20 Bajan Words That Will Make Your Trip to Barbados More Fun

The beautiful Caribbean island of Barbados is an English speaking country, which like many other countries has its own slang. Bajan slang can be a wee bit difficult to understand and as a fairly regular traveller to Barbados, I have been confused on many occasions when talking to locals that use a lot of slang.

I have put together a list of Bajan slang that I know will be of benefit to any tourists or business people that are travelling to Barbados.

Bashment!- Cool

a Bajan- a Barbadian, i.e someone from Barbados

Baje- a shortened form of “Bajan”

Cha!- an interjection meaning a variety of things from surprise to delight e.g: Cha, dat fella look so good! Cha, in hey hot as hell! Cha, you hear dat new tune!

Don’t watch na face - don’t worry about it

Don’t watch nain- don’t worry about

to flam with s.o: to flirt with someone

to be fagged out- to be very tired

Gipsy- too inquisitive about everyone’s business e.g. cha, you so gipsy

Hard- to describe just about anything good

Lickorish- greedy when it comes to food

To be mekking sport- to be kidding, joking e.g You mekking bare sport!

nuttin/nain - nothing

Pooch - used to refer to one’s buttocks

To be a pooch licker- to be someone who sucks up to people

To reason that - to think/decide that

Safe - Meaning “that’s cool with me”.

Scotch- In Bajan slang the word “scotch” is used when you want someone to move around so you could get a seat. For example, you may hear “Geh me a scotch dey so” (used like this it is considered rather impolite). The more polite form would be “May I have a scotch please?”Other examples are “You want a scotch?”, “Try’an scotch’on dey so”

To run a lot ah mout - to talk big

Whaloss! - normally means “oh my goodness”.

For anybody that is heading to my home city Aberdeen and the north east of Scotland, I have recently read an article which will immensely help you with the local language and can be for at the traverlersstories blog  For Those Heading to the Granite City This Summer, Learn The Language!

July 18, 2008 | Filed Under Barbados Essential Info 

Comments

7 Responses to “20 Bajan Words That Will Make Your Trip to Barbados More Fun”

  1. The Barbados Blog » Blog Archive on July 21st, 2008 4:46 pm

    [...] know as Bajan, here is a great article which, teaches you some of the most commonly used words 20 Bajan Words That Will Make Your Trip to Barbados More Fun. Bookmark It Hide Sites [...]

  2. jdid on July 21st, 2008 9:09 pm

    doan watch no face sounds decidely jamaican in origin. i dont remember that being bajan when i was there

  3. Dee on July 22nd, 2008 3:53 pm

    Love your list!! A couple things to note - a Bashment could also be a party or fete (or lime as the trinis say), and Scotch should be scooch (long ‘o’ sound). Same meaning though. :)

  4. garryaw on July 22nd, 2008 6:12 pm

    jdid I checked with some family members over at St John and they use it. But they are what we would call in back home in Scotland country folk.

    Dee thanks for your help, It is a big learnng process for me living here in Barbados.

  5. Barbados Proverbs That Will Come In Handy | The Barbados Blog on September 9th, 2008 6:26 pm

    [...] that I wrote which will also be  handy  for any visitors who are planning on coming to Barbados 20 Bajan Words That Will Make Your Trip to Barbados More Fun. Bookmark It Hide Sites [...]

  6. Abbe on December 9th, 2008 11:40 pm

    More fun word :-)

    Wash off = severe beating

    Foop = uhh… “fornicate” LOL

    Wunna = you, plural… you all, y’all

    Cawblem/Gawblem = Literally “God Blind Me” meaning, “oh My Goodness!”

    Sain = something

    Nain = nothing

    Wuk-up/ Spin Pooch/ Pelt Waist = Bajan dance to Soca music

    Gine = going. ex: Wuh gine on wid wunna doh?

    Rasshole — uh, yeah, don’t use that one, LMAO

  7. garryaw on December 11th, 2008 10:19 am

    Foop, I will try that one later!

Leave a Reply