One-one coco full baskit.

Traditional Jamaican proverb · taught in Trelawny and Clarendon

Written in Cassidy-JLU

Wan-wan koko ful baskit.

Word for word

One coco at a time fills the basket.

What it actually means

Success comes gradually; be patient and consistent — the training mindset of every Trelawny farmer and sprinter.

How it is built

single-clause indicative, reduplication

Two halves by rhythm rather than by grammar: the doubled one-one leans forward, and ful baskit closes on the same k sound that coco opened with.

Where it comes up

This one is taught in Trelawny and Clarendon.

More proverbs

Wha no kill, fatten.Hardship that you survive makes you stronger.
When man belly full, im bruk pot.Plenty makes people careless of the very thing that fed them.
Tek kin-teet kibba heart bun.People laugh to hide pain — the heart of tek bad tings mek laugh.
Quiet riva run deep.Still, quiet people often have the deepest feelings and strength — like quiet little Hanover itself.

Sources

The proverb is folk material. The description of how it is put together follows the framework in the work above; the translation and the commentary are mine.

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