jama
HAH-mahnoun, verbInformal
A Cuban Spanish slang term. Browse all Cuban slang.
What it means
Food, grub. Hay jama — there's food, said as good news.
The verb jamar, to eat, often with the implication of eating a lot or eating hungrily.
Examples with translations
Ven acá que hay jama.
Come over, there's food.
Ese tipo jama como si no hubiera mañana.
That guy puts food away like there's no tomorrow.
Where it comes from
From Caló jamar, 'to eat', the Romani-derived slang of Spain — the same source that gave Spanish chaval and currelar. It reached Cuba through peninsular working-class speech and is now far more everyday in Havana than in Madrid.
Other forms
- Similar terms:
- papeo, manduca