Constab Ballads/Glossary
A : I. Pronounced short.
a : it; e.g., “a be’n ondly” = it was only.
a : intrusive word; e.g., “a t’row”= throw.
a : by; e.g., “a day” = by day.
a : to,—as in “a school.”
a : is; e.g., “Dis a fe me luck” = This is my luck.
a’ : at.
abouten : about.
a come : is coming.
agains’ : against.
a-how : how.
aldough : although.
a-limber : gently waving.
an’ : and.
’an : than.
anedder : another.
a no : it is not; e.g., “a no true” = it is not true.
aroun’ : around.
as much wort’ while : of as much value.
a whe’ mumma deh?—where is mamma?
ball-pan man : vendor of patties.
ban’ : band.
bare-face : impudence.
barn : born. “From A barn” = since I was born; in all my life.
bat’ : bath.
bate : rest.
’batin’ : abating.
batter : toil and moil.
beas’ : beast; i.e., horse, mule, or donkey.
beat de eight : do eight hours beat-duty.
becausen : because.
bedouten : without.
behin’ : behind.
be’n : was, were; e.g., “be’n deh fret” = were fretting.
bex’ : vexed.
big-tree. A certain big tree in Kingston is the resort of idlers and vicious characters.
bluff : big.
bluff : insult.
boun’ : bound; bind, oblige; are bound.
’bout, ’bouten : about.
brukfus’ : breakfast,—the midday meal.
bud : bird.
bulldog boots : rope-soled slippers.
bumming : cadging, begging for gifts. The u has the value of the oo in book.
bungo : black African.
caan’ : can’t. A y is often slipped in after the c. Pronounce kahn or kyahn.
car’ : carry.
’causen : because.
’cep’ : except.
chat, all deh : all are saying (how bad the policemen are),
chicaney : tricky.
Chiny : the Chinaman.
chock up : right up.
chune dem : tunes.
clot’ : cloth.
comes-up : familiarity.
constab : policeman; of or belonging to the constabulary. Pronounce the con as in condor.
corpy : corporal.
’cos : because.
cotch : stand still or lie, and refuse to move. Cotch donkey = a cotching donkey. “Him always cotch” = he always cotches.
couldan : could.
couldn’ : couldn’t.
’counten o’ : on account of.
couple : few.
cram’ : crammed.
’cratch : scratch.
cut : sore.
cutliss : cutlass.
da’ : that.
dah : auxiliary; e.g., “dah dun” = is dunning; “dah sabe” = are saving.
dan : than.
dat : that.
de : the.
dead ’way : die away.
deat’ ; death. “To deat’” = exceedingly.
degra’ : degrade.
deh : there.
deh : auxiliary; e.g., “me deh go” = I am going; “me deh tell” = I am telling = I tell.
deir : their.
dem : as sign of plural, tacked closely to the preceding word. Thus “man dem” = men; “beas’ dem” = beasts.
dem : them, their, they. “All dem boys, etc.” = All them (those) boys with eboe-lights (eboe-light sticks), they are waiting there for me.
den : then.
dere : there.
dey : they; “dey do” = they have; “dey’d come” = they had come = they came.
diffran’ : different.
dih-ya : lengthened form of dere (there).
dis : this.
dis just.
dis ya : this here, for this.
doana : do not.
dog-driver : nickname for a policeman.
do’n : down. The vowel has a short dumb sound, and is followed by a slight g.
don’-ca’ : don’t care; inattentive.
don’-ca’ : nonchalance; indifference.
dough : though.
’dout, ’douten : without.
drop : atom; scrap.
ducky hen : a small short-legged variety of hen.
dus’ : dust.
dutty : dirty.
dyin’ out : very sick.
eber : ever.
ebery : every.
eboe-light dem : sticks made of eboe-light or torch-wood.
ef : if.
ef she gwin’ go lef’ we : if she is going to (go and) leave us.
Ef you ’low, etc. : If you allow the sun to get hot, grass-lice (small ticks) will surely “make you know” (punish you).
en’ : end.
equip’ : equipped.
fabour say : it seems.
fait’ful : faithful.
fat : good food.
favour know : seem to know.
fe : for.
fe : to (sign of the infinitive).
fe go mek : to make.
fe late : to be late.
fe me : my; literally, “for me.”
fe you : your, yours.
fingle up : finger; caress.
Finzi : rum.
flockin’ : crowding round.
’fo’ : before.
form : pretend, sham.
fortnight : pay-day, which comes once a fortnight.
’fraid : afraid.
frien’ : friend; in a special sense,—paramour.
full : fill.
fus’ : first.
fyahn : fern.
ge’man : gentleman; gentleman’s.
get fe write : get the opportunity of writing.
gie’m : give him; gave him.
gill : three farthings. “Gill bread” = loaf costing three farthings.
good, ’Fo we tu’n : hardly had we turned when. . . . . .
go’p : go up.
grass-lice : small ticks.
gro’l : growl.
groun’ : ground.
grudge : envy.
gwin’ : going (to).
gwin’ go lef’ we : going to (go and) leave us.
hab : have.
hamper : panniers.
han’ : hand.
harse : horse.
hea’ : hear.
him : his; e.g., him nose = his nose.
h’is’in’ : hoisting. Pronounce with long i.
hol’ up : hold up,—i.e., neglect to pay.
hound : chase.
hu’t : hurt, hurts.
i’ : it.
in-a : into the; in the; in.
ingredients : salt, pepper, butter, &c.
jack : donkey.
jes’ : just.
jesmy : jasmine. The buds are put in with the letter.
jine : join.
John-to-whit : the red-eyed greenlet. The name is imitative of the bird’s note.
Judge de feelin’s : Judge the feelings = just think.
juice : deuce.
ketch : catch.
kep’ : be kept.
’kin : skin.
kin’ : kind. Pronounce with long i.
kit: job.
know, mek you : equivalent to the slang phrase “give you beans.”
ko : look.
kue : hi!
laka dis : like this. The lak has the value of French lac.
Lard : Lord.
larn : learn, teach.
last, fe de : for the last time.
lay : lies; lie.
leas’ : least.
ledder : ladder.
lee : little.
lef’ : left; leave.
lib : live.
li’l, lilly : little.
limber : see a-limber.
’lone : alone.
’long : along.
love’ : loved.
lub : love.
mac : shilling, shillings; short for macaroni.
manchinic : Martinique bananas.
marnin’, soon a : early in the morning.
me : my. It is written thus in order to remind the reader that the y of my is almost invariably short.
me no know : I don’t know.
me poor boy : I, poor fellow that I am; poor I.
mek : make; let.
mek we : let us.
mek you know : see know.
mell : meddle.
’member : remember.
mese’f : myself.
middle. “In de middle road” = in the middle of the road.
mighta : might.
min’ : mind. Pronounce the i long.
mo’ : more.
mountain-side : in the mountains.
mout’ : mouth.
mudder : mother.
mus’n’ : must not.
mus’ smart : must be smart.
mussy : mercy.
mus’ wukin’ overdue : must be working overtime.
’neat’ : beneath.
neber trus’, &c.: never trust theirs as I can mine.
neider : neither.
no fe her own han’? = is it not her own hand?
no lef’ me : do not leave me.
nong : now. The vowel sound is very dumb and short.
northers : north winds.
not’in’ : nothing. Pronounce nuttin’.
’nough, ’nuff : enough.
no wuk : don’t work.
nummo : no more.
nyam : eat. A monosyllable like yam.
ob : of.
ober-bex’ : over-vexed.
ole : old.
ole-time : of or belonging to former times.
’ole : whole.
ondly : only.
ord’ly : orderly.
out : out of.
owna : own.
’panish-needle grass : Spanish Needle,—a fodder plant.
partly : nearly.
pas’ : past.
pass : path.
petater : potato.
play : pretend.
play out : deceive.
plenty : many.
’pon : upon.
poo’ : poor.
’port : report.
pupperlicks : head over heels; turning somersaults.
’queeze : squeeze.
rag : (such) fine.
raise : contribution.
rash : rations.
rather tryin’ : trying our best.
res’ : rest.
’res’ : arrest.
ring grand, was : rang out grandly.
risky : flirty.
roun’ : round.
roun-a : round the.
rule : regulations; discipline.
rum’s up : rum being about.
sabe : save.
Sah : Sir.
sake o’ : on account of.
sal’ : salt.
sail, in them : having a fine time of it. Pronounce sahl.
say. This is often an intrusive word of no significance: e.g., “Jes’ becausen say dem poor so” = Just because they are so poor.
Say mumma, &c.? = Does he say mamma is sinking?
see’m : see him.
seems : it seems.
self : even. “No wut gill self ” = not even worth a gill.
sen’ : send.
sence : since.
se’p me king : so help me God.
shedah : shadow.
shet : shut.
’side : beside.
shouldn’ : shouldn’t.
slimber : slender.
S.M. : Sergeant Major.
snappy: ill-tempered.
so : such.
so-so : only; nothing but; bare.
soun’ : sound.
sport : sporting character.
’spose : I suppose.
stan’ : stand.
swea’ : swear.
sweet me : give me pleasure.
Syrian-boy : negro working for a Syrian pedlar.
talk, wi’ sure : my eboe-light will surely talk,—i.e., teach you a lesson by means of the drubbing it will give you.
’tall : at all.
’tan’ deh hide : stand there and hide.
tarra : the other. Vowel-sound as in t’other.
tatters all : all tattered.
te-day : to-day,—usually accented on the first syllable.
tek : take.
tell : till.
’ten’ : attend.
tendin’ : looking after.
t’enk : thank.
’teppin’ : stepping.
’ter : after.
them : their.
ti’ : till.
t’ick : thick.
tief : thieve, steal.
t’ing : thing.
t’ink : think.
’tion’ : attention (standing to).
togeder : together.
told good-night : wished good-night.
to’n : town. The vowel is very dumb.
’top : stop.
’top sleep : stop sleeping.
t’ought : thought.
’traight : straight.
trick : tricky.
’trong : strong.
t’rough : through.
t’row : throw.
trus’ : trust; give on trust; take on trust.
try, wid all de etc. : try as hard as she may.
tu’n : turn. Pronounce tu’nin’ tunnin.
tup : twopence of the old Jamaica coinage ; three halfpence of the new.
two-an’-four : the ordinary policeman’s daily pay.
udder : other, other’s.
unno : you. The u sounds between o and u, and the final o is more like oo, but very short.
use’ : used.
ushal : usual (with the middle syllable unpronounced). Except for this omission, the pronunciation is identical.
v’ice : voice. “Ha’ no v’ice” = can’t say anything.
wan’ : want. The to after want is generally omitted. Thus “wan’ go” = want to go; “want see” = want to see.
warra : what. The value of the a is unchanged.
way : away.
we : us; our.
weader : weather.
wha’ : what. “Wha’ de doctor t’ink?” = What does the doctor think? “Wha’ de use?” = What is the use?—Pronounce the a precisely as in what.
wha’ it : what.
whe’ : where.
whe’ : who, whom. The e is short, as in wet.
wi’ : will; will be.
wi’ : with.
wid : with.
won’ : won’t.
wort’ while, wut while : worth while,—meaning profitable, serviceable, useful.
wouldan : would,—not to be confused with the following.
wouldn’ : would not.
wud : word.
wuk : work.
wul’ : world.
wut, no : not worth; is no use.
wutless, wutlessness : worthlessness, badness, rascality.
wutten price : worth his price.
wut while : worth while, i.e., of any use and profit.
ya : here.
yah : do you hear?—often thrown in without any particular meaning.
yerry-yerries : minnows.
yet : hereafter; in time to come.
you’ : your. The ou pronounced as in you.
you sick : you are sick.
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