h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Its nice to finally find out exactly what an Ackee is - one of my favourite folksongs has always been Linstead Market, telling the story of someone who couldn't sell any.

Yes, thank you for explaining that. I have heard the same song (32 years ago, sung by Cliff of the Liverpool Spinners) and only just found out what an ackee is. Maybe in another 30 or so years I'll find out what a quattie is.

I believe a "quattie" was in ref to an imperial quantity measure. In the olden days I think an imperial measure was a "gil" and another measure was a "quattie". Don't quote me but I think that's what it is. We were British at that time period so it could be a derivation of british word as well. Another thought that's flying through my brain is if it's not an imperial measure it is a monetary measure as the words of the song says "carry mi ackee go a linstead market not a quattie worth sell". But again being under Britsh rule at the time in those days the currency was pounds and pence which the jamicans would say pound, shilling, pence, penny, a'penny and 'fathen'. Who knows, I think my first though may be it. . It was a bit before my time but I remember by the time I was old enough to get "pocket Money" in primary school I may have used the shilling and pence for the most maybe one yr before the Jamaican Dollar came into play.