Talking Trini: Trinbagonians have their own language, one of the most
fascinating languages on earth. The base of Trini is English, with words,
phrases and syntax borrowed unchanged from African, East Indian, Amerindian,
French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and other languages. Trinidad was a
Spanish colony until taken by the French and then the British 200 years
ago. Many Spanish place names have been Africanized: Diego Martin = Dego
Martin, La Brea = La Brey, Sangre Grande = Sandy Grandy, San Juan = Sawa.
A
Ah - Substitute for I.
Ahse - Ass.
Air - Ear.
Airish - Proud.
Allyuh - All of you people.
Alipang - Man's hair-cut.
Arwe - Ours, us.
Ash Wednesday - Ash Wednesday is the day after carnival.
Ax - Ask. To ask a question.
Ah-yah-yai - An expression of anticipation or pain, etc.
B
Bacchanal - A Latin word meaning 'drinking a lot' named after
the Greek and Roman God of wine called Bacchus. It is a revelery considered
obscene.
Back back - Suggestive dance; the male dancers front rubbing against
the females.
Back chat - Insolent response, especially from a child to an adult.
Females rear or vice versa.
Badderation - Problems, mischevious.
Bad eye, cut-eye - A look of anger or reproach, especially when
looking from the corner of the eye.
Bad-John - A bully, a dangerous man, a gangster, someone with
a reputation for hurting people.
Bam-se Lambay - An attractive female buttocks.
Bam bam, Boom-boom - Backside, behind, ass, bottom, buttock.
Basa basa - Argumentatve, confrontational.
Bawlin - Confused.
Baygo, Baigo - Tobago.
Beyganne, Biganne - The vegetable melongene, eggplant (Solanum
melongena).
BeeWee - BWIA, British West Indian Airways, the national airline
of Trinidad & Tobago.
Big pappy - Bourgeois.
Bobolee - A person who is habitually taken advantage of.
Bol-Face - Bold Face, Pushy, loud and wrong, unreasonable, demanding.
Boof - To insult, castigate, yell at or argue with.
Boo-boo-lups - Fat, clumsy ungainly person.
Boomsie - Backside, behind, ass, bottom, buttock.
Boushettte - The tip of the sternum.
Brought-up-sy - Showing that a person was properly brought up,
decorum.
Bragadang - In a state of disrepair.
Bragadacious - Boastful.
Breed - Impregnate.
Buh wait nah - But wait a minute, now hold on, now wait!
Buljol - A meal made of shredded saltfish, onions, tomatoes, pepper
and olive oil.
Bum-bu toe - A sore toe.
Bun, Bon - Burnt.
Bun-bun - Food left in the bottom of the pot.
Buse - To talk agressively to; to abuse verbally.
Buss Up Shut - Shredded roti skin, served with curried meats,
vegetables etc.
Burrokeet - Human donkey.
C
Calinda - A Spanish dance music. Trinbago had Spanish Colonialists
whose culture and music affected and influenced the island's music. Calinda
is a word for the early stickfights.
Carnival Band - A group of Carnival revellers, may be as over
4,000 individuals.
Callaloo - A dish (sort of broil/soup) made from leaves of the
dasheen bush, okra, coconut milk, seasonings crab and salt meat or crab.
It is like spinach.
Calypso - A musical and lyrical comment on any subject, profusely
composed for, but not limited to the Carnival season. It is the English
version of Kaiso which is west African.
Calypso Monarch - A title given to the singer who wins the Calypso
competition every year at Carnival time.
Calypsonian - One who sings calypsoes.
Caroni - An Indian village in Trinbago. Derived form an Indian
word. There is also a swamp called Caroni Swamp.
Channa - Chick peas, a nutritious legume.
Chantwell - A French word to describe a type of music and dance.
A Chantwell (chanter = to sing) was the singing front man of the early
stickfighters (calinda). For not being the first who got knocked out by
a hit of the bois, he has worn kind of a helmet made from pots and clothes.
It might have been the first form of Calypsonian.
Cheups/Steups - A derogatory sound noise made by sucking your
teeth.
Chinkee, chinkeey- Very tiny or small portions of anything.
Chupid - Stupid, foolish.
Chupidee - A foolish person.
Chutney - A puree spicy sauce from India and used in Tribago by
descendants of India.
Chutney Soca - The Indian version of Soca. Started in the 80s. Trinbagonians
will tell you: "Chutney is the most rum intense of all Trinidadian music
forms".
Coki-eye - Cross-eyed.
Commesse - Confusion, controversy, associated with argument, gossip
and slander.
Compere - Male companion or friend, god-father.
Conga Line - Wining in a row.
Conventional band - A large steelband.
Coo-coo - A traditional cornmeal pudding with ochro and vegetables.
Coo-coo nah a soak - Cannot agree.
Cork - Constipated.
Coskel / Koskel - Weird, strange.
Crack - Crazy, insane.
Crapo, Crapaud - Frog.
Crapo smoke he pipe - He is in a lot of trouble, he is already
done for.
COTT - The Copyright Music Organisation of T&T who represents
composers, songwriters, lyristics, and music publishers.
Cuff - To punch or hitting with a cleched fist.
Cunumunu - Coo-nu-moonoo - Idiot, foolish, stupid person.
Cut yu kards straight - No scheming.
Cutlass - A long knife. It was used by the Indians to cut the
sugar cane during their indenture ship in the late 19 c in Trinbago. It
was infamous for its use in fights, especially the Carnival fights. It's
other name is machete.
Cyaa, Cyah - Can't, can not.
D
Dan-dan - Fashionable clothes.
Dada head - Thick, hard niggery hair.
Dardy - Father.
Dem say - Gossip.
Dhantal - Traditional Indian instrument kind of "sounding metal
tubes", to hear in Chutney Socas
Dholak - Traditional Indian instrument, a drum played from both
sides, to hear in Chutney Socas.
Dimanche Gras - French for Great Sunday and is the title of the
main carnival event called dimanche gras night. On dimanche gras which
is carnival Sunday night the calypso competition and the King and Queen
of the bands are held. It is a spectacle to begin the carnival on Monday
morning (jouvert).
Dingolay - A word used by early Calypsonians and particularly
Kitch. It is a dance but a special dance with erotic and sensuous overtones.
It is a wine with sexual suggestiveness. It is a tease. It is used by women
who flirt and men who respond.
Dinged - Discoloured.
Divali - An Indian (Hindu) religious festival that is now a public
holiday in
Trinbago. It is a festival of lights.
Doe doe - Lie down
Doh, Dough - Don't, do not.
Dong - Down.
Doo doo / Doux doux - Sweetheart often used with darling, as in
dodo dahling. The French doux means "sweet".
Doogla, Dougla - A person of mixed race, usually African and East
India.
Dotish - Silly, stupid, foolish and dumb.
Doubles - Curried channa served between two pieces of fried bread.
Doughtish, Dotish - Stupid, probably from the English doltish.
Dress rong - Move over, shift, I need a seat.
Drevait, Dree vay - Way ward person, to knock about.
Dudup - A bass drum. It is a drum with two notes split in half
on the drum.
Dustbin - A garbage pan.
E
Eh Eh - An exclamation of surprise or indignation, often said
with much emphasis for effect. Eh - What did you say? Eh eh -
No, no way, oh no. Eh heh - Oh really? I understand. Yes.
Eid ul Fitr - A Muslim festival (fasting for one month) and is
a holiday ending with Eid ul Adha in Trinbago.
Enless - Plenty, endless.
Ent? - Is that not so? Thats true, isnt it?
F
Faddah - Father.
Fall out - To stop speaking with someone or to terminate a friendship.
Fed up - The state of being bored.
Feeding youh face - Eating.
Fete, Fet - A party, loud music, lots to eat and drink, dancing
to wee hours of the morning.
Flim - Film.
Founkie / foong-key - Foul smelling, stink odour.
Fresh Water Yankee - A person who spends a short time in the U.S.
and returns with a heavy American accent; originally, one who acquired
the accent by simply visiting the U.S. military base without even going
overseas.
Follow fashion - Imitating.
Free up - Relax, let go.
Fruit doh fall far from d tree - Children aren't usually different
from their parents.
Fuh true, Troot? - Yes that is true, Is that really so?
G
Ghosts - Sprits. It is a part of Trinbago folklore.
Good Night - An evening greeting, used when first meeting someone
or entering a home at night.
Grundig - A famous radio (from the German Grundig company) with
a powerful sound. It was top of the line among radios. In the 1950s Neville
Jules, captain of Trinidad All Stars steel orchestra created a pan which
he called the grundig. It was famous for its tone among the steelbands.
Gyul - Trini pronunciation for Girl.
H
Hair - Trini pronunciation Here or hear. Hair she (Hear she)
Also Hair he I'm quoting her (him) as in "I ask she 'But why you late?'
Hair she, 'You is meh mudder?' "
Hambug - To pester or bother someone.
Heritage festival - An African festival held every year in Tobago,
the twin sister island of Trinidad and Tobago.
Horn - To cheat on your spouse or lover, as in "She horning him
like reindeer!"
Hornerman - A guy who makes love to someone's wife.
Huggish - Rude, crude, mean; the behavior of a thug, gangster.
Hut - Trini pronunciation for hurt.
I
In truth - For real, no lie.
J
Jab Jab - A type of Carnival devil costume; jabs people with
his fork and demands money from passersby. The Jab Jab is the oldest Trinidad
Carnival character in existance today at the modern carnivals.
Jagabat Slut - Loose woman, prostitute; also Wajang (wah-jang)
or Wabean (wah-bean).
Jamoo - An African word. It is a form of Soca music with spiritual
content.
Jamboree - A gathering of community folks to celebrate an occasion,
for instance a Pan Jamboree.
Jamette Class - Jamette class are prostitutes of the lower class.
It is French of course.
Jomoline - Steel pan created in 1970 by Jomo Wahtuse. With 32
notes it covered the range from guitar to soprano. It's meant to be a solo
instrument.
Jouvert - It is French as many of the Carnival terms since we
got our Carnival from the French who got it from Africa and was developed
in the late 1880's. It stands for the opening of the dawn. It describes
mas in the early dawn on Carnival Monday wearing costumes of mud, old clothes
(Ole Mas), devil costumes or satirical themes. It starts around 4 am but
lately it is held as early as 2 am.
Jumbie - An African word meaning spirit. Used a lot to describe
a weird / eccentric person. Hence, a 'pan jumbie' is someone who's totally
consumed by pan. Some of the old steel band men even call themselves "pan
whore".
Junior Carnival parade - The parade for children at Carnival.
K
Kaiso - The first name for Calypso. It is derived from a West
African word. Later it was anglicized to calypso. Keep Kaiso alive!
Kings and Queens - Two individual 'royal' characters of mas bands
in the Carnival competition on Carnival Sunday night. They are also known
as King of the band and Queen of the band.
L
Las' Lap - (Last Lap) The last few minutes before the Carnival
ends at midnight on Carnival Tuesday.
Lef Trini - Leave Trini "Me eh see she again, she leave de fete
long time!"
Liming - Hanging out. It is a local term named after the lime
fruit that hangs down from the tree.
M
Maco - A person who minds other people's business for the purpose
of gossip.
Macommère - A female companion or friend.
Macocious, Makocious - A person who is prying, nosy a maco.
Mas band - Costume band during the carnival celebrations.
Mas Camp - The place where the mas is made for the Carnival. There
people gather all night as the Carnival costumes are made. A bar in Port
of Spain that houses Calypso shows for Calysonians is called Mas Camp.
Magga - Very thin, skinny.
Makaforshet - Left overs; from the French phrase ma ca fourchette,
meaning food stuck between the fork.
Maljoe - A blight, evil spell or misfortune.
Make style - Show off, tantalise.
Malkadee - Blight, unhealthy, ill.
Mama Poule - A derogatory term for a husband who seems to be controlled
by his wife, a weakling, easily taken advantage of.
Mama Yo! - Expression denoting shock and surprise.
Mamaguy - To fast talk or sweet talk, to try to fool, make fun
of or ridicule.
Mas/Mass - Masquerade, Carnival parade.
Mas Camp - Where costumes and floats for Carnival are designed
and fabricated.
Matter Fix - Everything is well organized, everything is OK.
Mauby, Maubi - Bark of the tree Colubrina reclinata used to make
a delicious drink of the same name.
Mauvais langue - To bad talk someone, or engage in damaging gossip.
Meh - My.
Melongene - Eggplant a vegetable (Solanum melongena).
Merasmie - Un-healthy, sickly looking.
Midnight Robber - A character in the Carnival. He is dressed in
a large hat with decorations and gives speeches to passers by.
Mih han slip - An expression used when too much of an ingredient
is used.
Minstrels - A Carnival charactere. A quartet with white painted
faces to imitate Americans. The Minstrels sing freedom songs of slavery,
accompanied by Guitar, Tambourine, Chac-Chac and Toc-Toc.
Mo vey lang - Bad tongue, slanderous.
Moko Jumbie - Stilt dancers, young men that climb and walk on
stilts during the Carnival. It is an African tradition. There is also a
history of the Moko Jumbie and how he (temporary) died out. He traveled
with a companion that was not on stilts, he collected money and the Moko
Jumbie would usually collect money from those people living on the 2nd
floors of buildings in POS. In those days the merchants lived over their
business on the 2nd floors. When the trams were introduced that was the
end of the Moko Jumbie as he could not safely navigate throught the many
crossing cables and wires. Keep the Moko Jumbie alive!
Mooma - Mother.
Mout open, tory jump out - Start to speak and everthing is revealed.
Mouter - A boaster.
Much up - To pamper, to butter up.
Mud Band - A J'ouvert mas band with revellers plastering their
bodies in mud from head to toe.
MUTT - Musician's Union of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the only
Non Governmental Organisation representing musicians in T&T, new founded
in July 2006 and headed by Patrick Arnold. MUTT is open to everyone and
it's the only union whose members have created an instrument.
N
Nah - No.
Nanny/Powder puff - Female genitalia, vagina.
Nastiness - An expression of disgust applied to a good-for-nothing
person.
National Carnival Committee - The organization that is responsible
for putting the Carnival celebrations together. Over the years it has had
many names. Once it was the Carnival Development Committee (CDC).
Never see come see - Someone recently exposed to something new
thus goes to ridiculous extremes.
Ning ning - Tired eyes.
Now fuh now - Instantly, right now.
No wherian - A person who does not have any fixed place of abode.
O
Obzokee - Awkward in appearance, bent or twisted out of shape,
misshapen, clumsy.
Ochro - Okra.
Oh gorm man/Oh shimps man - These expressions can denote shock,
surprise, indignation and admiration.
Oh geed! - An expression used when an offensive smell is detected.
Ohh gosh! - An expression used to indicate surprise or disgust.
Ole talk - Idle empty chatter, social chit-chat, nonsense.
One set ah - A lot of anything, plentiful.
One han cyaa clap - One hand cant clap. A bribe will grease the
wheels, be good to me I'll take care of you.
Own way - Stubborn person.
P
Pahtnah/Partner - Homeboy, used by older Trini males to each
other.
Pallet - Frozen lolly on stick.
Panmaker - The person who does the sinking, grooving and cutting
after the specification (i.e. length, depth, size of notes) of his Tuner.
Panist - Pan player.
Panorama - The Trinbago annual Carnival steelband festival that
started in 1963 where steelbands compete for the national title of steelband
of the year. The competition is run by the representative pan body
Pan Trinbago.
Pan Pusher - In the 1960s people used to push the steel pans on
Carnival days (some still do). There were no trucks to pull the instruments.
Hence, the word pan pusher to refer to people who pushed the pans.
Pan Trinbago - Organization responsible for the steelband movement.
This organization is the fourth pan organization formed to protect the
interests of the steelpan and panists of Trinbago. It's current President
is Patrick Arnold. Former presidents were Arnim Smith, George Goddard and
Owen Serrette.
Panyard - The place that house steelbands in Trinbago. It is so
called because the steelbands are placed in a yard, usually the yard of
the steelband's leader. There they practice and used the yard as a community
center.
Pa pa yo! - Exclamation of surprise.
Parang - Songs in Spanish accompanied with cuatros, fiddles, violins
and chac chac It is derived from the Venezuelan heritage of Trinbago. It
was started by members of the Spanish community. It is performed during
the Christmas holidays. Today you have many Calypsonians singing parang
music among whom the most popular are Scrunter, Baron and Crazy.
Parang Soca - Parang music done with a Soca beat.
Pelau - A one-pot mixture of pigeon peas and rice, cooked with
meat and flavoured with coconut and pepper.
Peong - Someone who seems to be addicted or obsessed with something.
Pesh - Money.
Phagwa - An Indian Hindu festival brought to Trinbago by Hindu
members of the Indian community who came as indentured servants of the
British colonials who ruled India at the time.
Pholouri - Fritters made with split peas.
Piarco - The international airport in Trinidad.
Picong - Doing jokes on a person in song. Most famous was the
Melody / Sparrow picongs during the 50s.
Pierott granade - Local clown-like carnival character.
Pickers - Thorns.
Ping Pong - The name first used for the steelpan. It derived its
name from the sound that was made on the pans.
Pissin tail - A person of no class or importance.
Planasse - To hit someone with the flat side of a cutlass.
Playin social - Someone who pretends to be of a higher social
strata than they are.
Plummer, Denyse - Trinidadian calypso sensation, also called "The
Queen of Calypso". Two of her favered songs we took for our web site, "Catharsis"
and "Nah leaving". We can recommend to buy her CDs. It's great music!
Po po - Very small child, a baby.
Pommerac - A bright red fruit with velvety white interior; could
have come from the patois for Maracas apple.
Pomme cythere - The fruit golden apple.
Pong - Pound.
Port of Spain - Capital city of The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago,
located in NW Trinidad.
Pressure / Preshah - Intense circumstances, rough times.
Prim prim - Disgustingly proper and formal.
Q
Quadrophone - Midrange instrument, as the name indicates a four
pan set.
Queen's Park Savannah - A large field in Port of Spain. The land
was willed to the people of Trinbago by an English expatriate to be used
for horse racing and other local events. During the colonial period it
was used by the English colonial gentry of Trinbago. It is said that it
was agreed in the will that nothing permanent should be built on the land.
Its title 'Queen' is so named after the then reigning Queen of England.
Qualey - Withered, dried up.
Quenk - An irritating person.
R
Raff - To grab suddenly, to take away something from someone.
Ragadang - Broken down, derelict.
Ram cram - Packed to capacity.
Rapso - A new type of music that merges Soca with American Hip
Hop rap music.
Rat toungue does sell e head - Disclosing too much will get you
into trouble.
Road march - Name of the tune of choice that is played the most
times on the road for Carnival. Up until the 1970s the steelbands decided
the winning road march.
Road March King - A Calypso composer whose tune has been adjugded
the most popular (played) for that particular year's Carnival.
Roti - A thin flat baked dough resembling a tortilla filled with
curried beef, chicken, goat, shrimp or vegetables.
Rude - Nasty, sexually explicit.
Rudder, David Michael - A Calypsonian who won three competitions
in the same year: the Calypso Monarch, the road march and the young kings
competition. Most notably is the fact that he never entered another competition
after that spectacle feat. He now resides in Canada. His CDs are sold world
wide. Great music!
Rumfle - Ruffled or wrinkled.
Rumshop - A local term for the shops that sold rum. The most famous
rum shop was Vasco Da Gama that was situated at St. Joseph Road in Port
of Spain.
S
Saga boy / girl - A male / female who is boastful of his or her
physical attributes, flashy dresser, dandy.
Sailor band - A mas that was played by steelbands in the 60s where
it was very popular. Famous sailor bands were USS Detroit played by City
Syncopators steel orchestra, USS Fleets played by Trinidad All Stars steel
orchestra, USS Skip Jack played by Tokyo steel orchestra.
Sampat - An unfair attack, out-numbered ambush.
Savannah - Short for Queen's Park Savannah.
Schupid, Chupid, Schupidness - Stupid.
Schupidee, Chupidee - A stupid person.
Screw pan - An angry or determined look on a persons face, usually
humorous and ugly.
Shades - Sunglasses.
Shadow beni - Cilantro, a herb known for its distinctive seasoning
flavour, used in cooking meats.
Shango - A religion (Yoruba) that is practiced by African descendants.
It is a mixture of African religion and Catholism. During slavery the European
slave masters forbade the enslaved Africans from practicing their religion
so the enslaved Africans hid the practice of their religion from the Slave
masters by disguising it and using Catholic symbols and language. Shango
drummers also heat and burn the skins of their drums.
Sharpe, Lennox "Boogsie"- He is the founding arranger of Phase
II Pan Groove Steel Orchestra. He was formerly a member of Starlift Steel
Orchestra but left because he could express his arranging abilities since
the resident arranger was Ray Holman. Boogsie left and form his own steelband,
Phase II. He is a prolific arranger who uses jazz melodies in his music
more than any other pan arranger. He has a dedicated following and is known
for composing and arranging the winning tune of choice for the Skiffle
Bunch Steel Orchestra at the 2000 World Steelband Music Festival, and the
WSMF 2005 pieces for Skiffle Bunch Steel Orchestra who placed second in
the competition.
Shif yuh carcass - Move over, get going.
Shrims - Shrimps.
Shub/Shove - Move or cast aside.
Skin up yuh nose - To turn up ones nose at anything.
Skinnin yuh teet - Grinning.
Sky-lark - To idle, waste time.
Soca - A modern version of the Calypso. Most people agree that
the late Ras Shorti I created Soca. Its beat is different than Calypso
in that its beat is on the bass rather than the drum unlike Calypso. Over
the years it has taken many turns as singers innovate with the sound.
Soca Warriors - Footballteam. Not just a team, but the heroes
of T&T, as they qualified for the World Cup 2006. Accompanied
by a 150-piece cultural team (Soca Caravan) they brought a taste of Trinidad
Carnival to Germany. They did not win the World Cup though, they won thousands
of new friends, fans, and hearts the world over!
Sometimeish - Moody.
Soucouyant, Sucuyant - Usually an old female vampire that sheds
its human skin and flies at night as a ball of fire, sucking the blood
of its victims.
Souse - Boiled pork or other meats served cold in a tasty, seasoned
sauce with lime, cucumber, pepper and onion.
Sparrow, Mighty - Mighty Sparrow is the greatest Calypsonian in
the world. He hit the stage in 1956 with his Calypso Jean and Dinah to
win the Calypso Monarch. He has won the Calypso Monarch more than any other
Calypsonian to date. He was originally born in Grenada but moved with his
parents to Trinbago when he was five or six years old. He is responsible
for giving Calypso its artistic character. From 1963 to the 70s he had
a Calypso rivalry with Kitchener, the Road March King. For many years the
road march titles were divided between them.
Spit in de air it goh fall in yu face - The evil you do will come
back to haunt you.
Steeldrum - A barrel for shipping/storage different kind of chemicals
and food, available in different measurements. The 55 gallon drum that
stores oil was used to create the first steelpans in Trinidad & Tobago.
Steelpan - A definite-pitch, acoustic, percussion instrument.
It consists of a circular playing surface made from steel stretched into
a concave shape and attached to a hollow, cylindrical resonator called
a skirt. This surface is optimised into a number of isolated convex sections
called notes. The instrument is usually played with hand-held, rubber-tipped,
non-sonorous mallets called sticks (mallets). The steelpan is such a unique
instrument that it cannot be definitively classified as either a membranophone
or an idiophone. It is the only hybrid percussion instrument in existence
today.
Suck eye - Too easy for words to describe.
Sweetie - Any confectionary, an attractive female.
Swell up yuh face - To look angry, to pout.
T
Tabanca - The forlorn feeling one gets when a romantic relationship
ends.
Tamboo Bamboo - Tamboo bamboo bands were the first mas bands
for Carnival days. They are bamboos cut to different lengths to get different
sounds. This was a before the steelband.
Tantie, Tante - Aunt.
Tassa Drum - A traditional east indian instrument. In order to
raise the tone to an optimal pitch and to tighten the skin a tassa drum
needs to be heated before one can play it. And then it's played with two
sticks. Also a tassa group consists of the lead, the supporting and the
bass drums as well as a pair of cymbals named Jhanji.
Teef - Thief.
Tent, Kaiso tent - A calypso or soca concert featuring several
singers, music bands and comedians.
Tick, Thick - Overweight as in 'She not real fat, he slim-tick'.
Tight - Intoxicated, drunk, stoned.
Ting - Thing.
Titty-vay, Titivate - To waste time or stir up trouble.
TNT - Trinidad and Tobago.
To besides - Besides which.
To throw watar on duck back - To waste your time, to make futile
attempts.
Toh-ty, Toti, ToTo - The Male genitalia, penis.
Too tool bay / Toutoulday - A confused state, in a daze, also
head over heels in love, a gullible person, a fool.
Too-bay-go - Tobago.
Too-nee, poom-poom, scizzors - Female genitalia, vagina.
Toolum - A candy made with molasses and grated coconut.
Tot Tots - Female breasts.
Trinbago - Short name for Trinidad and Tobago. In the 1970s some
people believed that the name was too long. It was shortened to Trinbago.
Today it is used by many people and even the local newspapers.
Trinity Hills - The three hills in Trinidad.
TUCO - Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organization. They aim to
present, produce, manage, conduct, represent, enhance, research and, in
all aspects advance the art of Calypso to the world through all available
media and entertainment forms.
Tumba - Conga. The tumba man is the conga player; el conguero.
Tuner - The person who does the pre-tuning, tempering / burning
and the final tuning of the steel pan. We don't pick up HOW to make a pan
in this ABC, since you can find that on hundred other websites. Anyway,
best bet is to visit a tuner at work, we are quite sure that he will gladly
show and explain you the procedere of his art work.
Two tounged - Deceitful.
U
Umpteen - Plenty of anything, very often.
V
Vampin - Producing a veryn offensive smell.
Vaps - A suddenly behave excitedly or in a strange manner.
Vex - Angry, vexed.
Vikiey vi - Evasive, unreliable, indecisive.
W
Wais - Waist.
Wajang - A roudy, uncouth person.
Warap - A very weak mixture.
Well yes! - An expression of disbelief.
West Indian - A misnomer. Christopher Columbus believed he had
discovered India and named the region West Indies but he was wrong. Hence,
the term West Indian is used to describe someone from the West Indies.
But, progressive people use Caribbean People.
Wet fowl - Sickly looking.
Wha happenin dey? - What's happening?
Whappen? - What's the matter with you? or How are things?
What sweet in goat mout does sour in he bam bam - Fun today
will cause problems in the future.
When cock geh teet - It will never happen; an impossible situation.
Whey - Where.
Whey yuh say? - What did you say?
Wine, Winin - A sexually suggestive dance using rthymic hip gyrations
that can make the hula look tame, best done to calypso music. Wining is
a gyrating motion made by Trinbago women. Its movements had erotic and
sensual connotations but it is very innocent dancing. Foreign sometimes
mistake wining for lose behavior. It is not. Men also wine.
X
Xylopan - With around 50 notes it may be the largest instrument
in the pan family. Its creator is Jomo Wahtuse (1995), it is a soprano
pan surrounded by eight satellite pans and meant to suit the Pan virtuoso.
Y
Yampee - Mucus found in the corner of the eyes, especially after
a long nights sleep.
You an all? - You too?
You so - People like you.
Yuh makin joke! - You can't be serious.
Yuh faddah head - An expression indicating disgust.
Yuh faddah is a glassmaker? - You are blocking my view.
Yuh look fuh dat - It is your own fault.
Z
Zaboca - Avocado, a salad fruit.
Zug up - A rough and uneven cutting of anything.
All phrases where taken from the Internet. We thank the authors.