Bustamante backbone

English

Etymology

Named after Alexander Bustamante, Jamaican politician; the hard texture is supposed to symbolize his firmness of character.

Noun

Bustamante backbone (uncountable)

1. (Jamaica) A hard confection made with grated coconut and ginger.

Jamaican Creole

FWOTD – 6 August 2022

Etymology

Refers to the resoluteness of Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante, Jamaica's first prime minister.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʌstaˌmantɪ ˈbakˈbʷoːn/
• Hyphenation: Bus‧ta‧man‧te‧back‧bone

Noun

Bustamante backbone (plural Bustamante backbone dem, quantified Bustamante backbone)

1. Bustamante backbone
   • 1996, Honor Ford Smith, My Mother's Last Dance, page 80:

     Yuh see whentime you read it inna
     Star seh stranger come in a district
     And lickle more a pickney disappear?
     Is Fallen Angel carry dem way
     Fallen Angel love sweetie,
     bulla cake or Bustamante backbone
     and especially paradise plum.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2006, L. A. Augustin, Sound Awareness (in English), →ISBN, page 62:

     “The Bustamante Backbone was so very good, she remembered. They were a delicious jaw-breaking delight. The children called them "Busta". She could almost taste them, still. Verona wondered whether that particular candy was still being ... […] ”

See also

• buss mi jaw
• busta
• coconut drops
• gizzada
• grater cake
• staggaback