de

“He went to’ds de back, ma’am.” The negro opened the door and slid his legs, clad in army O.D. and a pair of linoleum putties, to the ground. “‘I’ll go git ’im.”’

1964 [1929], William Faulkner, Sartoris (The Collected Works of William Faulkner), London: Chatto & Windus, page 22:

So I'll prolly say de biggest threat to Bermy is de new selfish mentality like, she ank helpin no one in de end.

2013 April 12, “Exclusive: Meet Derpuntae - Bermuda's first meme”, in The Bermuda Sun, archived from the original on 2022-12-12:

Pronunciation spelling
pronunciation spelling

(African-American Vernacular, Bermuda, Caribbean, Jamaica) Pronunciation spelling of the.

African-American Vernacular; Bermuda; African-American Vernacular; Bermuda


mice

en-verb

mice (third-person singular simple present mices, present participle micing, simple past and past participle miced)

mices (present singular third-person)
micing (participle present)
miced (participle past)
miced (past)

From Middle English mys, mice, muis, mise, mis, from Old English mȳs (“mice”), from an umlauted form of Proto-Germanic *mūsiz (“mice”), nominative and vocative plural of Proto-Germanic *mūs (“mouse”). Compare Scots mice, mise, myse, myce (“mice”), West Frisian mûzen (“mice”), Dutch muizen (“mice”), German Mäuse (“mice”), Swedish möss (“mice”), Faroese mýs (“mice”), Icelandic mýs (“mice”). More at mouse.

That cat's mysin, he doesn't see the dog coming.

1984, Peter A. Smith, Fred M. Barritt, Bermewjan Vurds, Island Press:

A breakfast diner might describe an incident with someone who was "not too tightly wrapped". Or not wanting to waste time on someone who was always "micin". Another breakfast guest might explode with "what'chu mean?", only to be told half-jokingly, “Bie ... shut yor mouth”.

2015 December 9, Jack Gauntlett, “Bermudian sayings always raise a smile”, in The Royal Gazette, archived from the original on 2022-12-11:

(Bermuda, chiefly in the form micin) To be distracted or inattentive (possibly alluding to a cat being distracted by a mouse).


pure

en-adj

pure (comparative purer or more pure, superlative purest or most pure)

purer (comparative)
more pure (comparative)
purest (superlative)
most pure (superlative)

contaminated

antonym(s) of “free of foreign material”

corrupt

antonym(s) of “free of immoral behavior”

→ Welsh: piwr

From Middle English pure, pur, from Old French pur, from Latin pūrus (“clean, free from dirt or filth, unmixed, plain”), from Proto-Indo-European *pewH- (“to cleanse, purify”). Displaced native Middle English lutter (“pure, clear, sincere”) (from Old English hlūtor, hluttor), Middle English skere (“pure, sheer, clear”) (from Old English scǣre and Old Norse skǣr), Middle English schir (“clear, pure”) (from Old English scīr), Middle English smete, smeate (“pure, refined”) (from Old English smǣte; compare Old English mǣre (“pure”)).

noncog

Well when ah's youngah, ah'd just light a candle rahn de dinna table play pure crazy 8s and spades vif my brotha til we lot dozed off...


ax

en-verb

ax (third-person singular simple present axes, present participle axing, simple past and past participle axed)

axes (present singular third-person)
axing (participle present)
axed (participle past)
axed (past)

From Middle English axen, aksen, axien, from Old English ācsian and āxian, showing metathesis from āscian. Ax/aks was common in literary works until about 1600.

When they were come togedder, they axed off hym, sayinge: Master wilt thou at this tyme restore agayne the kyngdom of israhel?

1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts:

Dolly: And if so be, why did you ax me to keep you company? Housekeeper wants me below to pick raisins.

1836, Joanna Baillie, The Alienated Manor, act 4:

Ar try who'l ax em the hardest riddle,
Ar soonest vind out oone put us, true...

1879, William Barnes, “The Welshnut Tree”, in Complete Poems, volume 1, page 106:

Richard Dauntless: "But, axin' your pardon, miss, might I be permitted to salute the flag I'm a-goin' to sail under?"

1887, Gilbert and Sullivan, Ruddigore, act 1:

‘I axed him if he knowed the way and he said he had not fergitten the lay of the land.’

1979, Verna Mae Slone, What My Heart Wants to Tell, page 18:

Wise: Your boy left here a while ago
Johnson: I ain' lookin' for him. He at his granmother's. I wanted to ax you somethin'.

2006 Sept. 17, David Mills, "Soft Eyes", The Wire, 00:19:01

He's cool. Does triathlons dahn de Sahn. Don't drink. Ax me if I want a lift to de beach — he hurd it's a dahnce goin on dahn thurr.

2013 September 5, James Burton, The Bermuda Sun, archived from the original on 2022-12-12:

(now nonstandard or dialectical, especially African-American Vernacular, MLE and Bermuda) Alternative form of ask

especially African-American Vernacular; MLE and Bermuda; especially African-American Vernacular; MLE and Bermuda


well

en-adj

well (comparative better or weller, superlative best or wellest)

better (comparative)
weller (comparative)
best (superlative)
wellest (superlative)

From Middle English wel, wal, wol, wele, from Old English wel (“well, abundantly, very, very easily, very much, fully, quite, nearly”), from Proto-Germanic *wela, *wala (“well”, literally “as wished, as desired”), from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“wish, desire”).
Cognate with Scots wele, weil (“well”), North Frisian wel, weil, wal (“well”), West Frisian wol (“well”), Dutch wel (“well”), Low German wol (“well”), German wol, wohl (“well”), Norwegian and Danish vel (“well”), Swedish väl (“well”), Icelandic vel, val (“well”). Related to will.

der

This wahoo tastes val.

Drunk, like, a gallon of orange mindral. Tasted wel.

2013 September 5, James Burton, “Burton's Banter: Our rich dialogue — as moreish as a cold burr...”, in The Bermuda Sun, archived from the original on 2022-12-12:

(archaic, now chiefly Bermuda) Good to eat; tasty, delicious.


mug

en-adj

mug (comparative mugger, superlative muggest)

mugger (comparative)
muggest (superlative)

Early 16th century (originally Scots and northern English, denoting "earthenware, pot, jug"), of unknown origin, perhaps from North Germanic (compare Swedish mugg (“mug, jug”), Norwegian mugge (“pitcher, open can for warm drinks”), Danish mugge), or Low German mokke, mukke (“mug”), German Low German Muck (“drinking cup”), Dutch mok (“mug”), also of unknown origin. Perhaps related to Old English muga (“stack”) and Old Norse múgr (“mass, heap (of corn)”). Compare also Middle English mug, mog (“a measure of salt”).
"Face" sense possibly from grotesque faces on certain drinking vessels. "Assault" sense of verb possibly from hitting someone in the face.

cog

But anyways, I stayed back a second year and my papa was visiting when momma was opening de report card. Papa gave me de muggest moment in my life like.

So... complaining about Bermuda being boring/mug on a constant does what exactly?

2020 February 4, @makim_ori, Twitter, archived from the original on 2023-07-07:

(Bermuda, slang) Uninteresting or unpleasant.


crucial

en-adj

crucial (comparative more crucial, superlative most crucial)

more crucial (comparative)
most crucial (superlative)

→ French: crucial (semantic loan)

→ Romanian: crucial

→ Italian: cruciale

→ Spanish: crucial

1706, from French crucial, a medical term for ligaments of the knee (which cross each other), from Latin crux, crucis (“cross”) (English crux), from the Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, to bend”).
The meaning “decisive, critical” is extended from a logical term, Instantias Crucis, adopted by Francis Bacon in his influential Novum Organum (1620); the notion is of cross fingerboard signposts at forking roads, thus a requirement to choose.

der

Delbert Wilkins is the most crucial pirate radio DJ in Brixton.

(slang, especially Jamaica, Bermuda) Very good; excellent; particularly applied to reggae music.


bluefish

en-noun

bluefish (countable and uncountable, plural bluefishes or bluefish)

(Bermuda) The puddingwife wrasse (Halichoeres radiatus).


dogfish

From dog + fish. Compare Greek σκυλόψαρο (skylópsaro, “dogfish”), Latin canicula (“dogfish”, literally “little dog”), Italian pescecane (“dogfish”), French chien de mer (literally “dog of the sea”), German Meerhund (literally “seadog”) and Hundfisch (“dogfish”), and English seadog. For non-Indo-European cognates, see Maltese kelb il-baħar (literally “dog of the sea”) and Turkish köpek balığı (“shark”), likely calques from Indo-European languages.

Dornhaiartige

small sharks of the Scyliorhinidae, Dalatiidae and Squalidae families

dogfish orientalis

a grunt native to coral reefs of the western Pacific Ocean

Plunket's dogfish (Centroscymnus plunketi

rasptooth dogfish (Etmopterus sheikoi

alternately known as Miroscyllium sheikoi

Any of various small sharks
(Bermuda) Mustelus canis

Any of various small sharks
Mustelus canis


gribble

en-adj

gribble (comparative more gribble, superlative most gribble)

more gribble (comparative)
most gribble (superlative)

You're always gribble first thing in the morning.

(Bermuda) Tending to grumble; grumpy, irascible.


aks

en-verb

aks (third-person singular simple present aks or akses, present participle aksing, simple past and past participle aksed)

aks (present singular third-person)
akses (present singular third-person)
aksing (participle present)
aksed (participle past)
aksed (past)

From Old English acsian (“ask”); see ax for more.

AKS, ask.

1865, William Stott Banks, A List of Provincial Words in Use at Wakefield in Yorkshire, London: J.R.Smith, page 3:

Another thing, kid, don't aks me no more questions tonight.

2004, Larry Dean Hamilton, A Gathering of Angels, page 132:

(dialectal, now chiefly West Africa, African-American Vernacular, MLE, Bermuda, West Country, Maori English and Ireland) To ask.

African-American Vernacular; Bermuda; Maori English and Ireland; African-American Vernacular; Bermuda; Maori English and Ireland


longtail

Phaethon lepturus
Phaethon lepturus#Translingual

(Bermuda) Phaethon lepturus, the white-tailed tropicbird.

(Bermuda, by extension) A young, unattached female tourist.


chingas

Possibly derived from Spanish chingar (“to engage in sexual intercourse, to fuck”)

bor

(Bermuda) An expression of surprise or wonder. Wow! Awesome!


tawn

12:30pm: Went tahn to get some greeze. Parked opposite de lye-berry.

(Bermuda, colloquial, uncountable) Hamilton (the capital city of Bermuda).


tawn

(Bermuda, countable) Pronunciation spelling of town.


greeze

en-noun

greeze (countable and uncountable, plural greezes)

Man, I'm hungry! Let's go for a greeze!

Where do you get your favourite 'greeze'?

(Bermuda, countable) A large and fulfilling meal; a feast.

(Bermuda, uncountable) A large quantity of food.


dahn

“So, wot, people'd pay to throw you dahn the stairs? Dunno abaht that. People in these parts is used to throwing one another dahn stairs for free.

2007, Howard Whitehouse, Bill Slavin, The Faceless Fiend: The Faceless Fiend: Being the Tale of a Criminal Mastermind, His Masked Minions and a Princess with a Butter Knife, Involving Explosives and a Certain Amount of Pushing and Shoving, Book 2:

He's cool. Does triathlons dahn de Sahn.

(UK, Bermuda) Pronunciation spelling of down.


rahn

Well when ah's youngah, ah’d just light a candle rahn de dinna table play pure crazy 8s and spades vif my brotha til we lot dozed off...

2013 April 12, “Exclusive: Meet Derpuntae - Bermuda’s first meme”, in The Bermuda Sun, archived from the original on 2022-12-12:

(Bermuda) Pronunciation spelling of round.


ganzy

Ganzy: de press (set of clothes) you spend hours tryna put together to show off.

[2013 April 12, “Exclusive: Meet Derpuntae - Bermuda's first meme”, in The Bermuda Sun, archived from the original on 2022-12-12:

He loved doing reggae shows; his idea behind it was that the same individuals going to the shows would go to Dub City Records & Boutique to get their clothing 'ganzee' when they purchased their tickets.

2017 June 24, “"Pull Up & Rewind" Charity Tribute On July 1st”, in Bernews, archived from the original on 2019-02-16:

(Bermuda, slang) A fashionable and attractive outfit.


gwelly

The best of the larger are the turbot, red snappers, gwellys and rockfish.

1883 October 18, “Down in Bermuda”, in Forest and Stream, volume 21, page 224:

Key to Bermuda Jacks, Gwellys, Amber-Fish, Bonitos, etc.

1970, William Beebe, John Tee-Van, Field Book of the Shore Fishes of Bermuda and the West Indies:

[…] making better use of formerly under-utilized species such as tuna, wahoo, parrot fish, grunts, porgy, amberjack, gwelly, shark and chub.

1984, Monthly Bulletin of the Bermuda Department of Agriculture & Fisheries:

Besides bonefish, gaff-topsail pompano and gray snapper, anglers fishing the beaches, shallow bays and coral heads of Bermuda can take barracuda, gwelly, chub, and occasionally a yellowtail or a prowling bonito.

2017, Joe Brookes, Greatest Fishing: Where to Go to Get the Best!:

(Bermuda) A large marine fish, Megalaspis cordyla.


give way sign

(British, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Nigeria, Nepal, Jamaica, Barbados, Israel, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Pakistan, India, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Fiji, Ghana, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Kenya, Malta, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe) a road sign which instructs road users to give right of way to other traffic

Bermuda; Ghana; Isle of Man; Solomon Islands; Tanzania; Bermuda; Ghana; Isle of Man; Solomon Islands; Tanzania


cockworm

A light glass rod is best, and for bait the Bone seems to like, more than any thing, the Green or Cock worm.

1954, Travel Magazine, volume 102, page 6:

After my second illness, being too old for “piggy-back rides”, I generally sat in 'Resting Nuke' on a seat naturally formed in a low branch of a cedar, watching relatives down in the bay with pitchforks furiously digging out long black slithery "cockworms" from the muddy sands of Sinky Bay.

1979, Nellie Eileen Musson, Mind the Onion Seed: Black "roots" Bermuda: Presented During Bermuda's First Heritage Week, May, 1979:

Old-timers will say that you have to use cockworms, but while the use of bait might be preferable to any artificial lures, bonefish will definitely take bits of fish or shrimp and the good old standby, a piece of squid, will also elicit a bite from the grey ghost.

2016 April 2, “Surprises waiting beneath the waves”, in The Royal Gazette:

(Bermuda) A type of large marine worm, Arenicola cristata, used for fishing bait.


June plum

Spondias dulcis
Spondias dulcis#Translingual

(Jamaica, Bermuda) Spondias dulcis or its fruit.


Bermewjan

Felt cheap. Cursed Bermuewjum vimmen.

(Bermuda) Pronunciation spelling of Bermudian.


tahn

(Bermuda) Alternative spelling of tawn (“Hamilton”)


Onion

In reference to the large quantities of onions grown on Bermuda.

(Bermuda, slang) An inhabitant of Bermuda; a Bermudian.


acegirl

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-acegirl.wav

Coordinate term: aceboy

(Bermuda) A female friend that one is very close with.


Gombey

Related to or derived from goombay (“a type of traditional Bahamian drum; a genre of folk music played with this drum”).

(Bermuda) A type of Bermudan performance involving dancers in brightly coloured costumes and masks, accompanied by a procession of drummers, traditionally performed during Boxing Day or on other festivals and celebrations.

(Bermuda) A performer or dancer of the Gombey.


aceboy

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-aceboy.wav

Coordinate term: acegirl

Where do you hang out with your ace boys at the weekend?

2013 April 12, “Exclusive: Meet Derpuntae - Bermuda's first meme”, in The Bermuda Sun, archived from the original on 2022-12-12:

Mate says he's got-me-covered. First time I'm seen Ace Boy since Ron-de-Ilan-Race.

(originally African-American Vernacular, now chiefly Bermuda) A male friend that one is very close with.


chopse

en-verb

chopse (third-person singular simple present chopses, present participle chopsing, simple past and past participle chopsed)

chopses (present singular third-person)
chopsing (participle present)
chopsed (participle past)
chopsed (past)

Derived from chops (“jaws, mouth”). Attested from 1854.

If you're being cheeky to someone in Wales, they'll probably ask the following: "Are you chopsing at me?"

2015 August 25, Ben Travis, “Educating Cardiff: Five essential Welsh slang phrases you need to know”, in Evening Standard, archived from the original on 2022-12-10:

On there was one conversation that sounded like a confession by Tobin. "I said she's chopsing so I just put her to sleep like," Tobin told his father.

2018 August 20, Jessica Walford, “Secret bugging device catches man confessing to killing girlfriend after he slapped her in 'post-sex argument'”, in The Mirror, archived from the original on 2021-10-25:

The long-running disagreement boiled over after claims one of the neighbours had been "chopsing" to the son of the other and then eggs being thrown at a car.

2021 July 22, Jason Evans, “Neighbour dispute erupts into violence with punches, bites, and 'dump tackle'”, in WalesOnline, archived from the original on 2022-08-13:

Obviously, playing for the Scarlets, I’ve "chopsed" a lot of these boys over the years, so when I signed I was thinking “oh shiiiit, how’s this going to go down?

2022 September 30, Ross Harries, quoting Rob Evans, “Rob Evans: 'I've tried to base my life on honesty and integrity and if you don't get it back, it hurts'”, in RugbyPass, archived from the original on 2022-09-30:

(Midlands, Wales, Bermuda) To loudly insult and subject to verbal abuse; to berate.

Less chopsing, more chopping: hair salon launches a 'quiet chair'

2015 November 30, “(headline)”, in ITV News Wales, archived from the original on 2019-05-10:

There were two men stood talking to the girl behind the bar, just while she served them, and a couple in their twenties sitting chopsing in one corner, but nobody Mary Jane or Freddy knew.

2016, Alan Moore, Jerusalem, Liveright, →ISBN:

For Kirstie, money is no object. She has never seen the side of life where every penny counts. This week she was chopsing on about how young people could all afford to buy their own homes if they gave up small treats like coffee and gym memberships.

2022 February 11, Val Savage, “'Shameful footballer Kurt Zouma should have been kicked into touch for cat attack'”, in The Mirror, archived from the original on 2022-10-24:

(Midlands, Wales, Bermuda) To chatter and gossip excessively.


wrinch

wrinch (third-person singular simple present wrinches, present participle wrinching, simple past and past participle wrinched)

wrinches (present singular third-person)
wrinching (participle present)
wrinched (participle past)
wrinched (past)

I write this to say that often, far too often, we wrinch about a business or we wrinch about “Bermudians' poor customer service”. Yet in the midst of the wrinching, we forget to acknowledge when we receive excellent service.

2015 May 28, Christopher Famous, “Giving credit where credit is due”, in The Royal Gazette, archived from the original on 2022-12-11:

(Bermuda, intransitive) To complain or grouse about.

My daddies wrinching about how all the women in this house have shoppin problems😆.. Noone told u have 3 girls pops!

As soon as I got in the chair today, he wrinched me for coming out of character.


bimpert

Arrywun knows one bimpert like, it's always one inna group ov frenz. Arrybody keeps sayin' umma bimpert but ah'een curr like it's whateva coz I know who de real bimperts are.

2013 April 12, “Exclusive: Meet Derpuntae - Bermuda’s first meme”, in The Bermuda Sun, archived from the original on 2022-12-12:

(Bermuda) A foolish or idiotic person; a moron.


ganzee

(Bermuda, slang) Alternative spelling of ganzy


wuffless

en-adj

wuffless (comparative more wuffless, superlative most wuffless)

more wuffless (comparative)
most wuffless (superlative)

A bimpert is justah wuffless bye. Arrywun knows one bimpert like, it's always one inna group ov frenz.

(Bermuda) Pronunciation spelling of worthless.


Bermy

So I'll prolly say de biggest threat to Bermy is de new selfish mentality like, she ank helpin no one in de end.


mindral

en-noun

mindral (countable and uncountable, plural mindrals)

Drunk, like, a gallon of orange mindral. Tasted wel.

2013 September 5, James Burton, “Burton's Banter: Our rich dialogue — as moreish as a cold burr...”, in The Bermuda Sun, archived from the original on 2022-12-12:

(Bermuda) Any carbonated drink; soda, pop.