Small brown or beige beetles sometimes covered with black spots. Otherwise known as June bugs or May bugs.

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.

Centipede; Any of a wide set of many legged arthropods. They are venomous, and their bites may have effects ranging from mild discomfort to life threatening. Their colouration varies with some being black or dark brown and others being orange and blue.

Turkey vulture or black vulture. A large carrion feeding bird of prey with a turkey-like bald red or black head.

The Great Potoo: A nocturnal insectivore bird found in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

A gecko often found in and around the ceilings of houses. The gecko makes a croaking sound.

The brown pelican (Pelecanus o. occidentalis).

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

A mongrel dog. A dog of indeterminate breed.

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

Bothrops atrox; A South American venomous pit viper species. This species is very dangerous and is the cause of more human fatalities than any reptile in the Americas.

Bothrops lanceolatus; A venomous pit viper species generally considered endemic to the island of Martinique

The St. Lucia lancehead. A venomous pit viper species found only in St. Lucia.

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.

The Jamaican Crow, (Corvus jamaicensis) is a small crow species endemic to the woodlands of Jamaica.

The larval form of the lacewing group of insects. Also known as antlions, they are known primarily for the funnel shaped pits they make in dry soft dirt to trap ants.

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

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.

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

A gourd that is used for utilitarian purposes, and not for food. The skin or shell of the large green fruit hardens to become wood-like when dry. The shell can then be carved and is used to make a variety of items including cups, and bowls and decorative pieces.

Allspice; The berries, when dried, are frequently used in cooking

A banana-shaped pepper that changes from pale to deep yellow or orange as they mature.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The berries and tree of Rivina humulis. The small shrub produces small, blood red berries.

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.

The silk cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) is a tropical tree of the order Malvales and the family Malvaceae (previously separated in the family Bombacaceae), It is known for the cotton like fibres produced by its seed pods. It features in obeah and other African based superstition and religious.

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.

This is the fruit of a medium to evergreen tree, endemic of the Antilles with a wide canopy of big, oval leaves. Its wood is hard, firm, strong and very heavy, so it is widely used to build furniture and light posts. Rounded fruit, with a sparse, sweetish pulp, are yellow-orange with creamy taste, sometimes mushy, with a delightful and delicate flavor.

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.

A thick spicy stew made made from red kidney beans, salted meat (beef, pork, or fish), coconut milk and spinner dumplings. [w=ital]Ital[/w] or vegetarian version omit the meat. The stew is most often accompanied by plain white rice.

A traditional dish in which the rice and kidney beans are cooked separately

Carambola; A fruit with a star shaped cross section. As it ripens it turns from green to yellow. The fruit has a tart taste and is a good source of vitamin C.

Fruit of the Bactris gasipaes which is a species of palm native to the tropical forests of South and Central America. The fruit is a drupe with edible pulp surrounding the single seed, 4–6 cm long and 3–5 cm broad. The rind (epicarp) of the fruit can be red, yellow, or orange when the fruit is ripe, depending on the variety of the palm.

Aramanth - an edible green leafy vegetable resembling spinach. It is typically prepared by steaming, often with saltfish

The dried bark of the Colubrina reclinata tree.

A drink made from the dried bark of the Colubrina reclinata tree.

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.

A type of sweet and spicy condiment that is used like salsa. They often contain significant amounts of fresh green chili peppers. Other main ingredients can be any of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Most vegetable chutneys are prepared cold in a blender, while many fruit chutneys require cooking.

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

Fish dried and salted for preservation. The fish is usually the Atlantic or Pacific cod, however, pollock and haddock are sometimes used. Preparation typically involves an initial step of soaking in water overnight or boiling to remove the excess salt.

A baked dessert made from sweetened grated coconut. It is often decorated with red food colouring. The coconut used is 'white' since it is peeled or scraped to remove the brown outer layer.

A young coconut where the flesh has not completely hardened.

A custard like stew made from a salted meat (usually [w=saltfish]saltfish[/w] or salted mackerel), coconut milk and richly seasoned. It is often served with ground provisions such as yams, dasheen, or bananas.

Otherwise known as Chinese okra, is a long, green squash. It is gathered young because as the plant grows the flesh becomes bitter, rendering it inedible and is usually peeled because the skin is bitter even on a young squash. When cooked, it acquires a pleasant, silky texture.

Derogatory term for a person of ill repute.

An expression of shock, surprise, frustration, or annoyance.

A modifier used to intensify meanings of words.

A body part intended to be the target of a vicious, brutal blow.

An insertion or substitute for arbitrary words used to add forceful emphasis to expressions.

A man who obsessively seduces and deceives women. A promiscuous heterosexual male.

A person of East Indian ancestry. Most Caribbean people of East Indian descent can trace their roots back to indentured workers imported by the British in the 19th century after the abolition of slavery.

Person of mixed African and East Indian ancestry

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

An insulting gesture where one person catches the eyes or gaze of another then turns her eyes and gaze away in an exaggerated motion

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.

Every day yu goad donkey, one day him gwine kick yu

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.