55 Trini Expressions and their Meaning

Trinidad and Tobago has a rich, diverse culture with many unique sayings.

Here are a couple Trini expressions that I know and my interpretations of them.

Feel free to add to this list in the comments below.

Trini words

Before getting into the Trini expressions, here are a couple terms you will come across in many of them:

• ah – I
• buh – but
• dan – than
• dat – that
• de – the
• doh – don’t
• meh – my
• yuh – you

Food related Trini expressions

Since this is a food blog, I thought I’d start with the food related Trini expressions first.

#1. What doh kill does fatten: if you think food may be harmful, it’ll either cause you to get sick or absolutely nothing will happen. This has similarities in meaning to the 5 second rule.

#2. Better belly buss dan good food waste: it is better to overeat than to waste food.

#3. It have good food home: there is already cooked (usually healthy) food at home and there is no need to buy food. This is often said by moms to their kids when they want fast food.

#4. Boil down like bhaji: reduce in size, like the reduction in the volume of spinach (bhaji) that happens after cooking. This can also apply to an angry person who suddenly becomes calm when an authoritative figure enters the room.

#5. Eat sumtin before yuh go: eat (or drink) something before you go is immortalized in Trini songs, especially Christmas music. It shows Trini hospitality in ensuring you are well fed and not thirsty when leaving someone’s home.

#6. Pot tun dong: pot turn down means the person responsible for cooking is taking some time off. This especially happens during mango season.

#7. Meh hand slip: too much of a particular ingredient was added to a dish like salt or a particular seasoning. This can also be used to explain an accident due to clumsiness.

#8. Lickrish: greediness for food.

#9. When yuh eat from pot rain go fall on yuh wedding: this is warning to kids to not eat food straight out of the pot, otherwise there will be heavy rainfall on their wedding day.

Food terms

Here are a couple common food terms:

• brof – broth
• cripsy: crispy
• pootigal: portugal fruit
• strims: shrimp
• sweet drink: soft drink, cola
• tambran: tamarind
• zaboca: avocado

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Solid life advice

#10. One hand doh clap: no one can go through life without a little help from others. This is often used to explain why we are helping someone or in response to someone thanking us.

#11. Beat de iron while it hot: Take advantage of positive situations whenever given the opportunity.

#12. Doh cut off yuh nose to spoil yuh face: don’t go above and beyond to please or affect others while compromising yourself. This comes from the saying “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face.”

#13. Doh let yuh left hand know what yuh right hand doing: don’t share everything going on in your life with one person, since that person could possibly betray your confidence in some way.

#14. Friends does carry yuh but they doh bring yuh back: bad company will use you and encourage you to get into compromising situations but will abandon you when things go bad. It is a warning to choose your friends wisely.

#15. All skin teeth eh laugh: not all people who smile and hang out with you are to be trusted.

#16. Take front before front take yuh: confront a situation quickly to resolve it or own up to your mistakes without being asked. This could also mean being prepared especially for emergencies.

#17. Doh drink medicine for other people fever: don’t involve yourself in another person’s conflict.

#18. Cockroach have no place in fowl business: same as above; don’t involve yourself in another person’s argument, otherwise you could end up hurt in some way. This analogy comes from cockroaches being pecked when they enter chicken coops.

#19. Yuh cyah play mas if yuh fraid powder: you can’t criticize others if you cannot take criticism yourself. This comes from sailor mass in Carnival parades where baby powder is thrown by and on masqueraders.

#20. Doh trouble trouble until trouble trouble yuh: avoid problematic situations as much as you can.

#21. New broom does sweep clean, but old broom know all de corners: young persons have a lot of energy, but older persons have more experience. This is often used as a warning about leaving a marriage for a newer partner that may not be better in the long term.

#22. When de neighbor house on fire, wet yours: be proactive to protect yourself and your own before trying to help others.

#23. Band yuh belly: or tighten your belt means tough times are ahead and you may need to adjust your lifestyle

#24. Doh make track for gouti to run: don’t overwork to create opportunities for others to benefit at your expense. Making track generally refers to clearing grass and gouti is short for agouti, a rodent that is often eaten as wild meat. So, the phrase can also mean clearing of land for other people to access, use, abuse and even steal. Personal story – hubby cleared grass along the length of our wall and someone used that ‘track’ to steal from our fruit trees… they picked out ALL the grapefruits and didn’t leave any! 🙁

#25. Monkey know which tree to climb: opportunists and users know who to take advantage of (usually kind, generous persons).

More Trini expressions

#26. Trinidad is not a real place: expression of disbelief and angst towards news or events happening in T&T that seem too ridiculous, silly, terrible or corrupt to be true… but are true.

#27. Spinnin’ top in mud: repeating the same actions over and over again and never getting past square one. This means being stuck in mud even when tyres are moving.

#28. God is a Trini: faith that disaster will be averted and T&T will be spared. This is often used to reassure and reduce fear when it comes to hurricanes since T&T is south of the hurricane belt.

#29. God doh sleep: God sees all and what goes around, comes around. This is sometimes used to reassure others that justice always happens.

#30. Jeez an ages: usually an expression of disbelief related to the weather, long wait times, etc. Similar to omg.

#31. Behind God back: refers to a distant, rural area… like Biche.

#32. Aye yah yai: expression of excitement.

#33. Doh dig no horrors or doh hot yuh head: don’t worry.

#34. Give Jack his jacket: recognize a person for their good deeds, achievements, etc.

#35. Bucket a drop: high intensity, heavy rainfall especially with large rain drops.

#36. Who have cocoa in de sun always looking out for rain: if you are involved in illegal activities, you will always be worried about getting caught. This is especially used to describe corrupt people and politicians.

#37. Dig out meh eye: accusation of being robbed or disadvantaged. This is especially used when shopping and seeing high prices.

#38. Maco (n) or macocious (adj): nosy or curious about a dramatic situation like an accident, argument, fight, etc. Maco traffic happens when drivers slow down to observe a vehicle, accident, or police.

#39. Bacchanal or commess: juicy drama, gossip, or trouble involving others.

#40. De mark buss: secrets and gossip exposed about situations or persons, especially those who appear decent.

#41. Get horn: cheated on by a romantic partner.

Trini insults

#42. Hull yuh mudda c$nt (hymc) or hull yuh a$$: an expression of annoyance, similar in meaning to f- you.

#43. Dotish: foolish, stupid.

#44. Like yuh went to school in August and yuh bess subject was recess: Another Trini expression for calling someone stupid or uneducated. The school year ends in early July; there’s no school in August. And there is no teaching done during recess time.

#45. Never see come see: used to describe an excitable person who has never seen or experienced a common thing and wants to share their new excitement. This is especially used when sheltered persons travel abroad and are exposed to new systems, weather, etc. The saying is similar to fresh off the boat.

#46. Yuh father is a glassmaker or wha: you aren’t made out of glass and blocking someone’s view.

#47. Yuh look for dat or it good for yuh: you deserve the bad that is happening to you because of your own actions.

#48. Crapaud smoke yuh pipe: you are in big trouble.

#49. Yuh farse and outa place: you are too curious, rude, and overstepping an unspoken boundary.

#50. Dog doh make cat: the behavior of children are learned from their parents. This follows the saying the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

#51. Bad like crab: angry, violent person.

#52. Crab in a barrel: a group of selfish individuals who would rather pull each other down that uplift each other.

#53. He/she get up on the wrong side of the bed: someone is in a bad mood.

#54. Yuh better hush yuh mouth before I give yuh something to cry for: threat from parents to children warning them to be quiet and stop crying.

#55. Yuh feel yuh is Princess Margaret: do you think you are deserving of special treatment and can be rebellious.

Which are your favorite Trini expressions? Let me know in the comments below.