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Picong

Pronounced /pee-KONG/nounMusic

Meaning

Teasing, mocking banter, sometimes biting but usually in good humour. In calypso it is a competitive verbal battle in which two singers trade improvised insults and jokes back and forth.

Them two calypsonians giving one another real picong on stage.

In plain English: Those two calypso singers are roasting each other on stage.

Where it comes from

Usually traced through Creole to French piquant, 'stinging, sharp'.

Sources

  1. Traditional Mas Archive: Carnival terms
  2. Wiktionary: picong (etymology pointer)

Last verified 3 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.