The Iguana - A large herbivorous lizard native to the Caribbean and Central America.

A cane toad. The cane toad is a large tropical toad originally used as a method of pest control for sugar cane fields because of its voracious appetite.

The White-eyed Thrush (Turdus jamaicensis) is a species of bird in the Turdidae family. It is found in Cayman Islands and Jamaica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

Cattle egret. A small white heron which spends most of its time around cattle and livestock instead of water wading as most herons do. They feed on the insects and grubs disturbed by the grazing animals.

The Little Blue Heron is a small heron. It breeds from the Gulf states of the USA through Central America and the Caribbean south to Peru and Uruguay. It is a medium-large, long-legged, heron with a long pointed blue or greyish bill with a black tip.

The Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is a species of ibis in the bird family Threskiornithidae. It inhabits tropical South America and islands of the Caribbean. In form it resembles most of the other twenty-seven extant species of ibis, but its remarkably brilliant scarlet coloration makes it unmistakable.

The brown pelican (Pelecanus o. occidentalis).

This species is found only in Trinidad; it is close to extinction. This is a medium-sized cracid, 60 cm in length, and similar in general appearance to turkeys, with thin necks and small heads. They are forest birds, and the nest is built in a tree. It is mainly black with a purple gloss. The large crest is blackish, edged with white, and there are large white wing patches. The bare face and wattle are blue, and the legs are red. The call is a thin piping. The wings whirr in flight.

A large venomous member of the pit viper species found in Belize and Central America. Scientific name: Bothrops asper

A mongrel dog. A dog of indeterminate breed.

The Blue Mountain Vireo (Vireo osburni) is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family. It is endemic to Jamaica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, plantations,

A grackle found throughout the greater antilles as well as smaller, nearby islands. Like all quiscalus grackles, it is a rather large, gregarious bird. the 27 cm long male is glossy black with a large tail; the 24 cm long female has a smaller tail and is similar in colour but less glossy than the male. It lives largely in heavily settled areas

Bedbug - parasitic insects that feed on human blood. They are known for their tendency to live in and around bedding, couches, and other areas where humans sleep.

An albino cockroach. A cockroach that has turned white after a recent molting.

The loggerhead kingbird is a species of bird in the Tyrannidae family. It is found in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and, very rarely, in the United States

The Jamaican Oriole. A species of bird in the Icteridae family. The bird has distinctive black, yellow and white markings. It is found in Jamaica and on the Colombian island of San Andres. It formerly occurred on Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands but is now extinct there. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

The leafcutter ant; They get their name from the way they cut leaves from trees, which they then haul back to their nest. They do not eat the leaves, but instead they use it as compost to grow a particular type of fungus that does not grow anywhere other than in leafcutter ant nests. The ants eat the fungus, and feed it to their young. The fungus is grown in football sized chambers inside the nest. There can be 300 or more of these chambers inside the nest, and all of the earthworks to build them might involve the removal of 18,000kg of earth during the lifetime of the nest.

The Jamaican Vireo (Vireo modestus) is a species of bird in the Vireonidae family. It is endemic to Jamaica. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

A banana variety known for small sweet fruit.

The tree and fruit of Terminalia catappa. It is a large tree (up to 115ft in height), often grown for ornamental purposes and the shade provided by its broad leaves. Parts of the fruit are edible, including the inner seed which resembles almonds in shape and taste.

Seville orange; A thick skinned sour orange used for making beverages and marmalade.

Thorn. A sharp protrusion grown on a plant.

A creeping herb whose leaves close up and droop when touched - reopening within minutes. Scientific name: Mimosa pudica (Sensitive Plant).

Avocado. Edible pear shaped or round fruit with an egg shaped seed. The flesh is green on the outside and turns yellow closer to the seed.

The fruit and tree of Averrhoa bilimbi. A relative of the [w=five-finger]carambola or star fruit[/w], the tree produces an edible, green, five pomed, cucumber like fruit.

Any of several species of stinging nettle plants. Contact with human skin causes great discomfort.

Ziziphus Mauritania; A small round berry about 3/4 inches in diameter. The fruit is green and turns yellow as it ripens. Ripe fruit may occasionally develop a rust brown colour and a cracked texture. The unripe fruit is firm and slightly acidic, and grows softer and mushier when it ripens. The berries have a single hard seed.

Mexican Coriander. Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial and annual herb in the family Apiaceae used for seasoning and marinating food.

Ovoid green fruit that grows in bunches on trees up to 30m high. The fruit typically ripen during the summer. The fruit is related to the [w=chiny-guinep]lychee[/w] and have tight, thin but rigid skins. Inside the skin is the tart, tangy, or sweet pulp of the fruit covering a large seed. The pulp is usually cream or orange coloured.

A round fruit about the size of a tennis ball. It has a glossy leathery skin that is either green, purple, or some combination of the two colours. Inside is a purple and white milky flesh that exhibits a distinct star pattern. The fruit is sweet and eaten raw

Otaheite apple; Pear shaped fruit with red skin and white flesh. Typically, they contain a single large seed. However, they may occasionally be seedless. The fruit is sweet and is usually eaten raw or used to make drinks.

Pomegranate. Botanical name Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between 5 and 8 m (16 and 26 ft) tall

The leaves and tree of Pimenta racemosa, Myrtaceae - The West Indian Bay tree, used culinarily and to produce the cologne called bay rum.

Round, oblate, ovaloid, ellipsoidal, or conical fruit varying in size from 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm) in width. The immature fruit is hard and has a sandpaper like texture. Typically, the fruit does not ripen until it is picked or falls off the tree. When ripe, the fruit becomes soft and juicy. The flesh may be yellow, reddish brown, or dark brown with smooth or grainy textures. While some fruits may be seedless, they typically contain 3 - 10 hard black seeds in the center. The fruit is considered to be very delicious and is highly desired. The sap or gum from the tree is also a source of 'chicle' the original ingredient used to make chewing gum.

The fruit of the Flacourtia indica which is a species of flowering plant native to much of Africa and tropical and temperate parts of Asia. The fruit itself is a pome about an inch thick and red ripening purple. It is very fleshy and has 6 to 10 seeds in layered carpels. The pulp is yellow or white and sweet with an acidic tang. It is eaten raw or made in to jelly or jam. It can be fermented to make wine.

The tree and fruit of Phyllanthus acidus. The intermediate sized tree produces small, flattened, multi-lobed, berries with a high acid content. The tart yellow berries are edible raw, but most often stewed with sugar, ginger and other spices.

Chayote. Edible pear shaped green vegetable of the squash family. The vegetable bears on vines and comes in smooth skinned and prickly skinned varieties. It is typically eaten boiled or in soups.

Any starchy agricultural product used as food. Examples include, but are not limited to, yams, potatoes, bananas, cassava, pumpkins, and breadfruit.

Ambarella. An edible fruit growing on large trees up to 30m. The fruits have thick, sometimes leathery skin and dendritic (fibrous or hairy) seeds. While unripe, the flesh is crisp and firm with a tart acidic taste. As it ripens, it turns yellow, becomes soft and develops a sweet taste and fragrant smell. Both ripe and unripe fruits can be eaten raw. It is also often prepared by juicing, stewing with ginger and sugar, pickling with peppers and spices, or made into chow.

The bael (Aegle marmelos) is a hard shelled fruit about the size of a grapefruit that is used for food and medicinal purposes.The fruit contains hairy seeds and an aromatic yellow pulp. The yellow or brown shell is hard enough to require cracking by hammer or rocks.

Dessert made with flour and coconut milk, fried and dipped in a sugary liquid.

Flat bread (roti ) made from a simple dough of flour, salt, baking powder, optional yeast, and water. Both sides are cooked on a tawah or frying pan.

Eggplant. A species of nightshade grown for its edible fruit.

A torpedo, oval, or pear shaped fruit. The fruit bears on a large leafed tree up to 10m tall. When green, it is cooked as if a vegetable. The flesh contains an enzyme named papain that serves as an effective meat tenderiser. When ripe it is yellowish-orange in colour. The flesh is bright orange, soft, and sweet. The insides are hollow containing a lots of seeds with each seed contained in a small liquid filled sac. The seeds and the fluid surrounding them have a bitter taste.

Green Beans, also known as String Beans, are the unripe fruits of any kind of bean, especially the common bean.

Hymenaea courbaril (Jatobá or Guapinol or Algarrobo) is a tree and fruit common to the Caribbean, Central, and South America. It is a hardwood that is used for furniture, flooring and decorative purposes. Its sap is utilized in perfumes and varnishes. It is known for its malodourous fruit which has a hard shell protecting edible pulp.

A small, but hot chili pepper used for cooking. The peppers range in colour from green to red.

Inga feuilleei is a legume that produces a podded fruit with a smooth textured, sweet, edible white pulp surrounding the seeds.

A variety of bitter melon plant (Momordica charantia). A vine bearing a small bumpy skinned yellow or orange fruit. The leaves are used to make a bitter herbal tea that his regarded for its medicinal and purgative properties

A ritually prepared meal of rice intended to trap (tie) a man in a romantic relationship. Women prepare the meal by cooking rice and squatting over the steaming pot allowing the mix of condensation and bodily juices to "sweat" into the rice.

Having a squishy, not firm texture - particularly as related to fruit.

Describes a disorder in mangos where the flesh (especially close to the seed) breaks down to a soft jelly like texture and sometimes results in uneven or premature ripening and inferior taste.

Ghost or spirit of a dead person or animal

A small, mostly nocturnal, dwarf-like, forest creature with long arms and legs. They love milk and bananas and will bond with a family upon entering the home of people who feed them. They can be trapped by luring them into a rum bottle with milk and bananas and throwing it into the sea.

Derogatory term for a person of ill repute.

An exclamation of shock, surprise, anger, or frustration.

An expression used to signify disapproving judgment of an act or thing by calling down or wishing hellfire on the target of disapproval.

Excessive ambition puts one in danger of missing their goals

"Shuub out dem badmine from dis city yah." Throw out the badmind from this city here.

Does anyone know the etymology, where it comes from? Backra and bekes (thaht we use in Guadalupe) are very close to, are they related?

Both Cassidy (Dictionary of Jamaican English) and Allsop (Dictionary of Caribbean English) say it's a form of the word for "white man" among the Efik people. The word is used throughout the English speaking Caribbean and among the Gullah/Geechee people of South Carolina. In modern Caribbean usage it refers to any person in authority; usually one's employer.

Bakra in Surnamese is white person from the Netherlands.

Bakra means white people. She fader dem a Bakra.

yes we say bakra in belize. it is also considered offensive to be called a backra. it's like saying your spoiled and white. mon yu de wan backra!

Bakra means white people. Suriname was a colony of the English first, before the English and Dutch signed a treaty and it was switched with the Dutch for Guyana. According to my grandma the word was already in existence, but Surinames call most white from the Netherlands bakra, they are the lnes who mostly came to the country.

Bakra actually mean (Back Raw) from when slave masters use to whip slaves over their back until the skin on their back were torn, so their skin became raw. thus came the name Bakra (Back Raw). So hence the name "Bakra Man" - Raw Back Man was the man doing the whipping. I was taught that by a wise old man about 60 years ago, I'm 68 now.

In surinam bakra just stand for white person wich started during time of colonisation of surinam then referring to the white slave owners but then became a word for the white people in general..

I remember hearing that it meant..if you're poor,you sat in the back row, thus backra

Any white person, particularly one in a position of power or authority.

A dictionary of Caribbean life. Here you can find words, definitions, pictures, proverbs and sayings.