Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. sturdy, fearless, physically capable.

1975		Philadelphia Enquirer (PA) 19 Jan. 84/2: ‘Talawah’ in Jamaican patois means ‘strong...powerful’.
1980		(con. 1950s) M. Thelwell Harder They Come 51: An’ ’im was a big, strapping tallowah black man.
1995		Francis-Jackson Official Dancehall Dict. 51: Tallawah effective, strong: u. me little but me tallawah.

2. honest, honourable, decent.

1977

D. Powis Signs of Crime 204: Tallahwah Decent, straightforward and honourable. Complimentary adjective (West Indian).

3. ill-tempered, badly behaved.

1950

Bennett, Clarke & Wilson Anancy Stories and Dialect Verse 101: tallawah – bad.