trace

v. to swear or to curse (at someone or something). Subjects: English, English-based Creole, Jamaica

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Citations: 2001 Barbara Blake Hannah Jamaica Observer (Kingston, Jamaica) (Aug. 22) “Memories of a summer music festival”: As that genre of Jamaican music has increased in popularity, the style has become one of tenement-yard-style tracing, and those Jamaicans who are accustomed to a daily life in which such “tracing matches” are commonplace, applaud the winners who act out their hate battles on the dance hall stage. 2001 Jamaica Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) (Aug. 23) “Montel Talk!”: Tracing war. A who upset CeCile?…Massa all under the hair dryer she a cuss and carry on. 2002 [Mad Bull] The Mad Bull’s Blog (Sept. 5) “A Happy Ending!”: She got a warning that she’d be evicted if she didn’t pay her rent within a certain time. She had paid her rent, however, and checks with her bank indicated that the cheque had been encashed fairly promptly too. She therefore wrote her landlord a letter “tracing him off” as we say here…(cussing him out). 2002 Peach @ Brooklyn, N.Y. Brown Angel Dancehall Heaven (Oct. 2): I know I went over board and went against my own rules for dissing that little “punk” but I had to get those jokes off my chest. See how the “punk” just knew it was me who banned his narrow minded butt and it wasnt even me. I informed Capone to never take a post off if a person is tracing me. 2004 Lloyd B. Smith Jamaica Observer (Kingston, Jamaica) (May 18) “What’s in a word?”: Then again, Jamaicans love to “trace” (verbally attack someone) and there is no other way to win this war of words than to resort to the use of bad words.

Posted 18 May 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend