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