Time longer dan rope.

Traditional Jamaican proverb · taught in St. Thomas and St. Mary

Written in Cassidy-JLU

Taim langga dan ruop.

Word for word

Time is longer than rope.

What it actually means

Be patient — time outlasts everything and settles every score.

How it is built

verbless comparison

Three words and no verb at all, since Patois needs no is here, with an abstract noun on one side and a thing you can hold on the other.

Where it comes up

This one is taught in St. Thomas and St. Mary.

More proverbs

Wha sweet nanny goat a go run im belly.What pleases you now can hurt you later — mind the second helping of jerk!
No cuss alligator long-mout til yu cross riva done.Don't insult anyone whose help you still need.
Trouble no set like rain.Misfortune gives no warning — unlike Portland rain, you won't see it coming.
Every mickle mek a muckle.Small savings and small efforts count — market wisdom for money and life.

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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