Exciting Exclamations!

backside
The French say “Merde!”, the Spanish say “Madre de dios!” and Barbadians say “Cheese-on-bread!”. Every country/culture has distinctive expressions that are used to convey shock or surprise. Jamaicans are no different. Well… actually, I think we are different. My guess is that we have a greater number and wider variety of ways to express shock or surprise than anyone else in the world. The sheer number and unusualness of Jamaican exclamations would be sufficient for a Phd thesis. We won’t even get into the numerous exclamations that end with “claat”. Those would provide sufficient material for a year-long university course (Perhaps it could be called: “R.A.S.S. 101: Basic Studies in the use of Invective and Diatribe in the Jamaican Vernacular”?). The following is just a sample of the numerous exclamations found in the Jamaican vocabulary:

Backside! This one is popular with folks of my parents’ generation. (i.e. the over-50-not-quite-ancient-yet-set). It provides them with a way to vent without using vulgar words ending in “claat”. (The words ending in “claat” only come out when they see: (a) the damage you did to the car last night, (b) your university tuition fees, or (c) the phone bill with 47 calls to your girlfriend in New York.)

Blertneet! or Blertnaught! I’m fascinated to know how this exclamation came about. Is this even a word? English or otherwise? What could the inventor of this phrase possibly have been doing, or what could he possibly have seen, that so deeply shocked him that it caused him to spontaneously utter these words? Did he see a ghost? Aliens? Jamaica’s 2009/2010 Budget deficit?

Blouse an’ Skirt! Why blouse and skirt as opposed to “Pants an’ shirt!” or “Shoes an’ socks”? Who knows? All I can tell you is that this one was very common in the 1970s but, like bell-bottom pants and afros, it seems to have fallen out of popular usage since then. (So don’t go around saying “Blouse and skirt!” People will know you’re old.)

Blow-wow! Perhaps this exclamation was intended to mimic the sound of a gunshot? If so, it does a poor job of it. What kind of gun makes the sound “blow-wow” anyway?

Boxcover! This one is also popular with the old folks. It’s relatively tame and can really only be spiced up when it’s said more loudly and the delivery is stretched out a bit - as in “BOOOOOXXXXCOVAH!!!” Or, when it’s combined with other, more colourful exclamations. E.g. “Is how di boxcover dem expec’ me fi pay dis rass bill?!”

Brown dog! Yes, you read it correctly. Not “Brown Lion!” or “Brown Tiger!” either. “Brown dog!” is proof positive that Jamaicans can, and will, turn literally any word or phrase into an exclamation. Apparently all one has to do is utter the words at the right time, with sufficient force and volume, and voila, you’ve just created a new exclamation. Pretty soon everyone will be saying it. That in mind, ThingsJamaicanslove is proposing that all the readers of this article start saying “Gully rat!” and “Pum-pum yam!” and see if they catch on. E.g. “What the pum-pum yam is the matter with you boy?!”

Cock-ah-fought! (Cock-ah-fart) The origins of this phrase simply beggar the imagination. I hate to do it, but I have to ask: Did the cock break wind? And, if so, why? More importantly, why was it thought necessary to mention that fact? Could we not have let the whole unpleasant incident go by without comment?

Cooyah! This exclamation is unusual, popular and so distinctly Jamaican that it’s even become the name of a clothing line.

Jeezam! or Jeezampeas! This one takes me right back to prep school. Jeezampeas would have been the appropriate response if, for example, some little girl in your class tried to kiss you on the cheek. “Jeezampeas, Shaneekwa! That’s so gross! What yuh kissing me for?!”

Kiss mi neck! Sorry, I don’t even know what to say about this one… Feel free to e-mail thingsjamaicanslove.com with your thoughts.

Mi granny! Mi granny! is almost as popular is Mi mumma! E.g. “Mi granny! Look how Donnette get fat an’ sour!” Mind you, if your poor granny knew the circumstances in which you were calling her name she’d probably flog you within an inch of your life.

Pussnaught! See “Blertnaught!” above.

Rass! Rass is the quintessential Jamaican exclamation. It is timeless and endlessly versatile. It can neatly convey surprise (“Ah weh di rass yuh a tell mi seh?”) vigorously express anger (“Hey taxi bwoy! Move yuh rass outta di road!”) or eloquently communicate appreciation (Raaass! Girl, how you look so good?).

Rasta boogie! I had a friend who said “Rasta boogie” all the time. I’m convinced he made it up himself, though he swore this wasn’t the case. I would suggest you avoid using this one unless you want to be identified as uncool and hopelessly out-of-date.

Bookmark

Email This

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (23) Add Comment

...
written by W. Lloyd Bridge, May 30, 2010

Let us not forget the most smelly expression, "s**t house"

...
written by Liz, May 25, 2010

Cooyah! It deyah!

...
written by sharon, May 12, 2010

What comes to mind is not really a word, but the sound "chuups" usually used when we are frustrated (distinctly Jamaican). One day I drove up quickly to my mailbox, an area where the neighbourhood mailboxes are kept, ran out the car and tried to open my mailbox. My next door neighbour, a Jamaican was just ahead of me doing the same. I didn't recognize her at first. When I realized that I was opening the wrong mailbox, I made the infamous Jamaican "chuups". ("Chuups" no wonder this damn thing couldn't open). Suddenly she turned around and commented that the sound was all too familiar and she had to look around to see who it was. We had a good laugh.

...
written by Patrice, May 10, 2010

Yes Bumboo and Raahtid are classic!!! I am dying at work reading this! LOL! Tears!
Best example : â€œIs how di boxcover dem expecâ€™ me fi pay dis rass bill?!â€ smilies/cry.gif

...
written by Patrice, May 10, 2010

Yes Bumboo and Raahtid are classic!!! I am dying at work reading this! LOL! Tears!
Best example : “Is how di boxcover dem expec’ me fi pay dis rass bill?!” smilies/cry.gif

...
written by Pretty One, May 03, 2010

Yes rass is widely popular. My ancenstors are Bahamian and my grandmother (1st generation american) used it all the time when I was growing up in the 70's in Miami, FL, and at 83 years old now, she still uses it when talking to her great and great great grand children!

...
written by Oliver Campbell, March 22, 2010

Jamaicans were not always as accepting of swear words. Several of the words quoted are attempts to disguise the original swear word while making it quite clear what was meant. Backside therefore became 'box-cover', raas became raahtid. Other swear words which were used in combination had similar sounds used as replacement. Blood claat became blerd-naught, p***y claat became puss-naught etc. (Cleet is a replacement for claat) In the avoidance process 'Kiss my arse' became Kiss mi neck. The variety lies not in the swear word itself but in the number of the variations that can be made out of the limited number of swear words available.

...
written by Carmen Lawrence, March 10, 2010

I followed this blog from Francis Wade's blog and his enthusiastic response in reading it and I must say I'm grateful to him. That was two days ago and like him, I'm trying to ration my reading so it lasts! This is a rather funny, well written and interesting blog and I cannot stop laughing. Thank you, you are now in my "favourites" group,

...
written by Nadine Marriott, March 02, 2010

The word 'kaka' comes from Catalan , the language spoken in Catalunia, Spain.The meaning is the same . It is not an impolite word.

...
written by yaadgairl, February 23, 2010

Rather, late 80s.

...
written by yaadgairl, February 23, 2010

No, your friend did not invent rasta boogie. It was used, though infrequently, while I was growing up in the 90s. It's a Kingston thing.

...
written by claudine morrison, February 22, 2010

Very refreshing.....I love the fact that we are sharing something thats TOTALLY Jamaican.It means we are proud.Blessings

...
written by Mas Bailey, January 02, 2010

It's not cock-a- fart, it's kaka fart. Kaka means shit.

...
written by Man-a-yaaaad, December 25, 2009

You forgot "BUMBO!!!"......Bumbo was commonly used during election campaigns in colonial British America, to the extent that treating voters to gifts and other freebies during election campaigns was referred to as "swilling the planters with bumbo". George Washington was particularly noted for using this technique. His papers state that he used 160 gallons of rum to treat 391 voters to bumbo during campaigning for the Virginia House of Burgesses in July 1758...it seem politicians have been giving us BUMBO for long time...

...
written by Dudley Delapenha, December 14, 2009

The origin of 'Rass'.
I read your piece on the words frequently used in Jamaica and thought I would add this piece of information on the origin of the most used Jamaican word which perhaps has the widest range of applications and the oldest period of usage. It simply came from the reference to 'your ass' which was widely used through the Islands. Because we frequently drop the 'r's in our vocalizing many words, the expression was transformed to "you rass". Rass became a separate word and its versatility just exploded to be used more as an adjective but also as a noun.