P
Padna – Trini for “homeboy” used by older Trini males.
Pallet – Frozen lolly
Panchayat (pan-cha-it) – Serious talk or family discussion
Panty man – Girly man
Papa Bois – (Folklore figure) The old man of the forest, protector of the animals and the trees. http://www.triniview.com/TnT/Folklore.htm
Papa yo! – Exclamation of surprise
Parang – Traditional Spanish influenced music played during Christmas time with lyrics heralding the birth of Christ; traditionally sung by paranderos who went about from house to house, but now it is commercially sung by parang bands. Paranderos – Parang singers and musicians
Papesy – Lacking in flavour, colour or character (from: pap= soft)
Parlour – Little cafeteria where snacks and drinks can be bought Patisah (pah-tee-zah) – To be biased Payap – Great confusion or bacchanal
Piarco – The international airport in Trinidad Picka – (Picker) thorns, e.g. Doh touch dat rose bush. It have real picka
Pappyshow – Making fun, making a fool out of
Patois – Broken French language, used by natives since the French lived in Trinidad- still spoken in parts of the country, e.g. Paramin Village
Paw-Paw – Papaya, a tropical fruit.
Paw Paw Ball – A sweet made from the papaya
Pelau – Rice-meat-peas dish
Pen – To corner (perhaps this one came from the fact that we house domestic animals in a pen; e.g. pig pen, cow pen or goat pen.
Pennacool – A sweet coloured ice that is sealed in a cylindrical clear plastic wrapping. These come in a variety of colours and flavours. There is also a variety made with milk.
Pesh – Money
Petit Careme – (Patois) The short, dry spell which occurs during the height of the rainy season – usually in September
P.H. driver – A driver who illegally uses his private car as a taxi (in T&T vehicles carry license plates which start with the letters P, H, R or T: P= private car; H= hired car, a Taxi or bus; R= Rental car and T stands for Transport, usually trucks or vans, etc.).
Picong – see fatigue: Picong (or Pikong) – To insult in a jesting manner; to ridicule, to poke fun at someone’s shortcomings
Piper – Person who abuses drugs, drug addict
Piping – To do drugs
Pissin’ tail – A person of no class or importance Pitch black – Very dark (e.g it pitch black out here oui!) Pitch oil – Kerosene
Planass – To beat somebody with the flat side of a cutlass
Playing it cool – To take it easy
Playin’ social – Someone who pretends to be of higher social strata than they are
Plounce – To seat oneself in a not too decorous manner
Poum (or Pompce) – Silent flatulence Poohar – Stupid Popo – A baby
Pot Belly – A large belly
Pot houn’- A mongrel, also a person who is not up to par in his particular field (also called a shit hound); e.g. –He playin’ football like ah real shit hound.
Pong – Pound
Pong’ an’ ah crown – (literally: Pound and a crown) A lot of money; e.g. Dat car cos’ meh a pong’ an’ ah crown, oui.
Prim-prim – An overtly proper and formal person, impersonal and distant
Pueffen- Tail (meaning ‘ass’), e.g. Take dat in yuh pueffen. Pull- To get along with somebody, e.g. “Me and he doh pull. (We don’t get along)
Puna Short for the town of Tunapuna
Puncheon – Homemade rum of very high potency
Pushy – To show off, e.g. He too pushy.
Pwatik – (East Indian derivative) Customer