Pholourie, “buss up shut” among new Caribbean words added to Oxford Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) has added a fresh set of words and phrases from the Caribbean, East Africa, New Zealand, Wales, and the Isle of Man in its latest September update, continuing its ongoing effort to track the growth of English vocabulary worldwide.
This year’s additions revisit regions featured in the OED’s first World Englishes update last September, which marked the start of a series of quarterly updates highlighting distinctive words and expressions from across the globe. Since then, the dictionary has issued three further updates, each featuring a range of new entries from international English varieties.
The current update places a particular emphasis on Caribbean language and cuisine. New entries include “bulla”, a small Jamaican cake made from flour, molasses, and spices, first recorded in 1940; “buss up shut”, a flaky fried bread from Trinidad and Tobago; and “pholourie”, an Indo-Caribbean snack of spiced fried dough balls, recorded in the OED with multiple spellings and a first citation from a 1936 calypso song. Other culinary entries include “cou-cou”, a cornmeal and okra dish, and “saltfish”, referring specifically to salted and dried cod widely consumed in the Caribbean.
Beyond food, the update captures cultural and social terms that illustrate the region’s linguistic diversity. Entries include “bobolee”, a stuffed effigy traditionally paraded on Good Friday, which later developed a figurative sense as a person easily deceived; “to cry long water”, meaning to cry copiously or insincerely; “broughtupsy”, referring to good manners and courteous behaviour; and “carry-go-bring-come”, a term for gossip or a person who spreads it, reflecting serial verb constructions found in several West African languages. Variations of this term exist across the Caribbean, including Saint Vincent’s “bring-and-carry” and the British Virgin Islands’ “bring-come-and-carry-go”.
The OED’s World Englishes project highlights how English continues to evolve, incorporating words from local dialects, cultural practices, and cuisines. The dictionary’s regular updates aim to provide a comprehensive record of the language as it is used globally, reflecting both historical roots and contemporary usage.