Triniglish|Trinididioms Spoken and Explained #24
Yuh is ah Trini if yuh always wanted the 'bigger half'!
This one is special and I am guilty as charged. I remember asking for the 'bigger half' when oranges were peeled and cut into two pieces. Yes it was silly to say something like that but back then getting the bigger half was serious business. The lack thereof led to serious crying and even fighting at time for the glorified "bigger half".
So what does it mean to get the 'bigger half'? This came about when a fruit was about to be shared or any item to be eaten had to be shared between two persons. The person who intended to get the most from the whole would (in the case of the fruit) place the knife at midpoint of the fruit. He or she would then ask you if "it looking equal" and with that one ascertained that we were talking about an equal share of the item right? If you believed that then your were absolutely dead wrong! After making you believe that it was a fair share the person would lift the knife and come down quickly on the item dissecting it into two pieces. The original imaginary line dividing the item into two equal pieces disappeared and the result was two very unequal pieces. The larger piece was considered the 'bigger half' and this resulted in enmity or even fighting at times.
Those were the glory days of Trini pranks where an older kid always took advantage of the younger or more timid kid. In my days it went both ways. Sometimes I got the smaller half but at other times I ensured that the deck was stacked in my favor. I ensured that I got the bigger half.
Now before you go calling someone an idiot to say something that is obviously silly when one considers the statement one must consider how the situation arose. Children always find ways to cope and ensure that they get the upper hand. This was and I believer in some areas it is still known and practiced. Indeed there is nothing as a 'bigger half' but for a time not so long ago I simply smiled when I got my "bigger half".