The word stoosh (also spelled ‘stush’) has several meanings in the Jamaican language. Sometimes the exact meaning of the word is hard to pin down. To add to the confusion, there are other variations of the word as well. 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 conceited. The word can be used to describe people, places, or things. Here are some examples of how the word might 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 behaves conceited (conceited)’

Stoosh people naw guh wah guh deh: upper class people will not 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 hard to understand unless you know the context in which it is used.

Here are three examples of the same word ‘stoosh’ being used that have slightly different meanings:

Shi gwaan stoosh stoosh – behaves like he’s 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 did nyaam inna stoshous – The restaurant we ate at was fancy (upper class).

Da jute deh chek seh eem stoshous fi deh roun ya – that young man thinks he is too high class to be around (in a place like this).

Ah pere stoshous si’hn eem wah buy – just wants to buy luxurious (expensive) things.

The words ‘stoosh’ and ‘stoshous’ are frequently used in Jamaica. They are used in a variety of ways and situations. Depending on how the words are used, they can have several meanings. This article gave the most common meanings of both words and provided some examples of how the words might be used.