RAATID ! : a common mild expletive of surprise or vexation, as in "to raatid!". It is likely a polite permutation of "ras", a la "gosh" or "heck".

RANKING : highly respected

RAS or RASS : backside, rump; a common curse is to rass! or rass clot ! a title used by Rastafarians meaning "lord" or "head" .

(TO) RAAS : "really ?", "damn !"

RASTA, RASTAFARIAN : a follower of Marcus Garvey who worships the Almighty in the person of Haile Selassie.

RAT-BAT : bat, the night-flying rodent.

RATCHET : a switchblade knife popular in Jamaica

RED :

1. very high on herb

2. mulatto color

RAHTID : expression of surprise, or to be enraged. From biblical"wrothed"

RENK :

1. foul-smelling, raw-smelling.

2. out of order, impudent, as in a rank-imposter. "Yu too renk!".

RHAATID : a curse-exclamation, similar to "what the hell"

RHYGIN : adj. spirited, vigorous, lively, passionate with great vitality and force; also sexually provocative and
aggressive. Probably a form of English raging.

RIZZLA : brand of rolling paper.

ROCKERS : reggae music (1) reggae music as it is played today, the latest sound.

ROOTS :

1. derived from the experience of the common people, natural indigenous.

2. a greeting

3. name for a fellow Rasta

ROTI : flat Indian pan breads.

ROYAL, (RIAL) : n. offspring of some other race and black, ass in "Chiney-Rial," "coolie-rial"; humorous as in "monkey-rial"

RUDE BOY : a criminal, a hard hearted person, a tough guy

RUN-DUNG : food cooked in coconut juice, obtained after grating the dry coconut meat and squeezing it in water, thus extracting the coconut cream.

RYAL : royal.

SAL'TING :

1. dishes cooked with saltfish or meat.

2. that part of the meal which is served with the "food" (starchy food, ground food).

3. by some strange extension, the female organ, often simply called "sal".

SALT : adjective, broke, empty-handed, low on funds or food, as in "tings salt" or "i' salt".

SAMBO : the colour between brown and black; someone who is a cross between a mullatto (brown) and a black.

SAMFAI MAN : trickster, conman.

SHAMPATA : n. sandal of wood or tire rubber. Span. zapato

SANKEY : n. religious song of a paticularly lugubrious tone, sung in the long or common meter. From Ira David Sankey, evangelist and hymnalist.

SATA : to rejoice, to meditate, to give thanks and praise.

SATTA : sit, rest, meditate ,relax.

(GO) SATTA : claim how spiritual you are

SCIENCE : obeah, witchcraft

SCIENTIST : occult practitioner

SCOUT : denoting inferior status

SCREECHIE : to sneak by

SCREW : to scowl, to be angry

SEEN : I understand, I agree

SEEN ? : Do you understand ?

SHAG : home-cured tobacco, straight from the field.

SHAKE OUT : leave without haste, casually

SHEG (UP) : verb, to bother, as in "all sheg up", all hot and bothered, or or spoiled up (as of work).

SHEG-UP : to be messed up, ruined

SHEPHERD : n. leader of revivalist cult; also proprietor of balmyard, healer and prophet.

SHOOB : to shove.

SIDUNG : sit down

SIGHT ? : do you understand ?

SINKL-BIBLE : the aloevera plant.

SINSEMILLA, SENSIE : popular, potent, seedless, unpollinated female strain of marijuana.

SINTING : something.

SIPPLE : slippery; slimy.

SISTER, SISTREN : a woman, a friend, woman Rastafarians.

SITTIN' : something.

SKANK : to dance to reggae music to move with cunning, ulterior motives

SKETELL : A very loose girl, a ho, Jezebel.

SKIL : kiln, as in "limeskil".

SKIN : rolling paper.

SKIN YOUR TEETH : smile.

SLABBA-SLABBA : big and fat, slobby, droopy.

SLACKNESS : lewd, vulgar lyrics popular in DJ singing.

SMADI : somebody.

SO-SO : only, solely, unaccompanied. Weak, pallid.

SOFT : not well done, amateurish; unable to cope broke, no money.

SPLIFF : large, cone-shaped marijuana cigarette.

SPRING : to sprout, as of yams or cocos, making them inedible.

STAR : common term of affection, camaraderie.

STEP : to leave, to depart briskly, quickly.

STOOSH/STOSHUS : upper class, high tone, "hitey-titey".

STRING UP : a muscial rehearsal.

STRUCTURE : body, health.

SU-SU : gossip, the sound of wispering.

SUFFERER : a poor person stuggling to survive.

SUPM, SINTING : something.

TACK : bullet

TACUMAH : n. character in Anancy tales. Said to be the son of Anancy. Twin'ticuma.

TAKARI/TANKARI : stewed spicy pumpkin.

TALL : long.

TALLOWAH : adj. sturdy, strong, fearless, physically capable. From Ewe talala.

TAM : deep woolen hat, used by Dreads to cover their locks.

TAMBRAN SWITCH : n. a flail made from the wiry branches of the Tamarind tree, braided and oiled. Effective and much feared in the hands of Babylon.

TAN' : to stand; usually used in the sense of "to be". "A so im tan", "that is what he is like"; "tan deh!" or "yu tan deh!" means "just you wait!". "Tan tedy", stand steady, means "hold still".

TARRA-WARRA : a polite way of expressing omitted bad words, a verbal asterisk.

TATA : n. father. Affectionate and respectful title for an oldman. Fram many african languages. Ewe, Ge, N'gombe.

TATU : a little thatched hut, often made of bamboo.

TEETH : bullets.

TEIF : a theif, to steal.

TOTO : coconut cake.

TRACE : to curse or speak abusively to someone.

TRANSPORT : vehicle.

TUMPA : from stump, as in "tumpa-foot man", a one-foot man.

TUNTI : female organ.

UNO/UNU : you-all. (5) pron. you, plural. In usage close to Afro-American y'awl. From Ibo unu, same meaning.

UPFUL : postitive, encouraging.

UPHILL : positive, righteous.

UPTOWN : the upper classes.

VEX : to get angry.

WA DAY : adverbial phrase, the other day.

WA MEK ? : why ?

WAKL : wattle, a kind of woven bamboo work used to make house walls.

WANGA-GUT : hungry-belly.

WARRA-WARRA : politely omitted bad words, same as "tarra-warra".

WH'APPEN ? : what's happening ?

WHATLEF : What's left over

WHEELS : vehicle

WHOLE HEAP : a lot

WINJY : thin and sickly looking.

WIS : vine, liana, from withe.

WOLF : a non-rasta deadlocks

WOOD : penis.

YA NO SEE IT ? : you know ?

YA : hear, or here.

YABBA : a big clay pot.

YAGA YAGA : Dancehall slang. a way to big up a brethren; to expressa greeting or attract attention, i.e. yo! or yush true friend; bonafide; brethren.

YAHSO : here (place)

YAI : eye.

YARD : home, one's gates tenement

YAWD : Jamaica

YAWDI : Jamaican

YOUTH : a child, a young man, an immature man

ZION : Ethiopia, Africa, the Rastafarian holy land

ZUNGU PAN : zinc pan.