buguyaga

Jamaican Creole

Etymology

Caribbean English bugo-bugo (“rough/crusty”) + Ewe yakayaka (“slovenly?”) + Hausa buguzunzum (“fat slob”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /buɡujaɡa/

Noun

buguyaga (plural buguyaga dem, quantified buguyaga)

1. (derogatory) sloppy, low-class, worthless person
   • 1973, 02:44 from the start, in The Heart of Man‎^[1]:

     Bwai a de-so piipl a-go sofa. Choch memba ar no choch memba. Big shot ar buguyaga.

     Boy, there [hell] people are going to suffer. Church members or not. Big shot or poor worthless person.

Further reading

• booguyaga at JamaicanPatwah.com
• Green’s Dictionary of Slang