In September 2025, the Oxford English Dictionary added 12 more Caribbean words to its official lexicon, several of them straight out of Jamaican Patois.

  • Bobolee: A stuffed effigy beaten on Good Friday; also means a scapegoat.
  • Broughtupsy: Good manners and proper behavior stemming from upbringing.
  • Bulla: A small, round, flat cake made with molasses/sugar.
  • Buss up shut: A shredded, flaky roti bread, commonly known in Trinidad.
  • Carry-go-bring-come: Gossip or a person who spreads gossip, dating back to 1825.
  • Cou-cou: A Caribbean dish made of cornmeal and okra.
  • Cou-cou stick: A wooden tool used to stir cou-cou.
  • Cry long water: A phrase indicating weeping excessively or insincerely.
  • Jamaican Creole: The language spoken in Jamaica, now recognized as a language variety.
  • Pholourie: An Indo-Caribbean snack of fried, spiced dough balls.
  • Saltfish: Salted and dried fish, a common staple.
  • Tantie: A respectful term for an aunt or older woman

These join reggae, riddim, and hammock, which have been part of formal English for years.

 

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The irony is sharp. The same dictionary that was used to define “proper English” against Jamaican Creole is now publishing Jamaican Creole as English.

Linguists at UWI Mona have been making this case for decades. The recognition was always overdue.