918 I stopped to beg de rich lady fer a bit o' bread ...
  • cut
    v. 1. [OED, to lash; cf. also Haitian koupe to cut; to whack HCEFD] to strike: 1966 He broke a little switch, started cutting him ...
  • cut-ass, cut-skin
    [Trin. idem (Winer p.c.); cf. CUT v. 1 to strike; also ASS, SKIN referring to body in general] n. beating: 1966 You the man I ...
  • cut breast
    (Exuma); cut potatoes (Inagua) [cf. cutting teeth, and potatoes breasts] v. phr, to begin to develop breasts: She only nine and cuttin' breas' already (Nassau). ...
  • cut bush
    [cf. CUT v. 2, BUSH 2] v. phr. to clear off undergrowth before planting: 1966 They going to this coppice where they cut bush (Crowley ...
  • cut down
    [Car.; OED, Pt. reduce (in price)] vt. to fall in price. (Black) -v.t. [cf. CUT v. 2] to clear off (undergrowth): 1835 A piece of ...
  • cute
    adj. (of girls) haughty: She playin' cute [i.e. she is putting on airs]. (Eleu.) ...
  • cut-eye
    [Pan-Creole; cf. Haitian kout je idem HCEFD; calque on an African idiom, e.g. Banyan A kpot a mak ne me (lit. she cut her eyes ...
  • cut-out
    [cf. CUT v. 5] n. accelerator: 1936 Dem plane take off dey muffler an' step on dey cut-out den. . .dey hook wing togedder an' ...
  • cut road
    [cf. Cut a path; also Krio mek rod clear a path KED; cf. Ibo mepu uzo (lit, open way) idem (Okolo p.c.); also Yoruba la ...
  • cut somebody
    v. phr. to withhold somebody's pay: His boss cut him (Nassau). (Gen.) ...
  • cut tail
    v. phr. 1. [cf. W3 cut out depart in haste; tail may refer to that of a dog in humiliated retreat, but cf. also W3 ...
  • cut-thatch, cutting top-palm
    n. a tree (sp?) like the silver top palm, which has fronds flexible enough to plait. (Gen.) ...
  • cut-up
    n. a salad, usually eaten as a between-meal snack: 1977 (Albury 157). (Andros, White) ...
  • cut up with somebody
    [W3 cut up show off, clown; but note quot. "She cut up with other men and after about a year ran off entirely"] v. phr. ...
  • cut your ass (or behind, hip, skin, tail)
    [cf. CUT v.], to strike; each object can refer to the body in general] v. phr. 1. to beat, assault: He gon' cut your skin ...
  • cut your grass
    [Trin. idera (Winer)] v. phr. to usurp someone else's prerogative: He goin' out with Jake girl-cuttin' his grass. (Eleu., Exuma) ...
  • Conky Joe, Conchy Joe
    [cf. CONCH 2, CONKY 1 + Joe anyone (e.g. G.I. Joe, Joe Blow, etc.)] n. a Bahamian white or near-white (about equivalent in emotional force ...