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Today, on social media, I saw Nailah Blackman explaining Trini words to her fans. One of my Trini co-workers said she had never heard of the word "Bisquenkay." These "booleg-Trins" are truly unique and just hilarious! I explained the meaning and decided to have a little fun with the word. A story set in Trinidad in the sixties should help...enjoy the read.
Bisquenkay
The word bisquenkay (also spelled biskwankay, biskankay) is a little-known gem of Trini slang. We use it to describe something—or someone—that's twisted, falling apart, or just not quite right. Think of it as the perfect descriptor for anything that looks awkward, bent up, or like it got a good cut-arse and never recovered properly. @Triniinxisle with minimal changes by Santiwah.
The names in the story are those of my childhood friends who lived on Olton Road in Arima. I learned to ride a bike by going downhill with help from my neighbor Gerald Samuel, aka "Cheezy." This story comes to you in vivid dreamscape Triniglish (Trinidad English), not the Queen's English!
Story Time (language in everyday Trini dialect):
It was a bright Sunday morning on Olton Road, in my hometown of Arima. It was the kind of morning when de roosters were crowing with their chests reaching out as if to catch the sun's rays, de bread van passing early, and everybody was getting ready to head to church—or at least pretending they were going. Back in the day it was typical to walk to the parlor to get the Express and Guardian, sit 'on the corner block' and read the de news. In de corner of meh eyes ah could see Bucky walking to me.
Bucky, a young man widely known for his ambitious plans, was well known primarily for his wickedly outlandish bicycle, a genuine bisquenkay contraption. De frame bend like it get licks from a mad bull, de handle wobbling like it afraid to make decisions, and de seat? Well, let’s just say yuh might be better off standing. I wouldn't try to ride that bike even if they paid meh.
But Bucky loved dat bicycle real bad, and despite all de ole-talk and ridicule, he swore it wasde fastest ting on two wheels. In his usual braggadocious style, he boldly exclaimed, "Eh-eh, I challenging anybody!" He’d boast, "This bicycle could outrun even old Mr. John's donkey cart!" Really? Is that believable? Hey Miss Thelma loved every inch of that man eh? We caught them in de river having the time of their lives... but that is a different story!
The story continues: it was a beautiful and sunny Saturday morning at the beginning of the weekend, and Bucky was determined to prove himself, as was his usual braggadocious style. He lined up at de top of de hill, ready to race against Boyo (nickname for my son when he was a likkle ting/added just for fun), de fastest sprinter in de village. "First man to reach Miss Tilda's shop (Mrs. Utilda Collinwood) wins and de loser have to buy ah red solo and coconut drops" Bucky shouted excitedly.
People start to appear like ants to a sugar trail. The scene was like Glosho whe whe pool drawing; bets were placed. Boyo flexes his ankles. Bucky tightened his grip on de bisquenkay bicycle handle.
"Ready, set, GO!" No, no, wait, wait, wait! Bucky shouted. Ah have to straighten de handle. Choops and groans were heard as Boyo had to return to de start line.
Yuh loose, shouted Boyo. Nah, nah, nah... false start!
Okay, dey ready to race again! Ready, setty goooooo! Boyo take off like a rocket, but Bucky jumped on he bicycle, and for a brief, beautiful moment—it looked like he was winning.
Then disaster strike, jus-so. Dat rickety bike claimed its victim. The rickety bike gods were about to victimize Bucky, the youth who had given it his all to assemble that bike. That's what you get for riding a bisquenkay bike!
De bicycle start to shake, de chain skip a beat, de wheels start to move in two different directions, and next ting yuh know, brap, jus' like that, Bucky foot slip, de handle bar turn unexpectedly, his balls hit the bar on the bike (groan), and he fly straight into a roadside stall set up by Saint Lucian Elford, selling mangoes. De crash knocked over the transistor radio that was tuned in to Rediffusion radio playing a humorous Calypso by Spoiler, "Believe it or Not ?." What ah thing indeed! It was a sight to behold, and yes, it was something real, and believe it or not, I am here to recount the story.
Mangoes burst. People scream. De boys bawl, oh gawd oh! Old ladies hold dey head. Miss Maude cried, Jesus save de chile! Everybody ran to the mango stand to check on Bucky. Some were doing that, and some were thieving mangoes... it was chaos, but all's well that ends well. Everybody forgot what they ran to the mango stall for in the first place... the sweetness of the mangoes left Bucky in de dust!
And Bucky? Busted mango stains on he clothes, bruised and limping, he picked up his bisquenkay bicycle, straightened de handlebars like nothing happened, and say, "Well...at least I reached first in de mango shop, oui." Boyo, being a good sport, put his arm over Bucky's shoulders and said, leh we go and get that red Solo and coconut drops. The bike wheels squeaked as they walked to the parlor. It was a sight to behold.
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Production Notes/Music Credits:
Song Title: Believe It or Not
Singer: Spoiler
Origin: Trinidad, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
Year: 1954
Genre: Calypso
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