Grandcharge and Grandmove And BRAPPS! He fell asleep!” Most Grenadians are familiar with the word grand charge. Some have been good practitioners of the grand charge at one time or another. A grand charger is one who likes to bluff. He pretends to do things, but never actually follows up on his pretence. The move is sometimes meant to frighten someone and the word grandmove is often used to describe the actions of the grand charger. Even policemen were known to be good at the grand charge. They often go through all the motions of making arrests with loud talk and gestures, but usually ended up arresting no one. Some people have been such masters of grand charge or grandmove that the nickname stuck to them for their entire lives. There were many Grand moves all over Grenada. A certain Grandmove fellow in Carriacou had his own slogan. “Grand is the word, and move is the action.” Once Grandmove made ah bunch ah fellas from the mainland duck for cover when he grabbed ah piece of wood and pretended he was about to fight. The man began flinging his hands in the air and making idle threats. But he was only pappyshowing. Those who knew him well laughed because they knew all the big voose he was making was simply grand charge. A grand charger would buss your head with an imaginary stone. He would even pretend he has one in his pocket, but the action is only meant to scare you off. You call his bluff and he does nothing. All he wants to do is frighten you with loud sounds and words. He puts his hands in his pockets as if he has something in there, but all the man is doing is playing pocket pool and looking to see if you would run away. Never worry about the dog with its grandmove. Dogs are good at that too. The grandest move is usually made in front its master’s gate. It remains a truism that All dogs are bad in their own backyard Woof, woof, woof they bark in the streets, but that bark turns into a lions roar in front their owners house. Then you make your own grand move by grabbing ah piece ah wood or big stone, and both you and the dog run away in different directions. It is a case of big grandchargers running for cover. The silent dog is the one to watch. It sneaks up on you without even barking. It never wastes time barking or making any grand move. Then you have scamper away to escape its seething anger after it sinks its teeth into your kajam. It is a fact that “Barking dogs seldom bites.” Barking people too! I vividly remember the story about the man in Grenville who heard cutlass pelting in his land. Someone was obviously stealing his crops. The man wanted to protect his yams and green fig. He crept close to a mango tree, knocked his cutlass against a stone and shouted, “Who dat?” The thief, hitting his own cutlass on a stone replied, Who dat, dat say ‘Who dat dey?’” The landowner, angry, but scared, bawled out: “Who dat who ask ‘Who say ‘Who dat dey?’ Come out— Leh me buss yuh tail.” The thief in a gruff voice answered: “Who dat who say ‘Who dat,‘ who ask ‘Who say ‘Who dat dey?’” Bring yuh rass here! Yuh go see who dat!” It was pure grandcharge on both ends. “Who dat? Who dat dey?” was their battle cry. None was brave enough to make ah real move. Well, except the grand move. Both were frightened as the woman called Muffin who pretended to be ah tess, but then flew into the arms of her friends after a serious confrontation with ah badjohn woman in Bluggoe Cottage. She resorted to threatening words - Allyuh hold me before ah cripple she backside. Ah say hold me!” She said those words as she pressed hard against a man standing nearby. She was grandcharging, actually praying for the man to hold her. And one must not forget the man who drank up his tania log, sea moss and boise bande. That was his aphrodisiac. He went home to his wife contemplating his intended superb marathon bedroom performance. In the still of the night the telephone rang. His wife picked it up and listened as her girlfriend inquired, “How is yuh tiger doing?” Her reply was the perfect description of a grand charge man: “Yuh talking about the grandcharge man, dat big maco? Lawd, ah never see ah man like dat. He told me he drank up some boise bande, sea moss and tania log and he was ready for action. Then he kissed me and held me tight. And BRAPPS! He fell asleep!” Anthony Wendell DeRiggs
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 23:42:00 +0000
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