duppy
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Jamaica, circa 18th century. From Bube dupe (“ghost”)[1][2] (compare Akan adɔpe).
Pronunciation
Noun
duppy (plural duppies)
- (Caribbean, Jamaica) A ghost or spirit, often appearing in the form of a dog barking or howling through the night.
- Synonyms: jumbie; see also Thesaurus:ghost
- 1774, Edward Long, The History of Jamaica, volume 2, page 416:
- They firmly believe in the apparition of spectres. Those of deceased friends are duppies; others, of more hostile and tremendous aspect, like our raw-head-and-bloody-bones, are called bugaboos.
- 2014, Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings, Oneworld Publications (2015), page 257:
- Then on the left me see a duppy and try to run.
- (Jamaica, games) A drawn game of noughts and crosses (in Jamaica tii-taa-tuo).
Derived terms
- This term is one of the documented possible origins of Davy Jones. See more at Davy Jones' Locker on Wikipedia.
Verb
duppy (third-person singular simple present duppies, present participle duppying, simple past and past participle duppied)
- (MLE, MTE, transitive) To kill; to murder.
- 2008, Kingsley Ogundele, online message quoted in 2010 January 27, Rob Sharp, "CSI: Chatroom", The Independent
- He refers to his intention to kill a schoolgirl pregnant with Jolie's unborn baby – who the pair believe is giving Jolie undue hassle. "I'll get da fiend to duppy her den," he writes.
- 2011, Alex Wheatle, The Dirty South, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 176:
- He duppied my bredren and as long as I could remember Paps was telling me not to trust the Feds.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:kill
- 2008, Kingsley Ogundele, online message quoted in 2010 January 27, Rob Sharp, "CSI: Chatroom", The Independent
- (MLE, by extension, transitive) To excel in.
- 2011, Kano, guest on Lethal Bizzle, "Pow 2011"
- I duppied every rave.
- 2011, Kano, guest on Lethal Bizzle, "Pow 2011"
References
- ^ Cassidy, Frederic Gomes, Le Page, Robert Brock (2002) Dictionary of Jamaican English, University of the West Indies Press, →ISBN, page 164
- ^ “duppy”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
Jamaican Creole
Etymology
Possibly derived from Bube dupe (“ghost”)[1] or Akan adɔpe.[2] Compare Bajan duppy.
Pronunciation
Noun
duppy (plural duppy dem, quantified duppy) (Cassidy/JLU orthography spelling dopi)
- ghost; an evil spirit; duppy; poltergeist (ghost)
- Yuh fraid a duppy?
- Are you afraid of ghosts?
- Di duppy dem a mash up di place.
- The poltergeists are wrecking the place.
- 2018, “Man uses obeah to chase duppies from house”, in The Jamaica Star (in English):
- “Duppy did inna me house one time. Dem did a mek me couldn’t sleep […] ”
- Once there were poltergeists in my home. I had trouble sleeping because of them
See also
References
- ^ Cassidy, Frederic Gomes, Le Page, Robert Brock (2002) Dictionary of Jamaican English, University of the West Indies Press, →ISBN, page 164
- ^ Richard Allsopp, editor (1996), Dictionary of Caribbean English Usage, Kingston, Jamaica: University of the West Indies Press, published 2003, →ISBN, page 207