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The word stoosh (also spelled ‘stush’) has several meanings in the Jamaican language. Sometimes the exact meaning of the word is difficult to pin down. To add to the confusion, there are also other variations of the word. One such variation is the word “stoshous”. We will take a look at these words and some of their uses.
Stoosh
The word stoosh has several meanings, some of which are difficult to give a definitive meaning; the meaning depends on how the word is used. Some common meanings of the word ‘stoosh’ are: elegant, high class, or cocky. The word can be used to describe people, places, or things. Here are some examples of how the word could be used in Jamaican patois.
Cuh pon dah stoosh ouse – look at that fancy house
dah gal deh galang stoosh – that girl of a particular economic status behaves as if she is of a higher economic status.
The sentence ‘dah gal deh galang stoosh’ could also have an alternative meaning. It could also mean: ‘that girl is being cocky (cocky)’
Stoosh people naw guh wah guh deh – Upper class people won’t want to go there.
The following example is an example of ‘stoosh’ being used to describe someone, but the exact meaning of the word is difficult to achieve unless you know the context in which it is used.
Here are three examples where the same word ‘stoosh’ is used and has slightly different meanings:
Shi gwaan stoosh stoosh – behaves like high class
Shi gwaan stoosh stoosh – his behavior is fussy
Shi gwaan stoosh stoosh – she is very tight
Stoshous
The word stoshous is a variation of the word ‘stoosh’ and both words can have a similar meaning. The word ‘stoshous’ means elegant or high class. ‘Soshous’ can also be used to describe people, places, or things. Here is an example of the word ‘stoshous’ as it might be used in Patois.
Di restahrawhnt wi made nyaam inna stoshous – the restaurant we ate at was classy (high class).
Da jute deh chek seh eem stoshous fi deh roun ya: that young man thinks he’s too high class to be around here (in a place like this).
Ah pere stoshous si’hn eem wah buy: he only wants to buy luxurious (expensive) things.
The words ‘stoosh’ and ‘stoshous’ are used frequently in Jamaica. They are used in various ways and situations. Depending on how the words are used, they can have various meanings. This article gave the most common meanings of both words and provided some examples of how the words could be used.