Trini Tuesday-Meeting a Challenge

Thanks again to everyone who left well wishes for my boy yesterday. He is feeling MUCH better, but I am keeping him home one more day just to let that wheezing completely settle.

TTfootball and I issued each other a challenge. I challenged her to post on 5 consecutive days, since she is not a frequent post-er. she challenged me to write a story using 50 words from wikipedia's Trini slang dictionary. I ammended her challenge to include distinctively Trini words and phrases that may not be on wikipedia. So here goes...the story of this past weekend in Trini-speak, with some literary license taken. Definitions are listed below the story.

Gyul (1), I tellin' yuh. The chile (2) wake meh up bawlin' (3) at 6am Saturday. I thinkin', 'Eh eh! (4) Whappen?(5)' and the boy tellin' meh he ear painin' (6) him so. So I drag meself from the bed, yampee(7) still in meh eyes, and go to take care of the chile.

And so when meh neighbor hear the bawlin' she call over the wall, 'Yuh must go an' see the obeah man(8)! Someone put the maljo(9) on all yuh(10) is why the boy sick.' But I call back to she, 'Yuh have belly (11) being so bol' face (12). Zandolee, mind yuh hole!(13) You so macocious!(14) The boy just have the virus!' (15)

So I pull out the buljol (16) and hops bread(17) and fix up(18) for he. He say he feelin fuh (19) some mauby(20). I ask him if he wouldn't prefer some tea(21) instead. He says no he prefers the mauby and do we have zaboca (22) for the buljol? I told him no we ent (23) have zaboca. He tell me he really hungry and could I get it now. And I remind him hurry hury make bad curry (24) and say, 'Just now...just now.'(25)

By now the rest of the of the chirren(26) awake and looking for food. As they come to eat I remind them I goin' to a wedding later and Tantie(27) would be coming to stay for the evening. The oldest girl steups(28) and cry, 'Oh gosh(29), Mummy, but you know she always make us eat that nasty bhaji (30) and rice. Cyah(31) yuh cook us some good food before de fete(32)?' And then she carryin on like someone givin she bois( 33). I tell she to stop with the backchat(34) or I would give she real licks(35). So she quiet dong(36) but still yuh could see what a sometimeish(37) ting(38) she is.

So we have a bit of peace and then is time to dress for the wedding. Now I know this is not a real formal affair as weddings go so I ent want to be a coskel (39) but I want to look nice. so I pick meh dress and fix meh hair and when I come out the Mister(40), 'Oooh, the dress take you!(41). I like how yuh bamsee(42) lookin in that.'

Now we go to the wedding and is time at the reception. This real jokey(43) DJ get up an ask who is from the islands, he want us to dingolay(44). And he put on this kinda stale bit of music and proceed to try tuh show us how tuh wine(45). Well, I tell yuh, was like some obzokie(46)moka jumbie(47) dancing and I steups and say, 'Nah man, leh me show yuh how it's done.' An I go to the middle of the circle and show a proper....or improper Trini wine...I mean I get on bad(48). An all dey callin fuh me to work it. Just then I hear this fellow from meh table beggin, 'Doux doux(49), come and wine yuh bamsee on me.' Again, I steups and come back, 'Boy I may dingolay and get on bad with meh wine but i ent no jagabat!(50)'

1. Gyul-girl
2. Chile-child
3. Bawlin'-crying, shouting, not necessarily with tears
4. Eh-eh-expression of surprise
5. Whappen-what happened
6. Painin'-hurts
7. Yampee-the mucous collected in the corner of your eyes in the morning
8. Obeah man-practicioner of the local form of voodoo
9. Maljo-evil eye (from French mal yeux)
10. All yuh-all of you
11. Have belly-have a lot of nerve, guts
12. Bol' face-free with one's opinion when it is not asked for
13. Zandolee, mind yuh hole-mind your own business
14. Macocious-nosy
15. The virus-what any head congestion, sore throat, cough is called
16. Buljol-salt cod with peppers, onions, tomatoes
17. Hops bread-the kind of roll you eat buljol on
18. Fix up-get a plate of food
19. Feel fuh-want
20. Mauby-a local drink made from the bark of a tree
21. Tea-any hot drink whether it's coffee, cocoa, tea or milo
22. Zaboca-avocado
23. Ent- ain't
24. Hurry hurry make bad curry-haste makes waste
25. Just now-in a minute
26. Chirren-children
27. Tantie-aunt, or a term of respect for any woman older than you
28. Steups-sound of sucking one's teeth to indicate disapproval
29. Oh gosh-common exclamation
30. Bhaji-spinach
31. Cyah-can't
32. Fete-party
33. Givin' bois-beat with a long wooden stick
34. Backchat-sassiness
35. Give licks-spank
36. Dong-down
37. Sometimeish-moody
38. Ting-thing
39. Coskel-overdressed
40. Mister-husband
41. It takes you-it looks good on you, it's flattering
42. Bamsee-a person's bottom
43. Jokey-silly, funny
44. Dingolay-dance with abandon
45. Wine-dancing by gyrating the hips
46. Obzokie-awkward
47. Moka Jumbie-Carnival character seen on stilts
48. Get on bad-behave in a somewhat shocking or naughty manner
49. Doux doux-term of endearment meaning 'sweetie' (from the French for sweet)
50. Jagabat-woman of ill repute