dead lef

Jamaican Creole

Alternative forms

• deadlef, dead-lef

Etymology

Compound of dead +‎ lef. Literally, "what the dead have left behind."

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɛdˌlɛf/
• Hyphenation: dead‧lef

Noun

dead lef

1. estate, inheritance, legacy

   Di pickney dem a malice dem one anedda an' a fight over dead lef.

   The children aren't speaking to each other and they're fighting over the legacy.

   • 2003, Easton Lee, Encounters: Voices and Echoes : Poems from a ..., →ISBN, page 78:

     “Di noise dem a meck
     would a meck anybody def
     an through wha
     why you tink dem a gwan so
     no true di grampa riches
     as di ole man close im eye
     dem start fi war over di dead lef
     […] ”

     The noise they were making
     would make anybody deaf
     And for what reason?
     Why do you think they're behaving like that?
     It's because of grandpa's riches
     As soon as the old man closed his eyes
     They started to fight over the legacy […]

See also

• dead yard, nine night (“Caribbean funerary tradition consisting of a wake lasting several days”)