Green’s Dictionary of Slang

bwoy n.

a boy.

1894		T. Banbury Jamaica Superstitions 11: James, my bwoy, you da go wa fra mi?
1910		Anderson & Cundall Jamaica Proverbs and Sayings 4: God bwoy neber sleep hungry.
1929		M. Beckwith Jamaica Proverbs (1970) 53: ‘Good bwoy’ a name for every fool.
1939		A. Durie One Jamaica Gal 167: Bwoy, you no smell fire?
1941		A. Mendes ‘Afternoon in Trinidad’ in Lehmann Penguin New Writing No. 6 78: Mus’ be yuh bring up in La Basse, bwoy, to talk to a ole lady like dat.
1973		L. Bennett Auntie Roachy Sey (2003) 23: Any lickle run nose po ting bwoy eena Jamaica nowadays can get a chance fi grow up an tun Governor-General.
1975		J. D’Costa Escape to Last Man Peak 38: Bway! [...] What a way you take long to make up bed!
1980		(con. 1950s) M. Thelwell Harder They Come 18: Bwai, you out to kill me, or what?
1983		V. Bloom ‘Trench Town Shock’ in Touch Mi, Tell Mi 71: Di bwoy no pull out lang knife mah!
1991		L.E. Adams ‘Fi Dada Tale’ in Jam. Patois 78: All di likl bwai boht deh noh waan beat me up all di while.
1998		Source Nov. 142: Pras has not been back to the island since he was a bayubee bwoy.
1999		(con. 1979–80) A. Wheatle Brixton Rock (2004) 3: Feeling he must keep up his ‘bad bwai’ pose [etc.].
2000		Z. Smith White Teeth 21: Cheer up, bwoy.
2005		(con. c.1945) A. Wheatle Island Songs (2006) 47: Boil some water and make de bwai ah coffee.

In phrases

sweet bwai (n.) [SE sweet]

(UK black) a ghetto dandy; a womanizer.

1999		(con. 1979–80) A. Wheatle Brixton Rock (2004) 21: Piercing eyes made her a fine challenge to all the sweet bwais and bad bwais alike.
2001		(con. 1981) A. Wheatle East of Acre Lane 9: Sweet bwais were dressed in loose-fitting shirts that were often unbuttoned to reveal gold rope chains.