jaylar
Chicken Merry, Hawk Deh Near
This statement is often said is a warning, usually when people are having too much fun. It is a kind of party pooper on one hand as it makes you connect having a good time with doom.
It refers to chickens happily pecking away, oblivious to the Hawk circling in the air which is about to swoop.
You’ll usually hear it as the police car comes around the corner proceeding to where someone is blasting what they think is music. Or when a parent is about to stop their kids from what they are doing.
Cool! I like the sound of Jamaican Patwa, and this phrase has a nice ring to it. I’m sure I won’t have to wait long to find an opportunity to use it 🙂
Like most patwa sayings it moves from the direct to the indirect. It’s always said in a kind of sotto voce or to someone on the outskirts. Rarely directly to the person who is the ‘chicken’ in the situation.