You know they're Jamaican if they... (Jamaica)

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You know they're Jamaican if they...

By Cheryl Bernard

Published Nov 1, 2008

You know they're Jamaican if they ...

Express disgust by 'sucking' or 'kissing' their teeth

Point with their mouth

'Cut yeye' when upset with someone

Wear a 'frock', not a dress

Refer to fancy shoes as 'boot'

Stir the ice in their drinks to make it colder

Take the ice in their mouth and spit it back into the glass while drinking

Eat the ice loudly when the 'drinks' is finished

Refer to vegetables, yams, green bananas, etc as 'hard food' or just 'food'

Strip sugar cane with their teeth

Refer to any traveling distance as 'jus' roun' di car-nah!'

Have a lamp with a 'home sweet home' lampshade somewhere in the house

Never throw away any leftover food, no matter how small the portion

Pronounce the name 'Smith' as 'Simit'

Derive words of wisdom from 'Miss Lou'

Use words twice for emphasis (e.g. fool-fool, pyah-pyah, fenke-fenke,so-so, big-big)

Refer to 'horse-dead-cow-fat' with regard to a story

Can't enjoy Sunday dinner without rice & peas

Differentiate between 'spinners' and 'cartwheel' dumplings

Call all cute female children 'pretty lickle girl chile!'

Call all rude female children 'facety lickle gal pickney!'

Refer to anything of a sexual nature as 'slackness'

Go to the bathroom to 'Tidy'

Refer to their sweetheart as 'puss' or 'boopsey'

Suitcase smells like a combination of roast breadfruit, ackee, fish and white rum

Are male, and their first name ends in 'roy' (e.g. Glenroy, Leroy,Fitzroy,Ezroy, Delroy, Troy, Gilroy) or 'ton' (e.g. Linton, Clinton, Ralston, Welton, Everton, Barrington)

Are female, and their 'pet name' is Petal, Sis, Cutie, Rose or Lily

Nickname is Bunny, Reds, Junior, Frenchie or Doc

Have the name Oliver, Clement or Oswald but everyone calls him Tony

Meet half brothers/sisters for the first time in their teens

Have Dettol, Milo, or Bay Rum in their cupboard

Use Overproof Rum as rubbing alcohol

Refer to all Asian persons as 'Missa or Miss Chin'

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