Lexicon (sneak preview 3)

September 2009 The Lexicography of Karl Andy Foster

A

All a crip \alacrip\ Adj.
First used in 1982. Means very well dressed clean and ready for action (Anglo Ras)

Anglo Ras Clot
Language created by David Beale and Karl Foster in 1978 during their time together at Secondary
School. The language is based on combining traditional English words and Caribbean Patois phrases.
This language is used describe situations that are specific to the two originators of the language.
The language has continued to grow for 26 years. (Anglo Ras)


B

Bad Girl noun.
First used in 2007. Playful description of my girlfriend (English)

Batty Roll noun.
First used in 1993. Toilet Tissue (Anglo Ras)

Big Wood Plenty Zeboaka Seed
First used in 1980. Found in a school History textbook next to a crude drawing of an ejaculating
penis and testicles (Caribbean source)

Blouse and Skirts
First used in 1976. My Uncle was heard to say this during a cricket match when England actually
managed to score some runs (Caribbean source)

Bottler \bot, ler\ verb.
First used in 1983. When I was working hard on my project work during my foundation year my
best friend rang up one day and he said to me “Come on Karl let’s go and get Bottler. I don’t know
where the word came from but I knew exactly what it meant; let’s get very, very drunk (Anglo Ras)

Box his jawbone (Caribbean source)


C

Cheups \chps\ noun
First used in 1975. Sucking of one’s teeth when displeased. I was instructed by my elders not to do
this but did it anyway (Caribbean source)


D

Do you see the light?
First used in 1982. Famous line spoken by James Brown in the 1980 Film The Blues Brothers.
(American English)

Drapes up (Anglo Ras)
First used in 1978. a particular way of looking at someone in disdain

Draw ‘pon dis Chalice
First used in 1983. Spoken by a Rasta man in the 1980 Film Babylon. If I see someone smoking on
a bong or a hookah pipe these words come to mind. (Caribbean source)

Duppy
First used in 1979. My Grandfather loved to tell us ghost stories and his description of a Duppy
scared me the most. When I feel something spooky is going on I explain that a Duppy is near.
Today I try to scare as many young children as I can with ghost stories. (Caribbean/African source)


E


F

Flim
First used in 1976. My mother always says Flim instead of Film. Along with ‘picture show’ and
‘the movies’ it makes meal feel nostalgic for the days when I first discovered the magic of cinema.
(Caribbean source)


G

Go long bout your bisness
First used in 1991. A rebuke. Used mostly to encourage wasps to leave my presence. (Anglo Rasclot)

Graveyard
First used in 1985. At a crit during my first year at Maidstone College for no reason I can remember
I exaggerated the word Graveyard when I explained the ideas behind my work. This pronunciation
was adopted by a couple of my peers and it stuck. (English)

Grim Reaper (the Reaper)
First used in 1986. Another Maidstone inspired term. I once spied said Reaper outside my halls of
residence. It was very frightening and I have been watching for his return ever since. (English)


H

Hoof
First used in 1982. A leg. (Caribbean source)

Hoof Cover
First used in 1986. Shoes. (Caribbean source)

Hoof Slips
First used in 1986. Socks. (Caribbean source)

Horse head
First used in 1987. My Friend Angus Mewse used these words often to refer to a decorative ornament
of a large horses head. It became a regular saying along with Fish head and Hard Sheep. I believe the
Horse head may also refer to the 1972 film The Godfather where a horse’s head is placed in the bed
of its owner to send a message from the Mafia. (English)


I

“I had to go to Reggie’s Jerry, Reggie’s”
First used in 2001. Quote from the Seinfeld episode ‘The Pool Guy’. George screams this during a
performance in a cinema. (American English)

Is these your faeces?
First used in 1982. When I worked as a cleaner in my youth one of my colleagues pressed me into
a toilet cubical to ask me if the feces floating in the wc belonged to me. I was shocked and made it
clear that I always flushed the toilet after used it. It made me laugh afterwards. (Anglo Rasclot)


J


K

Kiss Me up
First used in 1992. Request made to my former girlfriend/ wife when I needed a kiss. (Caribbean source)


L

Lean pon me
First used in 1991. Request made to my former girlfriend/ wife when we sat together on the sofa. (Anglo Rasclot)

Licks
First used in 1976. As a child my friends and I tried to get each other in trouble. When one of us was caught
misbehaving the rest would shout ‘Licks, licks”. (Caribbean source)

“Look for the 1 you’ll find the 2. 2’s 2ce and bad as the 1”
First used in 1986. Misquoted from Russell Hoban 1982 Novel Riddley Walker. Used when I realize that things
have just got a whole lot worse. (English)

“Lord Give me strength to do thy works”
First used in 1982. This was overheard from a cubical in a works toilet. If I’m ever constipated I recite these
words. (English)


M

Mash up
First used in 1987. Refers to the destroyed state of something e.g. The plate hit the floor and is mash up or
John and Jane’s relationship is mash up. (Caribbean source)

Me n’ know really you know
First used in 1980. Spoken by a schoolboy who was enthusiastically waving his hand at the teacher to pick
him to answer a question. This was his answer. (Caribbean source)

Me Yard
First used in 1994. Place of residence. Began using this when I bought my first flat. Usage; Big yard; Nice yard;
Get out of me yard. (Caribbean source)


N

Nug
First used in 1992. Intense cuddle. This is most effective in the morning when you wake. (Anglo Rasclot)

Nug Down Zone
First used in 1992. Bed you nug in and the time you spend doing it. (Anglo Rasclot)


O

Old and brocke up
First used in 2005. When I turned 40 I began to feel like this. (Anglo Rasclot)


Pickney
(Caribbean source)

Punani
(Caribbean source)

Pussy
(American English)

Pussy whipped
(American English)


Q


R

Rarted
First used in 2003. Used when you wish to show derision to some person or action. (Caribbean source)


S

Saw afraid
Quoted from the book of ? in the Bible. Used to describe someone who is frightened. (English)

Shopin Lisk
First used in 1993. Before going to the supermarket I will write my list and refer to it as a Shopin Lisk.
(Anglo Rasclot)

Student Rights: 10 Bottle of whiskey and 15 crate a beer man, that’s all you need
First used in 1985. Sitting in my room on the 1st day of my degree course I read through the Student
handbook. I read a page headed Students Rights. This sentence was my verbal response to this prompt.
I was recording my voice at the time so I had my words on tape to remind me of this throwaway
statement. (Anglo Rasclot)

Sweet Guy
E.g. Pricey sweet guy (Anglo Ras)


T

Teef
First used in 1980. A thief the lowest form of human life in my opinion. Along with racists and monarchist.
(Anglo Rasclot)

Tribulations
The trials of life can be described as ‘my tribulations’. Taken from the Bible. (English)


U

Under me sensi, under me sensi
Words taken from a reggae song heard in the early eighties. I think this is misquoted. Spoken in
anticipation of smoking a joint. (Caribbean source)


V

Vex
(English)

Vexation
(English)

Vexed
(English)


W

Wash it n’
First used in 1994. I took some cushion covers to my local dry cleaners in Balham. I debated with the owner
whether they could go into a washine machine. His response was to say Wash it n’. This term can be used in
many situations. (Caribbean source)

Wotless
First used in 2006. A worthless person. Think of a lazy, useless scrounger type, well someone who is wotless
is worse than that. (Caribbean source)

Wugly
First used in 1986. Ugly things displease us but I wanted to find a word that went beyond this Wugly was born.
I think it is a combination of Wotless and Ugly. “Granada cinema curtains wugly”. (Anglo Rasclot)


X


Y

Yampee
First used in 1989. The secretion found in the corner of ones eyes. Usually when you wake from a long sleep.
(Caribbean source)


Z