Jamaican Slang
Always changing, never ordinary!

To keep current with Jamaican slang, you need a teenager. So that's what I did for this page. I asked about ten teenagersto brainstorm (no, I didn't actually say "brainstorm") with their classmates to come up with the latest expressions.

So they gave me with a list, half of which I had to ask them to translate, or use in a sentence so I could understand their meanings! I used to think I was cool.

What especially fascinated me, was that some of the words on the list had gone out of style long ago, and were now reappearing, fresh and revived. Who knew words were like fashion?

Anyhow, here is a taste of Jamaican Slang, as compiled and explained by a very willing group of girls at Hampton School, St. Elizabeth, with additions by contacts in Kingston and all over.

A dat wid you That's how you are - used to comment on someone's (bad) habits
A mi fi tell yu! That's right - used to show agreement with something you've been told
A yasso nice! Expression used when one is having a good time (originates from an extremely X-rated song of the same name)
Bait up Set someone up for a downfall/ Cause disappointment or embarrassment (Yu a bait up di ting)
Beat dem bad Surpass, be better than anyone or anything else
Ben Upset, angry
Big man ting Grown up business/Honestly
Big tings Good things/Monetary success
Bill Chill, take it easy
Boom Listen up
Breathe easy Relax, calm down
Bush Look awful
Cheddar Money
Crawb up Looking good, something good
Crawful Outrageously good
Crawny Look awful
Creng Muscular, buff
Daadie A term of address, used usually by males talking to each other (see "Paadie" below)
Dat a shot/dat shot That's fantastic (used to describe something fabulous)
Deh pon a endz Gone out (usually somewhere nice)
Devo Used to describe a challenging situation/a rough time
Do yu ting Go ahead (do your thing)
Dun (see "shell dun")
Dups/Doops Friend
Fish Male homosexual
Flassing Spending big - buying drinks by the flask etc
Fluffy Fat, plump
Frass Frazzled/Tipsy
Fulljoy/Funjoy Enjoy, enjoyment
Gone Drunk, pregnant
Goodaz Hot, sexy woman or girl
Gyalis A guy who loves women/has many women
Happen Fabulous (e.g. Yu hairstyle a happen!)
Hataz Hot, sexy woman or girl
Hol' a medz/medi Meditate, relax
Ig Vexed, upset (Don't get mi ig)
Inna di morrows See you tomorrow
Level Calm down, relax
Live a luu Spoil the plan
Loud up di ting Expose someone's business
Luddy Lucky
Maad Awesome
Memba mi tell yu Listen up, take note
Mi a forward I'm coming
Paadie A term of address, used usually by males talking to each other (see "Daadie" above)
Pree Think about, examine, consider carefully
Rrrhh Expression of approval
Screbe/screbs An uncultured person
Seh one Great, wonderful, fantastic
Sell off Expression of approval (Di party sell off)
Shell dun/shell dung Do something fantastic, take by storm (Di DJ shell dun di place)
Sick Awesome (Da tune deh sick!)
Sort out Fix up, usually related to sex life (but anything can need sorting out - hair, clothes, complexion, finances)
Stulla Lover (male), sexually competent male, hot guy.
Stulliesha Companion to a stulla, female equivalent of a stulla, sexy woman
Swaggerific Extremely cool and stylish, full of swagger
Tek Fabulous (It tek!)
Tink Look awful
To di worl Expression of approval
Tun up Wonderful, great
Yu done know You understand
Yu swag tun up You're looking great
Zeen? You understand me?(whereas "Oh, zeen" means "oh, yes")

To keep this list true to the notion of "Jamaican Slang", I'll update it every few months, dropping off words no longer in use, and adding new ones. Those words that look like they'll be lasting, I'll shift to my page on established Jamaican phrases and words.