on

en-verb

on (third-person singular simple present ons, present participle oning or onning, simple past and past participle oned or onned)

ons (present singular third-person)
oning (participle present)
onning (participle present)
oned (participle past)
oned (past)
onned (participle past)
onned (past)

Etymology tree
Proto-West Germanic *ana
Old English on
Middle English on
English on
From Middle English on, from Old English on, an (“on, upon, onto, in, into”), from Proto-West Germanic *ana, from Proto-Germanic *ana (“on, at”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-.
Cognate with North Frisian a (“on, in”), Saterland Frisian an (“on, at”), West Frisian oan (“on, at”), Dutch aan (“on, at, to”), Low German an (“on, at”), German an (“to, at, on”), Swedish å (“on, at, in”), Faroese á (“on, onto, in, at”), Icelandic á (“on, in”), Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰 (ana), Ancient Greek ἀνά (aná, “up, upon”), Albanian në (“in”); and from Old Norse upp á: Danish på, Swedish på, Norwegian på, see upon.

etymon

Southern US, Midland US, Philadelphia, Baltimore

Can you on the light?

(Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Nigeria, transitive, colloquial) To switch on.


qualitative

en-adj

qualitative (comparative more qualitative, superlative most qualitative)

more qualitative (comparative)
most qualitative (superlative)

From Late Latin (or Medieval Latin) quālitātīvus. Equivalent to quality + -ative.


send

en-verb

send (third-person singular simple present sends, present participle sending, simple past sent, past participle sent or (nonstandard) sended)

sends (present singular third-person)
sending (participle present)
sent (past)
sent (participle past)
sended (nonstandard participle past)
send (infinitive)
send (first-person present singular)
sent (first-person past singular)
send (present second-person singular)
sendest (archaic present second-person singular)
sent (past second-person singular)
sentest (archaic past second-person singular)
sends (present singular third-person)
sendeth (archaic present singular third-person)
sent (past singular third-person)
send (plural present)
sent (past plural)
send (present subjunctive)
sent (past subjunctive)
send (imperative present)
sending (participle present)
sent (participle past)

From Middle English senden, from Old English sendan (“to send, cause to go”), from Proto-West Germanic *sandijan, from Proto-Germanic *sandijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sont-eye- (“to cause to go”), causative of *sent- (“to walk, travel”). The noun derives from the verb.
Cognates
Cognate with Saterland Frisian seende (“to send”), Dutch zenden (“to send”), German senden (“to send”), Danish and Norwegian sende (“to send”), Swedish sända (“to send”), Icelandic senda (“to send”). Related also to Old English sand, sond (“a sending, mission, message”). See also sith.

inh

send it up the flagpole and see who salutes


SARS

Special Anti-Robbery Squad
w:Special Anti-Robbery Squad

(Nigeria, law enforcement) Initialism of Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a Nigerian police unit known for police brutality and corruption.


alligator

]
From early Modern English alligater, alligarta, aligarto, alegarto, alagarto, from Spanish el lagarto (“the lizard”), from Latin lacertus (“lizard”), modern spelling possibly influenced by the unrelated Latin alligator (“one who binds”).

(Nigeria) A dwarf crocodile (Osteolaemus tetraspis)


dodo

Borrowed from Yoruba dòdò (“fried plantain”).

bor+

Dodo is everybody's favorite! It is a superb snack, a side dish, a breakfast food or a dessert all rolled into one. The best dodo is made from soft (almost over ripe) plantain which is cut in 1/2 inch thick diagonal slices and fried to a crispy golden brown.

2015, Kemi Quinn, African Dishes Made Easy:

Mother had banned it a year or so earlier after Obembe and I stole pieces from Mother's cooler, and lied that we'd seen rats eating the dodos.

2015, Chigozie Obioma, The Fishermen: A Novel:

One popular Nigerian dish is fried plantain, which is called “dodo.”

2018, Remmi Smith, The Healthy Teen Cookbook: Around the World In 80 Fantastic Recipes:


back

en-verb

back (third-person singular simple present backs, present participle backing, simple past and past participle backed)

backs (present singular third-person)
backing (participle present)
backed (participle past)
backed (past)

From Middle English bak, from Old English bæc, from Proto-West Germanic *bak, from Proto-Germanic *baką, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg- (“to bend”). The adverb represents an aphetic form of aback.
Compare Middle Low German bak (“back”), from Old Saxon bak, and West Frisian bekling (“chair back”), Old High German bah, Swedish and Norwegian bak. Cognate with German Bache (“sow [adult female hog]”).

pakata

of wind: to shift in an anticlockwise direction

you can't put the shit back in the horse

you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube

you can't put the toothpaste back into the tube

(Nigeria, transitive) To carry an infant on one’s back.


chance

chance (third-person singular simple present chances, present participle chancing, simple past and past participle chanced)

chances (present singular third-person)
chancing (participle present)
chanced (participle past)
chanced (past)
chaunce (alternative obsolete)

From Middle English chancen, chauncen, from the noun (see above).

(Nigeria) To take an opportunity from someone; to cut a queue.


swallow

en-noun

swallow (countable and uncountable, plural swallows)

swallows (plural)
swalow (alternative obsolete)
swolow (alternative obsolete)

From Middle English swolowen, swolwen, swolȝen, swelwen, swelȝen, from Old English swelgan, from Proto-West Germanic *swelgan, from Proto-Germanic *swelganą (“to swallow, revel, devour”), from Proto-Indo-European *swelk- (“to gulp”). Cognate with Dutch zwelgen (“to revel, carouse, guzzle”), German schwelgen (“to delight, indulge”), Swedish svälja (“to swallow, gulp”), Icelandic svelgja (“to swallow”), Old English swillan, swilian (“to swill, wash out, gargle”). See also swill.
The noun is from Middle English swelwe, swolwe, from Old English swelh, swelg (“gulf, chasm”) and ġeswelge (“gulf, chasm, abyss, whirlpool”), both from Proto-West Germanic *swelg, *swalgi, from Proto-Germanic *swelgaz, *swalgiz. Cognate with Old English swiliġe (“pit”), Scots swelch, swellie, swallie (“an abyss in the sea, whirpool”), Middle Low German swelch (“whirlpool, eddy”), Dutch zwelg (“gorge, chasm, gullet, throat”), Old Norse svelgr (“whirlpool, current, stream”).

cog

(Nigeria) Any of various carbohydrate-based dishes that are swallowed without much chewing.


zinc

en-noun

zinc (countable and uncountable, plural zincs)

zincs (plural)
zinke (alternative obsolete)
zink (alternative obsolete)

Borrowed from German Zink, related to Zinke (“point, prong”), from Middle High German zinke, from Old High German zinko (“prong, tine”), allied to zint (“a jag, point”), from Proto-Germanic *tindaz (“prong, pinnacle”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts (“tooth, projection”). Cognate with Old English tind (“tine, prong”), Middle Low German tinde, Icelandic tindur (“spike, tooth of a rake or harrow, pinnacle, peak, battlement”). See also Dutch tinne (“battlement”), German Zinne (“pinnacle, battlement”), Danish tinde (“pinnacle, battlement”), Swedish tinne (“tooth of a rake”), More at tine. Doublet of zincum.


dash

From Middle English daschen, dassen, from Danish daske (“to slap, strike”), related to Swedish daska (“to smack, slap, spank”), of obscure origin. Compare German tatschen (“to grope, paw”), Old English dwǣsċan (“to quell, put out, destroy, extinguish”). See also dush.

noncog

The traditional practice of offering gifts or "dash" to chiefs has often been misinterpreted by scholars to provide a cultural explanation for the pervasive incidence of bribery and corruption in modern Africa.

1992, George Billy Nii Ayittey, Africa Betrayed, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 44:

Writing in 1924 on a similar situation in Ugep, the political officer, Mr. S. T. Harvey noted: "In the old days there was no specified dowry but merely dashes given to the father-in-law, from 8 to 20 rods according to the status of the man[…]The dowry is made small because whatsoever a woman farms or reaps during her life time is by native custom the property of her parents."

2006, Adiele Eberechukwu Afigbo, The Abolition of the Slave Trade in Southeastern Nigeria, 1885–1950 (Rochester Studies in African History and the Diaspora; 25), University of Rochester Press, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 99:

The only other times you'll be asked for a dash is from beggars.

2008, Lizzie Williams, updated by Mark Shenley, Nigeria: The Bradt Travel Guide, published 2012, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 109:

(Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia) A bribe or gratuity; a gift.


bang

en-verb

bang (third-person singular simple present bangs, present participle banging, simple past and past participle banged)

bangs (present singular third-person)
banging (participle present)
banged (participle past)
banged (past)
bang (infinitive)
bang (first-person present singular)
banged (first-person past singular)
bang (present second-person singular)
bangest (archaic present second-person singular)
banged (past second-person singular)
bangedst (archaic past second-person singular)
bangs (present singular third-person)
bangeth (archaic present singular third-person)
banged (past singular third-person)
bang (plural present)
banged (past plural)
bang (present subjunctive)
banged (past subjunctive)
bang (imperative present)
banging (participle present)
banged (participle past)
bangue (alternative)

From Middle English *bangen, from Old English *bangian or borrowed from Old Norse banga (“to pound, hammer”); both from Proto-Germanic *bangōną (“to beat, pound”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰen- (“to beat, hit, injure”). Cognate with Scots bang, bung (“to strike, bang, hurl, thrash, offend”), Icelandic banga (“to pound, hammer”), Old Swedish bånga ("to hammer"; whence modern Swedish banka (“to knock, pound, bang”)), Danish banke (“to beat”), bengel (“club”), Low German bangen, bangeln (“to strike, beat”), West Frisian bingel, bongel, Dutch bengel (“bell; rascal”), German Bengel (“club”), bungen (“to throb, pulsate”).
In the sense of a fringe of hair, from bang off.
In the sense of abrupt left turn, from Boston left and associated risk of a crash.

gl

"to hammer"; whence modern Swedish <i class="Latn mention" lang="sv">banka</i> (“to knock, pound, bang”)

Audio (US)

(Nigeria, slang) To fail, especially an exam; to flunk.


ginger

en-verb

ginger (third-person singular simple present gingers, present participle gingering, simple past and past participle gingered)

gingers (present singular third-person)
gingering (participle present)
gingered (participle past)
gingered (past)

Etymology tree
Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺 (iñci)
Old Tamil 𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (vēr)
Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (iñcivēr)bor.
Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 (siṃgivera)der.
Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis)bor.
Latin zingiberi
Late Latin gingiberbor.
Proto-West Germanic *gingiberō
Old English gingifer
Late Latin gingiber
Old French gingembreinflu.
Middle English gingivere
Middle English gingere
English ginger
Inherited from Middle English gingere, alteration of gingivere, from Old English gingifer, gingiber (influenced by Old French gingembre), from Medieval Latin gingiber, zingiber, from Latin zingiberi, from Late Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 (siṃgivera), ultimately from Dravidian, compare Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (iñcivēr) and Tamil இஞ்சிவேர் (iñcivēr) from இஞ்சி (iñci, “ginger”) + வேர் (vēr, “root”).

etymon

/ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚ/

These steps may not be immediately popular, but the society may have to bear with them until they succeed in gingering renewed interest and pride in the language so chosen.

2002, K. K. Prah, Rehabilitating African Languages:

In conclusion, intensive campaigns should be done in relation to gingering the nomads' interest in education, improve their interaction with neighbours and encourage them to start considering a more sedentary pastoral life.

2006, Africa e Mediterraneo: cultura, politica, economia, società:

I attended their concert first, so that was what gingered me to continue this school.

2015, “19-year-old student at a music school in Nigeria”, in BBC Newshour:

(Nigeria, transitive) To inspire (someone); to give a little boost to.


saloon

→ Dutch: saloon

→ Finnish: saluuna

→ French: saloon

→ Russian: салун (salun)

→ Bengali: সেলুন (śelun)

→ Hindi: सैलून (sailūn)

From Occitan salon, French salon, either augmentative of salle (“room”), or borrowed from Italian salone (“hall”), augmentative form of sala, salla (“room”); in both cases borrowed from a Germanic source such as Old High German sal (“house, hall”), from Proto-Germanic *salą, from Proto-Indo-European *sel- (“dwelling”). Doublet of salon.

(India, Nigeria) A barbershop (store offering haircuts).


canvas

canvases (plural)
canvasses (plural)
canvass (alternative)

From Middle English canevas, from Anglo-Norman, from Old Northern French canevas (compare Old French chanevas, chenevas) from a root derived from Latin cannabis, from Ancient Greek κάνναβις (kánnabis). Compare French canevas, resulting from a blend of the Old French and a Picard dialect word, itself from Old Northern French. Doublet of cannabis and hemp.


pap

en-noun

pap (countable and uncountable, plural paps)

From Middle English pap. Related to Middle Low German pappe, Dutch pap, German Pappe (“pap, porridge; wheatpaste; cardboard”), Old French papa/pape, Latin pappa, папам (papam, “to eat”) and Serbo-Croatian папати/papati (“to eat”), among others. The relationships between these words are difficult to reconstruct. The Germanic word is either a borrowing from Latin or, perhaps more probably, an independent formation in baby-talk.

m+

(Nigeria, West Africa) A fermented cereal pudding made from corn, sorghum, or millet


off

en-verb

off (third-person singular simple present offs, present participle offing, simple past and past participle offed)

offs (present singular third-person)
offing (participle present)
offed (participle past)
offed (past)
offn (alternative)

(older Received Pronunciation, General American) -ɔːf

From Middle English of, from Old English of, af, æf (“from, off, away”), from Proto-West Germanic *ab, from Proto-Germanic *ab (“from”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epo (“from, off, back”). Doublet of of.
Cognates
Cognate with Scots of, af (“off, away”), West Frisian af, ôf (“off, away”), Dutch af (“off, from”), German Low German of (“off, from”), German ab (“off, from”), Danish af (“of, off”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish av (“of, off”), Icelandic af (“of, off”), Gothic 𐌰𐍆 (af, “of, from”); and with Latin ab (“of, from, by”), Ancient Greek ἀπό (apó, “from”), and others.

inh

Can you off the light?

(transitive, Singapore, Philippines, Nigeria) To switch off.


gist

en-noun

gist (countable and uncountable, plural gists)

The noun is derived from Old French gist, a noun use of the third person singular indicative of gesir (“to lie down”) (modern French gésir; compare Anglo-Norman (cest) action gist (literally “(law) (this) action lies”)), from Latin iacēre, the present active infinitive of iaceō (“to lie down, lie prostrate, recline”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh₁- (“to throw”) (probably in the sense of something being thrown down).
The verb is derived from the noun.

der

(uncountable, Nigeria) Gossip, rumour; (countable) an instance of this.


gist

en-verb

gist (third-person singular simple present gists, present participle gisting, simple past and past participle gisted)

gists (present singular third-person)
gisting (participle present)
gisted (participle past)
gisted (past)

(intransitive, Nigeria) To talk idly; chat; also, to gossip.


barb

barb (third-person singular simple present barbs, present participle barbing, simple past and past participle barbed)

barbs (present singular third-person)
barbing (participle present)
barbed (participle past)
barbed (past)

PIE word
 *bʰardʰéh₂
From Middle English barbe, from Middle French barbe, from Old French barbe (“beard, beard-like element”). Doublet of beard.


yabby

en-verb

yabby (third-person singular simple present yabbies, present participle yabbying, simple past and past participle yabbied)

yabbies (present singular third-person)
yabbying (participle present)
yabbied (participle past)
yabbied (past)

So Abiola invite Fela to his house for a big party, and Fela have to go as they are family—even though Fela had yabbied Abiola in his song "ITT" [International Thief Thief]. And it's true, Abiola duped the country for that money—everybody knows it.

2019, J. Collins, Fela: Katakuta Notes, page 160:

(transitive, Nigeria, slang) To show disrespect by denouncing or insulting; to diss.


packer

From Middle English pakker, pakkere, packare, equivalent to pack + -er.


shack

en-noun

shack (countable and uncountable, plural shacks)

Obsolete variant of shake. Compare Scots shag (“refuse of barley or oats”).

(Nigeria, slang) A drink, especially an alcoholic one.


shack

en-verb

shack (third-person singular simple present shacks, present participle shacking, simple past and past participle shacked)

shacks (present singular third-person)
shacking (participle present)
shacked (participle past)
shacked (past)

(Nigeria, slang) To drink, especially alcohol.


shift

shift (third-person singular simple present shifts, present participle shifting, simple past and past participle shifted)

shifts (present singular third-person)
shifting (participle present)
shifted (participle past)
shifted (past)

The noun is from Middle English schyft, shyffte. Cognate with German Schicht (“layer, shift”).
The verb is from Middle English schiften, from Old English sċiftan (“to divide, separate into shares; appoint, ordain; arrange, organise”), from Proto-Germanic *skiftijaną, *skiptijaną, from earlier *skipatjaną (“to organise, put in order”), from Proto-Indo-European *skeyb- (“to separate, divide, part”), from Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to cut, divide, separate, part”). Cognate with Scots schift, skift (“to shift”), West Frisian skifte, skiftsje (“to sort”), Dutch schiften (“to sort, screen, winnow, part”), German schichten (“to stack, layer”), Swedish skifta (“to shift, change, exchange, vary”), Norwegian skifte (“to shift”), Icelandic skipta (“to switch”). See ship.


winch

Tok Pisin: winis

→ Arabic: وِنْش (winš)

→ Japanese: ウインチ (uinchi)

→ Korean: 원치 (wonchi)

→ Norwegian Bokmål: vinsj

→ Norwegian Nynorsk: vinsj

→ Serbo-Croatian: vȉnč

→ Swahili: winchi

→ Swedish: vinsch

→ Ottoman Turkish: وینچ (vinç)

Turkish: vinç

From Middle English wynche, from Old English winċe, from Proto-Germanic *winkijǭ, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European *weng- (“to bow, bend, arch, curve”), whence also wink.


villa

Borrowed from Italian villa, from Latin vīlla (“country house”). Doublet of vill and ville.

(Nigeria, slang) One’s village or ancestral homeland.


maga

(Nigeria, West Africa) Alternative form of mugu.


bunker

en-verb

bunker (third-person singular simple present bunkers, present participle bunkering, simple past and past participle bunkered)

bunkers (present singular third-person)
bunkering (participle present)
bunkered (participle past)
bunkered (past)

The origin of the noun is uncertain; the earliest sense is sense 6.1 (“box or chest, the lid of which serves as a seat”), from Scots bunker (“bench; pew; window-seat; sand pit (especially in golf); coal receptacle; sleeping berth, bunk”), from Early Scots bunker, bunkur, bonker (“a chest or box, often serving as a seat”), probably from Old Norse bunki (“a heap”) (probably whence bunk (“sleeping berth in a ship, train, etc.”)), from Proto-Germanic *bunkô (“a heap, pile; a bump, lump, a crowd”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰenǵʰ- (“thick”) or *bʰeg- (“to billow, swell; to arch, bend, curve (?)”). Compare Middle Low German bunge (“drum, container”), Middle High German bunge (“drum”). Sense 1 (“hardened shelter designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks”) was derived from German Bunker during World War II, which was itself from bunker (“large bin or container for storing coal”) (sense 5).
The verb is derived from the noun.

попадам в пясъчника

to hit (a golf ball) into a bunker; to place (a golfer) in the position of having a golf ball in a bunker

(transitive, Nigeria) To steal bunker fuel by illicitly siphoning it off.


trek

en-verb

trek (third-person singular simple present treks, present participle trekking, simple past and past participle trekked)

treks (present singular third-person)
trekking (participle present)
trekked (participle past)
trekked (past)
treck (alternative archaic)

From Afrikaans trek, from Dutch trekken, from Middle Dutch trekken (weak verb) and trēken (“to trek, place, bring, move”, strong verb), from Old Dutch *trekkan, *trekan, from Proto-West Germanic *trekan, from Proto-Germanic *trekaną, *trakjaną (“to drag, haul, scrape, pull”), from Proto-Indo-European *dreg- (“to drag, scrape”).


thirty-two

/ˌθɜːtiˈtuː/


mugu

(Nigeria, Internet slang, derogatory) A victim of an online scam.


APC

All Progressives Congress
w:All Progressives Congress

(Nigeria, politics) Initialism of All Progressives Congress.


/ˈfɔːɹəʊˌfɔː(ɹ)/

From the HTTP error status code 404, meaning Not Found, returned by a web server responding to a request for a URL at which no resource exists.


chops

From the plural of chop (“jaw, side of a harbour”). The jazz slang sense “musical ability” is a reference to the use of the lips to blow instruments.


fash

en-verb

fash (third-person singular simple present fashes, present participle fashing or fashin, simple past and past participle fashed)

fashes (present singular third-person)
fashing (participle present)
fashin (participle present)
fashed (participle past)
fashed (past)

From early modern French fascher (now fâcher), from Latin fastus (“disdain”).

(Nigeria, slang) To ignore or forget about someone or something.


trafficator

There were vehicles following me, of course, but was any of them trailing me? […] Without any warning, and without signalling with the trafficator, I took a sudden right turn, hoping to shake off my trailer.

2014, Chris Ekpekurede, Laughing Over Serious Matters: Stories to Make You Laugh and Reflect:

(Nigeria, automotive) A blinking light on a motor vehicle that indicates the direction in which it is about to turn.


hold-up

→ Cebuano: holdap

→ French: hold-up

→ Tagalog: holdap


buka

Borrowed from Yoruba búkà or Hausa búkkàa.

I made a noncommittal noise and looked round the buka. It was a Saturday afternoon. The place was empty, with the bare plastic tables showing oil and grease stains.

2012, Chibundu Onuzo, The Spider King’s Daughter, Faber and Faber (2013), page 164:

(Nigeria) an inexpensive, quick, road-side restaurant serving Nigerian food.


pottage

en-noun

pottage (countable and uncountable, plural pottages)

From Middle English pottage, from Anglo-Norman and Old French potage, equivalent to pot + -age.

sell one's birthright for a mess of pottage

(Nigeria) A dish made by stewing plantain, beans, or yam in a tomato- and pepper-based sauce.


NPC

Northern People's Congress
w:Northern People's Congress

(Nigeria) Initialism of Northern People's Congress.


Naija

Naijá (alternative)
Naij (alternative Multicultural-London-English)

An English-based creole of Nigeria, combining vocabulary and grammar from the English language as well as various indigenous Nigerian languages and remnants of Portuguese.


torchlight

torchlight (countable and uncountable, plural torchlights)

(countable, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, Singapore) A torch or flashlight.


federal government

federal government (countable and uncountable, plural federal governments)

(Australia, Malaysia, Nigeria) The national governments of Australia, Malaysia, and Nigeria, in contrast to government at the state or territorial level.


singlet

Winston wrenched his body out of bed — naked, for a member of the Outer Party received only 3,000 clothing coupons annually, and a suit of pyjamas was 600 — and seized a dingy singlet and a pair of shorts that were lying across a chair.

1949, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, page 28:

2000, Nicole Matthews, Kitsch on the Fringe: Suburbia in Recent Australian Comedy Film, Roger Webster, Expanding Suburbia: Reviewing Suburban Narratives, page 176,
The semiotics of the singlet - immediately identifiable in Australia, especially in its usual shade of blue, with male manual labourers¹⁶ - underlines the contrast between the effete fakery of ballroom costumes and real masculinity to be found underneath or in the world of folk dancing.

However, even in the latter he wears a blue singlet to help remind the audience of his working-class roots.

2006, Albert Moran, Errol Vieth, Film in Australia: An Introduction, page 85:

2009, Deborah Penrith, Live & Work in: Australia, Crimson Publishing, UK, page 192,
Women wear dresses, cropped trousers and vests with lightweight linen jackets and you will find men in anything from a business suit to a pair of stubbies (very short shorts) and a singlet top (white vest) or knee-length cargo trousers.

A single piece of clothing, particularly:

(UK, Australia, Ireland, Nigeria, New Zealand, Singapore) A sleeveless buttonless shirt with a low-cut neck.

singlet

vest; sleeveless garment with a low-cut neck, often worn underneath a shirt


chophouse

chophouses (plural)
chop house (alternative)

From chop + house. For Chinese customs sense, see chop (“quality”).


spray

en-verb

spray (third-person singular simple present sprays, present participle spraying, simple past and past participle sprayed)

sprays (present singular third-person)
spraying (participle present)
sprayed (participle past)
sprayed (past)

From Middle Dutch sprāien, sprayen, spraeyen (“to spray, sprinkle, spread”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sprēwijaną (“to spray, sprinkle”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to sow, scatter”).
Cognate with Middle High German spræjen, spræwen (“to squirt, spray, dust, splash, straw”), Danish dialectal språe (“to open up, burst forth”), Swedish dialectal språ (“to sprout, shoot forth, burst”), Norwegian dialectal spra, spræ (“to splash, splatter, spout, burst forth”), Dutch sproeien (“to spray, sprinkle”), German sprühen (“to spray, sparkle”).

der

“If a celebrator is dancing and you spray him/her, you may go to jail from the party venue because the law enforcement agents will be there, waiting to arrest you.

2019, “Nigeria’s money-spraying culture: A national embarassment?^([sic])”, in Apa News, archived from the original on 2024-04-06:

Politicians have been known to spray crowds with cash. There is a cottage industry of vendors offering fresh banknotes to partygoers looking to spray their hosts.

2025 May 31, Aanu Adeoye, “Nigeria cracks down on ‘spraying’ cash”, in FT Weekend, page 6:

(Nigeria) To shower guests dancing at a function with money


asun

Another recent addition to the restaurant's menu is 'Asun', a dish that’s made with scotch bonnet peppers and charcoaled goat meat. Again, originating in Nigeria, it’s not for the faint hearted as it's an incredible smokey and spicy dish that is usually served at parties and family gatherings.

2022 July 19, Emma Davidson, “Easy Steps To Cook Pepper Meat”, in Manchester's Finest:

(Nigeria) A Yoruba dish made from roasted goat meat sautéed in spicy peppers and other vegetables.


out-of-state

tlb

(US, also Australia, India, Malaysia, Nigeria)

Out-of-state tuition is generally two to three times higher than in-state tuition for each of the years, regardless of institution type.

2007, Ronald G. Ehrenberg, What's Happening to Public Education? The Shifting Financial Burden, page 172:

(not comparable) Available to individuals from another state; available to individuals not from the current or relevant state


bunkering

en-noun

bunkering (countable and uncountable, plural bunkerings)

(chiefly Nigeria) The illicit removal of oil from a pipeline or other distribution system.


mumu

(Nigeria, derogatory) A victim of an online scam.


Nollywood

After the film was released, the actor Nkem Owoh became part of the 'Big Five' (ie the five most well-paid actors in Nollywood).

2009, Pierre Barrot, Nollywood: The Video Phenomenon in Nigeria, Indiana University Press, →ISBN, page 23:

Nollywood films are defined by excess, where the borders that frame the images, the sentiments, the characters—the symbolic order and its limits—are violated dramatically and systematically, as in the mannerism of the neobaroque.

2013, Kenneth W. Harrow, Trash: African Cinema from Below, Indiana University Press, →ISBN, page 244:

Video parlors, which are still the most popular outlet for Nollywood film screenings across Africa, do not run African auteur films, and the film festivals of Ouagadougou, Carthage, Durban, and Zanzibar do not accept Nollywood films into their main competitions.

2013, Matthias Krings, Onookome Okome, “Nollywood and Its Diaspora: An Introduction”, in Matthias Krings, Onookome Okome, editors, Global Nollywood: The Transnational Dimensions of an African Video Film Industry, Indiana University Press, →ISBN, page 19:


teef

en-verb

teef (third-person singular simple present teefs, present participle teefing, simple past and past participle teefed)

teefs (present singular third-person)
teefing (participle present)
teefed (participle past)
teefed (past)

You s'posed to be my homie an' you teefed my story


adire

These have contributed immensely to the development of many modem designs that have made adire to become acceptable as dress […]

1997, O. J. Nwanyanwu, Education for socio-economic & political development in Nigeria, page 250:

(Nigeria) A type of traditional Yoruba tie-dyed cloth.


sarki

(Nigeria) The emir of a Hausa-Fulani emirate.


wahala

From Yoruba wàhálà, from Hausa wàhalā̀, from Arabic وَهْلَة (wahla, “fright, terror”).

der

Oscar flashed me another bent grin, palmed a pistol from under the seat and said, "First time in Nigeria? No wahalla, you are always protected sa."

2005, Paul Carter, Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin, page 133:


aristo

(slang, Nigeria) A wealthy man, especially married, who has sexual affairs with much younger women and spends money on them.

sugar daddy

man who has sex with and spends money on younger women


mbari

(Nigeria, West Africa) A ceremonial clay shrine filled with clay models of humans or deities, made by the Igbo tribe.


alhaji

→ Yoruba: àláájì

(Nigeria) title of respect, often used as a shorthand for a businessman from Northern Nigeria.


go-slow

Indiscipline results in chaos, confusion and diffusion or results. It give rise to strikes, ‘go-slows’, absenteeism, leading to loss of production, profits and wages. […] The features of code of discipline:
(i) It prohibits strikes and lock outs without proper notice and also prohibits intimidation, victimization, go-slow tactics, violence, coercion or instigation by both parties.

2018 October 8, Nwanne Titus Freeman Ifeanyi, “LABOUR UNREST AND INDUSTRIAL PEACE”, in 8th Annual Youth Peace Conference, Godfrey Okoye University, pages 5, 7:

(UK, Ireland, Nigeria) Deliberate slow working as a protest during an industrial dispute.

2008 November 11, Nick Tattersall, “Uncertainty in "go-slow" Nigeria worries investors”, in Reuters:

Nigerian masses are likely to be reticent about another two weeks of putting their lives on another go-slow.
The first go-slow became evident during the first full lockdown when characteristically , govt authorities that promised the masses food, money and welfare after appropriating huge sums of money under the auspices of a powerful presidential task force, PTF, failed to deliver. […] And as if history was repeating itself, the long suffering masses compelled to stay home are bearing the brunt of the go-slow which is a subterfuge for corruption.

2020 May 20, Magnus Onyibe, “Nigeria’s strategy for combating COVID-19: How we can change from go-slow to go-smart?”, in The Cable:

public administration
public administration

(Nigeria, informal) Any ponderous business, such as backhanded public administration or a traffic jam.


number six

(Nigeria, colloquial) One’s brain or common sense.


kito

This type of blackmail, where an LGBT person is entrapped, is known in Nigeria's gay community as "kito" - the exact origin of the term is unclear. BBC Africa Eye interviewed 21 people in all about their experiences of being "kito'd".

2023 May 15, Ian Wafula, Tamasin Ford, “The Nigerians lured into a trap and blackmailed for being gay”, in BBC News:

One LGBTQ+ advocacy group that works with Nigerians told BBC Africa Eye that, each week, 15 to 20 people reach out to them with similar stories of entrapment and extortion. The scheme is known in Nigeria's gay community as "kito."

2023 May 16, Dylan Reber, “Gay Men in Nigeria Targeted in Dating App Extortion Scheme”, in Advocate:

(Nigeria, LGBTQ) A type of blackmail on LGBT people


japa

en-verb

japa (third-person singular simple present japas, present participle japaing, simple past and past participle japaed or japa'd)

japas (present singular third-person)
japaing (participle present)
japaed (participle past)
japaed (past)
japa'd (participle past)
japa'd (past)
JP (alternative abbreviation)
jakpa (alternative)

Borrowed from Yoruba jápa and Nigerian Pidgin japa.

I am japa-ing, leaving the country because of the opportunities that are available to me abroad.

2023 February 27, Larry Madowo, Bethlehem Feleke, Fridah Okutoyi, “Nigeria's 'japa' trend: Halting exodus of talented Nigerians is a task for the next president.”, in CNN.com, retrieved 2023-03-25

(Nigeria, colloquial) to emigrate from a country for better pay or working conditions.


japa

JP (alternative abbreviation)
jakpa (alternative)

(Nigeria, colloquial) the emigration of Nigerians, usually for economic opportunities.


akara

Borrowed from Yoruba àkàrà. Doublet of accra.

Why are you buying akara that you don't want?

2013, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah, Anchor Books (2014), page 547:

(Nigeria) A bean cake, made of fried black-eyed pea flour.


smallie

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-smallie.wav


NCC

But the NCC has been forced to rethink its approach and has already extended the deadline three times, at short notice.

2021 February 10, Eoin McSweeney, “As Covid-19 cases rise in Nigeria, a government policy is creating crowds and chaos”, in CNN:

Nigerian Communications Commission
w:Nigerian Communications Commission

(Nigeria) Initialism of Nigerian Communications Commission.


bigmanism

(Nigeria) Synonym of autocracy, especially (historical) corrupt autocratic rule in Nigeria.


godfatherism

(Nigeria) A form of political corruption in which an influential individual handpicks another, often less influential candidate, to attain leadership in order to exert authority or influence. This may be due to the unpopularity of one candidate, or to work around incumbency term limits.


13th month

/θɜːˌtiːnθ ˈmʌnθ/

/ˌθɝ.tɪnθ ˈmɒnθ/

A fixed 13th Month Payment is introduced, freezing all previous bonus payments and is payable on the following basis: (a) where bonus of one month’s pay or more was paid in respect of the last three annual bonus payments, the 13th Month Payment shall be equivalent to the average of bonuses paid in the last three years or the last annual bonus paid, whichever is higher, subject to a maximum of three months’ pay.

1972 April 29, The Straits Times: Two Choices for Employers, page 1:

An ANZUK spokesman last night said the decision to pay civilian employees a 13th month payment (cost: about $1 million) was approved by the Australian government early this year to be in line with the Singapore Government’s policy.

1972 December 21, The Straits Times: ANZUK’s Civilians to get 13-month pay, page 12:

According to sources, circulars have been sent to all officers informing them that their 13th month pay will include the National Wages Council recommendations for wage increase for last year and this year

1974 November 4, New Nation: An extra month…, page 3:

In this cost cutting era [...] many banks do not even give out 13th months.

2013, “Saving $100k by the time you are 30 years old”, in Investment Moats, retrieved 2015-11-03:

The Annual Wage Supplement is also known as the 13th month bonus which you will receive in addition of your December’s salary.

2014 December 31, Goodbye 2014, Hello 13th Month Bonus?:

(Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Nepal, China, Taiwan, South Africa, Nigeria, Mexico, Israel, some other countries, generally attributive) a one-month (or more) bonus paid to employees at the end of the financial year.

some other countries; generally attributive; some other countries; generally attributive


moimoi

moinmoin (alternative)
moi moi (alternative)
moin moin (alternative)

(Nigeria) A Yoruba steamed or boiled pudding made from black-eyed beans.


guyman

guymen (plural)
guy man (alternative)
guy-man (alternative)

From Nigerian Pidgin guyman (“boy; cunning person”).

bor

advance fee scam
advance fee scam#English

(chiefly Nigeria) A fraudster involved in an advance fee scam.


decamillionaire

The three major languages (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) are called “Decamillionaires” and they serve as regional Lingua Franca.

2013, Anthony Ayodele Olaoye, “The Role of Indigenous Languages in National Development: A Case Study of Nigerian Linguistic Situation”, in International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 2(3), May 2013, p. 30:

(Nigeria) A Nigerian language with at least ten million speakers (namely Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba).


Yahoo boy

Yahoo boys (plural)
yahoo-yahoo boy (alternative)

Named after the Internet company Yahoo!, whose free e-mail accounts are sometimes used by scammers.

The EFCC has a cyber crimes unit to monitor the activities of internet scam artists, also known as "Yahoo boys" (probably because they conduct their activities through their Yahoo e-mail accounts).

2009, Patience Idaraesit Akpan-Obong, Information and Communication Technologies in Nigeria, →OCLC:

(Nigeria) A man who carries out 419 fraud.


agbero

In fact, most of the hubs of Lagos’s night life from the last century have disappeared. Mr. Adé’s own Ariya nightclub closed in 2003, when agbero boys (local hoodlums) started extorting the visitors and vandalizing their cars.

2015 October 23, Femke Van Zeijl, “Running Deep, the Roots of King Sunny Adé”, in New York Times:

(Nigeria) A thug, typically a jobless male youth who threatens tourists.


oyinbo

From Yoruba Òyìnbó, or from Nigerian Pidgin oyinbo.

‘Do you know how these oyinbos waste food? They throw food away after eating just two forks. Even their eggs and oranges have expiry dates!’

2023, Stephen Buoro, The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa, Bloomsbury Circus, page 241:


Maggi

en-noun

Maggi (countable and uncountable, plural Maggis)

Genericized from the name of the company and product, which was named after Swiss entrepreneur Julius Maggi.

named-after

(Nigeria) Any commercially made bouillon cube


revert back

en-verb

revert back (third-person singular simple present reverts back, present participle reverting back, simple past and past participle reverted back)

reverts back (present singular third-person)
reverting back (participle present)
reverted back (participle past)
reverted back (past)

We will revert back to your job application soon.


do the needful

do the needful (third-person singular simple present does the needful, present participle doing the needful, simple past did the needful, past participle done the needful)

does the needful (present singular third-person)
doing the needful (participle present)
did the needful (past)
done the needful (participle past)

My father had, generally speaking, his temper under complete self command, and his anger rarely indicated itself by words, except in a sort of dry testy manner to those who had displeased him. He never used threats or expressions of loud resentment. All was arranged with him on system and it was his practice to "do the needful" on every occasion, without wasting words about it.

1817, Sir Walter Scott, chapter 2, in Rob Roy, volume 1, Edinburgh: James Ballantyne and Co., published 1818, page 24:

The best way to handle Biafra agitation is through a round table, dialogue with them since they feel they are not well treated. These people are hungry. Let the president do the needful by calling them to order, call the youth to order.

2017 November 3, Seun Opejobi, quoting Rev. Divine Okwara, “Biafra: Prophet Okwara reveals how Buhari can ‘kill’ agitation for Igbo nation”, in Daily Post (Nigeria):

(India, Nigeria, dated UK) To do that which is necessary or required.


in-state

in-state travel

The Michigan football team’s annual tilt with in-state rival Michigan State will be a 7:30 p.m. ET game.

2017 September 26, Rachel Lenzi, “Michigan-Michigan State”, in The Diehards Network, archived from the original on 2017-09-26:

Existing or occurring within a single state.

an in-state student

Of or from the state where an institution is located, especially a public or state-funded college or university.

in-state tuition

Out-of-state tuition is generally two to three times higher than in-state tuition for each of the years, regardless of institution type.

2007, Ronald G. Ehrenberg, What's Happening to Public Education? The Shifting Financial Burden, page 172:

Applicable to or available to individuals of or from the state.


okada

1990s, from the now defunct Nigerian airline, Okada Air, nicknamed so because they could manoeuvre through the heavy traffic of Lagos and take passengers to their destinations in a timely manner, in the same way as the airline. Originates from the Ẹ̀dó town of Okada.

By the glittering blue lagoon, I stood next to the main ring road to flag down a motorcycle taxi, or okada. Okadas are the scourge of Nigeria's roads.

2012, Noo Saro-Wiwa, Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria, page 34:


danfo

"You crazy? Look where you day go, you bloody fool!" the man screamed at me as he shoved me into the path of a danfo which barely missed me. The bus conductor, who was standing on the steps of the danfo, leaned over, struck me on the side of my head, and gave me another shove that sent me back on the sidewalk into a final collision course with yet another pedestrian.

2010, Love P. Maya, Off The Village Mat, →ISBN, page 75:

Daring the consequence and to maintain his earlier position ahead of Adekunle, the danfo driver could have gone ahead to attempt hitting Adekunle's car. Danfo bus drivers often behaved that way.

2011, Emeke Obi, Bond of Three, →ISBN, page 123:

Danfo were classier and more expensive than bolekaja. Almost every danfo was painted yellow and on the side of the driver's door, in black, was “driver and 2 passengers.”

2015, Tade Thompson, Making Wolf, →ISBN:

The bus ride to the city was another three hours. It would likely have just been two had not the danfo broken down twice.

2016, Leopoldo Gout, Genius: The Game, →ISBN, page 82:

Ogboh has also focused critical attention on the familiar avatars of Lagos in popular imagination as visual signifiers that also drive its soundscapes, such as the ubiquitous yellow commercial kombi buses, popularly called danfo. The typical danfo is a VW transporter bus, painted in cadmium yellow with two black stripes.

2017, Arnd Schneider, Alternative Art and Anthropology: Global Encounters, →ISBN, page 39:

(Nigeria) Synonym of shared taxi, especially a minibus operated as a shared taxi.


acada

Saying these much in Nigeria's present political climate, and coming from someone who has been out of the country for a considerable length of time, provides an opportunity for cheap baseless attacks and accusations of an “acada' trying to compare Nigeria to more advanced countries.

2009, Angelicus-M. B. Onasanya, The Urgency of Now!: Building a True Nigerian Nation, page 153:

(Nigeria, slang) A current or former university student.


acada

He had asked, 'So do the literate acada people also do that?'

1987, Kowus Bisi-Williams, The Black Godfather, page 32:

(Nigeria, slang) Relating to a university or academic studies; educated.


achaba

I flagged down a passing achaba and rode into town, where my achaba man asked passers-by for directions to the conservation project.

2012, Noo Saro-Wiwa, Looking for Transwonderland: Travels in Nigeria, page 163:


decampee

The most popular decampee who is widely believed to pose the most serious challenge to Governor Sylva is Chief Timi Alaibe who defected from PDP to the Labour Party (LP).

2013, John A. A. Ayoade, Nigeria's Critical Election, 2011, page 170:

(Nigeria) A person who has switched political parties.


bunkerer

The JTF security report signed by Briagier General Lawrence Ngubare, former commander of the task force further stated that BoyLoaf was bent on becoming an illegal oil bunkerer and is known to have a violent disposition.

2008, Newswatch: Nigeria's Weekly Magazine, page 15:

Bunkering is comprised of a complex network of engineers, welders, intelligence and armed security operatives, boat and ship captains, pumpers, handlers, and traders. One bunkerer describes the process as “pipeline vandalization to steal refined or crude oil products and transportation of these products in various vessels such as barges and tankers to sell locally and internationally”.

2015, Hannah Appel, Subterranean Estates: Life Worlds of Oil and Gas, page 79:


corper

I have wanted to leave since the three corpers in the National Youth Service programme were killed.

2017, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, Stay With Me, Canongate Books, page 4:

(Nigeria, informal) A member of Nigeria's National Youth Service Corps.


obaship

en-noun

obaship (countable and uncountable, plural obaships)


mammy wagon

(Nigeria) A vehicle consisting of a lorry chassis with a wooden frame built on top.


monotechnic

(Nigeria) An educational institution where a single specific technical subject is taught.


bad belle

I still do not understand how one could call him or herself a leader or elite when the community is riddled with so much frustration, hopelessness, disillusionment, anger, disease, corruption, waste, indiscipline, arrogance and bad belle.

2004, Julius Omozuanvbo Ihonvbere, Social sector reforms in Nigeria, page 37:

Nigerian future leaders must stay strong always above misleading advisement, wrong influences and bad belle.

2006, Jubil Aka, Blacks Greatest Homeland: Nigeria Is Born Again, page 34:


table water

table water (usually uncountable, plural table waters)

(Nigeria) Bottled water, potable non-carbonated fresh water sold in prepackaged containers.


babanriga

babanrigas (plural)
babariga (alternative)

From Hausa baban riga (literally “indigo robe”).


guber

Despite his inability to get the speakership, luck later came to Ogbe's side when he was appointed as minister of communication to replace Isaac Shaahu who resigned to challenge Governor Aku in the guber race.

2016, Richard Tersoo Mnenga, Js Tarka: The Life of a Charismatic Leader, Xlibris Corporation:

(Nigeria, politics) Clipping of gubernatorial.


virgina

An alteration caused by confusion with virgin.

During the sexual intercourse, blood suddenly gushed out from her virgina.

And when they left me, I found water on my virgina and my virgina started paining me.

1986, Federation of Nigeria Law Reports:

The Ife believe that diseases such as gonorrhoea, Leuchoria, syphillis, inflamation^([sic]) of the vulva and virgina, abnormal uterine bleeding, primary and secondary amenorhoea etc., can be caused by parasitic and bacteria infection […]

(Nigeria, nonstandard) Alternative form of vagina.


commutal

en-noun

commutal (countable and uncountable, plural commutals)

Gladys' conviction generated reactions from a cross-section of Nigerians who pleaded for the commutal of the death sentence to a jail-term.

The demand for commutal of sentences was informed by two factors.

1998, The Nigerian Journal of the Social Sciences: NJSS.:

Having earned so much domestic and international respect for the unprecedented commutal of sentences on coup plotters last month, General Sani Abacha is expected to build on this growing goodwill by handling the Ogoni matter […]

2004, Reuben Abati, The Whole Truth: Selected Editorials of the Guardian (1983-2003), →ISBN:

(Nigeria, law) commutation (of a sentence)


kuli-kuli

(Nigeria) A press cake made from peanuts.


Jambite

So Pamela was the much talked about new Jambite. She had been the talk of the campus since he arrived, but he hadn't had the opportunity of asking for her name from his friends who told him about her.

1993, Funmilayo Adegbite, Bonds of Destiny, page 48:

They first met when Tina was a Jambite and had just arrived on the Ife campus and Frankie was a final year student.

1997, Gbadebo Adeniyi, Barbwire, page 70:

I'm a 300 level law student and you're just a fucking Jambite and....

2013, Justin Udie, Campus Nightmares, →ISBN:

(Nigeria) A first-year student at university; freshman.


opara

Since the opara was the rightful successor to his father, and more or less inherited his father's political and religious functions upon his death, sending him to school, where he became ipso facto a Christian convert, meant that when his ...

1980, Umoja - Volume 4, Issue 3, page 23:

He summoned all the opara (the first sons) of each family in the clan.

1991, John E. Eberegbulam Njoku, Short Stories of the Traditional People of Nigeria, →ISBN:

Many mothers would give an arm and a leg to have an opara like me.

2009, Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, I Do Not Come to You by Chance, →ISBN:

(Nigeria) The oldest son, who has inherited the rights and responsibilities of his father after his father has died.


ewedu

Corchorus olitorius
Corchorus olitorius#Translingual

(Nigeria) The jute mallow, Corchorus olitorius.

(Nigeria) A Yoruba soup made from this vegetable.


turbaning

turbanings (plural)
turbanning (alternative)

(Nigeria) A ceremony in Hausa-Fulani culture, in which someone is formally installed in a new position of power or traditional importance in the community.


slay queen

From the encouraging imperative utterance "slay, queen!"; see the slang terms slay (“to amaze or stun by excellence”) and queen (“a female ruler”).

Isukile […] means 'it has moved' or 'it is off'. […] In this context, isukile is akin to the Afrikaans 'hier kom kak' (a shitstorm is brewing). […] When a slay queen sees a Nigerian buy a bottle of champagne. Isukile.

2018, Melusi Tshabalala, Melusi's Everyday Zulu: There is um'Zulu in all of us:

(Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Zambia, South Africa, derogatory) A young female gold digger who is active on social media and pretends to afford a lavish partying lifestyle.


push-me-I-push-you

(Nigeria, slang) Moonshine; illicit alcohol.


kai-kai

Several things were needed before the family prayer started — water for washing hands, a chair for sitting and palm wine, or better still, strong drink, kai kai. Holding a gourd cup of palm wine in his right hand , the head of the family would […]

1983, Edet A. Udo, Who are the Ibibio?, page 251:

[…] vodka, gin, whiskey, brandy, moonshine (kai-kai) etc. Profits from this monopoly are invested by government in the various projects in the state. The state has what is known as ABC stores in all counties and they are a huge source of revenue.

1998, Emmanuel Uzo Obi, The Bridge to the 21st Century: The Path for Nigeria, Bizon Assoc, page 27:

[…] kai-kai, a keg of palm wine and a plate of kolanuts. "These items are for you, " he announced, looking at the guests, particularly Oshare's in-laws.

2004, Benson Omonode, Try Another Leg, page 70:

At ceremonies in the village, the traditional drinks presented and served were palm wine, kai-kai, and water. There were two sources of palm wine. That from the oil palm tree was the traditional one for men. It had high-alcohol content.

2009, Dr. Oliver Akamnonu, Professor Ndu Eke, Earth's Man of Color: Genes, Agenda or Jeans, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 75:


Sapele water

(Nigeria, slang) moonshine; illicit alcohol


rerock

en-verb

rerock (third-person singular simple present rerocks, present participle rerocking, simple past and past participle rerocked)

rerocks (present singular third-person)
rerocking (participle present)
rerocked (participle past)
rerocked (past)
re-rock (alternative)

From re- + rock, the fashion sense from the fashion sense of rock (“to wear on stage, to wear successfully”): “He was rocking these designer shoes”.

First of all before i talk about rerocking of shoes, i'll give a brief definition using a lay man's english. rerocking means to repeat or rewearing a shoe more than one time with different outfits. […]

2014 August 16, “There is nothing wrong in rerocking your shoe”, in Glowy Shoes, archived from the original on 2019-08-24:

If u spend a whole amount of money and decide to buy an outfit and wear it once afterwards hang in your closet forever without rerocking, that is your own headache!

2016 November 27, “Re-rocking outfits isn’t a crime ladies”, in Akosua Vee, archived from the original on 2018-03-10:

2018 October 4, “Veronica Odeka Is The Queen Of Re-rocking As She Styles Her Pleat Skirt Seven Times! [PHOTOS]”, in Ma Daily Gist, archived from the original on 2019-06-24:

(Nigeria, fashion slang, transitive) Said about a garment, to rewear it with a different outfit, to rock it again.


bush bar

(Nigeria) A local establishment serving drinks and often snacks or simple meals.


fanimorous

en-adj

fanimorous (comparative more fanimorous, superlative most fanimorous)

more fanimorous (comparative)
most fanimorous (superlative)

Your birthday outfits are really fanimorous.

And we laughed because he was fanimorous kokonbility.

1984, Tayo Olafioye, The Saga of Sego: An African Novel, page 31:

(Nigeria, slang) beautiful, attractive, captivating


brown envelope syndrome

brown envelope journalism
brown envelope journalism

(Nigeria) The prevalence of "brown envelope journalism", i.e. bribing journalists for positive press coverage.


POLAC

(Nigeria, law enforcement) The Police Academy of Nigeria.


ember months

Comes from the fact that three of the four months end with "-ember".

For as long as can be remembered, the end of every year is believed to be synonymous with increased crime rate and road traffic accidents in Nigeria. The last four months, September to December, popularly referred to as the "ember months" because they end with "ember", fall into this category.

2017 August 26, “‘Ember Months’ of Tragedy: Separating the Myth from the Facts”, in Leadway, archived from the original on 2019-09-21:

(often Nigeria) The final four months of the year: September, October, November, and December.


fashy

en-verb

fashy (third-person singular simple present fashies, present participle fashying, simple past and past participle fashied)

fashies (present singular third-person)
fashying (participle present)
fashied (participle past)
fashied (past)

Some of the idioms cited are slang items that have stuck in popular usage. Examples are to chase, to hit, to shack oneself dry to wash, and to fashy.

[2003, Efurosibina Adegbija, “Idiomatic Variation in Nigerian English”, in Peter Lucko, Peter Lothar, Hans-Georg Wolf, editors, Studies in African Varieties of English, Peter Lang, →ISBN, page 49:

'My sister, let's fashy that angle,' said Ugomma. 'When did you see Emeka last?' she enquired from Mfon.

2014, Emmanuel Kelechi Egbugara, The Brainless Beauty, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 73:

I tried to match her bonhomie, though something was definitely off. “Ah, of course now. You're pretty, and I have been trying to toast you, but you've fashied me.”

2014, Nnaziri Ihejirika, A Rainy Season, FriesenPress, →ISBN, page 192:

Many NigE slang expressions have a short life, while others have more staying power, and some, like gist, described earlier, are perhaps colloquial rather than slang. Those which have been continuously in use since the 1970s (at least) and are mentioned in Asomugha (1981) or in Longe (1999) include: […] fashy, to (“ignore”); […].

[2019, David Jowitt, “Lexis and discourse”, in Nigerian English, Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 137:

(transitive, Nigeria, slang) To ignore or forget (someone or something).


sitout

sitouts (plural)
sit out (alternative)
sit-out (alternative)

Here an entire village ambience has been recreated in every detail, with mud huts, courtyards with traditional terra cotta figures, wall paintings, a fishing corner with traditional nets, sitouts with swings, even a village chariot used for annual festivities, all put together not as a show piece but as a living tradition — complete with even a rustic couple lustily singing folk songs to the accompaniment of a typical folk musical instrument— it is a world in itself that one walks into, to get a taste of what village life could have been like, full of aesthetic touches in each and every artifact.

1999, Sakuntala Narasimhan, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay: The Romantic Rebel, page 97:

Accommodation comprises of elegantly designed independent AC cottages (Mappilapura), AC Executive/Deluxe suites (Malabar Suites) and Superior AC Rooms with sitouts which offer the glimpse of breath taking beauty of Kerala's natural landscapes.

2004, K. V. Ravisankar, Kerala Tourism Handbook 2005, page 99:

Its five themed en-suite rooms are large and most have funky little sitouts.

(chiefly India, Nigeria) An outdoor area that is set up for sitting, including a floor and seats, and possibly, but not necessarily having a roof, screens, or elevated platform.


tokunbo

It is interesting, nonetheless, since none of my discussions had prepared me for the price comparability of new fakes and original tokunbos, or their solid position at about two-thirds the price of new originals.

2004, Jane I. Guyer, Marginal Gains: Monetary Transactions in Atlantic Africa, page 91:

(Nigeria) A secondhand motor vehicle imported from Europe.


LGA

local government area
w:local government area

(Australia, Nigeria) Initialism of local government area.


yab

yab (third-person singular simple present yabs, present participle yabbing, simple past and past participle yabbed)

yabs (present singular third-person)
yabbing (participle present)
yabbed (participle past)
yabbed (past)

But in between the bouts of light-hearted yabbing Fela began to insert serious political challenges. He attacked prevalent attitudes towards self determination which he abhorred. He stated that black people were being robbed.

1974, Afriscope, volume 4, numbers 1-6, page 42:

(Nigeria, ambitransitive) To satirize or roast; to abuse verbally.


bush meat

(slang, Nigeria) A shy or innocent young woman considered as a sexual object.


sarkiship

(Nigeria) The role or status of a sarki (emir).


mama put

(Nigeria, slang) A stall selling Nigerian street food.

(Nigeria, slang) A woman who operates such a stall, or who cooks this kind of food.


geopolitical zone

en-noun

geopolitical zone (plural geopolitical zones)

(Nigeria, government) A type of federally recognised region in Nigeria, consisting of multiple states.


yabbi

Using serious yabbis, Fela was able to retain control of the floor against the persistent heckler.

1993, Frank Thurmond Fairfax, Fela, the Afrobeat King, page 365:

(Nigeria) Satirical verbal abuse; a roasting.


ponmo

'No meat!' The Nigerian, who grew up knowing that ponmo or cowskin was popular on the menu list back home, heard the Chadians carry on, and pretending there was nothing scary about the promotion of ponmo as a national delicacy, replied suavely, 'Meat certainly is not all a man lives for, or is it, gentlemen?'

2012, Steve Carlos, Behind the Firing Line:

(Nigeria) Cowhide, or a dish made thereof.


ayamase

After her conversation with Dele, Irne had made her way to the kitchen to finish her cooking. Thankfully, the ayamase stew did not burn. Irene had planned to make ayamase for her Oyinkan before she left. It was one of Oyinkan's favorite meals, and she knew that Oyinkan would never go to all through the trouble to cook it.

2020, Ronke Abidoye, The Perfection In Love:

(Nigeria) A stew made from green or red Scotch bonnet peppers.


gizdodo

Blend of gizzard + dodo ("fried plantain").

(Nigeria) A Nigerian dish made from fried gizzard and plantain.


many at times

(Nigeria, sometimes proscribed) Many a time; many times; often.


utazi

Matefi whose turn it was to cook for Ezeulu that night (they had kept count even in his absence) had already started preparing utazi soup.

1965, Chinua Achebe, Arrow of God, Penguin Classics (2010), page 185:

(Nigeria) The plant Gongronema latifolium, with edible leaves.


arokeke

(Nigeria) Synonym of utazi (“the plant Gongronema latifolium”).


wifeism

In this chapter I examine the emergence of wifeism and the bureaucratization of women's concerns in Nigeria through state involvement, especially since the early 1980s.

1999, Amrita Basu, C. Elizabeth McGrory, Women's Movements in Global Perspective, page 213:

But this is not unconnected with the fact that the electoral system in Nigeria is still skewed in favour of wifeism.

1999, Matthew Hassan Kukah, Democracy and Civil Society in Nigeria, page 168:

(Nigeria, politics) A patriarchal societal tendency whereby women can only achieve things as the wives of men of rank.


nyash

Man livin' for nyash and dyin' for nyash

2023, “Sprinter”, performed by Central Cee x Dave:

(Nigeria, MLE, vulgar) Ass, booty, buttocks, backside.


J-Town

(Nigeria, slang) The city of Jos in Nigeria.


Soro Soke

First used during the EndSARS protest. Yoruba word meaning speak up. Coined in 2020.

Aina’s brand, which recently released a scented candle collection tagged Owambe, attracted a lot of knocks by Nigerian Twitter users after naming one of its candles Soro soke.

2022 August 5, Peace Akinyode, “Tweeps knock entrepreneur for naming product ‘Soro Soke’”, in PUNCH (Nigeria):

(Nigeria, politics, neologism) A political slogan where Nigerians seeking to make their voices heard.


more grease to your elbow

Based off of more power to your elbow, replacing power with grease from the term elbow grease.

more power to your elbow
more power to your elbow#English

(Nigeria) Synonym of more power to your elbow.


depobelt

(geology, Nigeria) A belt-shaped depositional region of a delta.


SSCE

He could not afford my private school fees nor could he find me a job if I had no SSCE results.

2012, Chibundu Onuzo, The Spider King’s Daughter, Faber and Faber (2013), page 37:

(Nigeria, education) Initialism of Senior School Certificate Examination: the examination Nigerian students sit in their final year of secondary school.


e choke

Popularized by Nigerian-American singer Davido (David Adedeji Adeleke).

(Nigeria, slang) Expressing awe or excitement.


dey play

"A chicken ate my donut!" "Dey play: that donut was on the table. Chicken can't climb."

(Nigeria, slang) Suggesting that somebody is being delusional.


ajebutter

Na plenty ajebutter dey go dat place.

There are a lot of ajebutter who go to that place.

Boy I’m from the streets, yeah I’m gutter gutter
So no dey look me like ajebutter yeah!

Sweet like coconut
Her body like ajebutter

2021, “La La”performed by Davido ft. CKay:

Mama, Mama Maradona with the soccer yeah
E Dey try hook me up with hin daughter yeah
Maybe hin think sey I’m ajebutter
Olorun maje o resu to ma Bota

2022, “Mama Maradona”performed by Vector and Wande Coal:

Olohun like Omo olowo
Olohun like ajepako Ohun like ajebutter

2022, “PALAZZO”performed by Spinall and Asake:

(Nigeria pidgin, slang, derogatory) A very spoiled rich person.


yarn dust

en-verb

yarn dust (third-person singular simple present yarns dust, present participle yarning dust, simple past and past participle yarned dust)

yarns dust (present singular third-person)
yarning dust (participle present)
yarned dust (participle past)
yarned dust (past)

"be doing as if you are not going to fuck that girl"
"try to lie to me that you don't want to"
"it's not that I will not if she wants me to, but that's not why I am going there actually, I really like her"
"be yarning dust there, better look for where to buy condom when we get down"

2023, Banji Coker, There is nothing romantic about death, page 42:


area boy

(Nigeria) Synonym of agbero (“type of thug”).


Jand

'I'm ok o I'm tired of Jand and I dey miss Naija,' he replied.

2014, Jessica Dice, The Magic of Destiny: Second Edition, page 134:

(Nigeria, slang) A foreign country, one other than Nigeria.


thunder fire

thunder fire (third-person singular simple present thunder fires, present participle thunder firing, simple past and past participle thunder fired)

thunder fires (present singular third-person)
thunder firing (participle present)
thunder fired (participle past)
thunder fired (past)

(Nigeria) A wish for the god of lightning to smite someone.


thunder fire

(derogatory, somewhat offensive, Nigeria) Expression of anger towards someone.


NNPP

New Nigeria People's Party
w:New Nigeria People's Party

(Nigeria, politics) Initialism of New Nigeria People's Party.


ANPP

All Nigeria People's Party
w:All Nigeria People's Party

(Nigeria, politics, historical) Initialism of All Nigeria People's Party.


NIMC

The NIMC temporarily shut down registration centers on December 21, due to non-adherence to Covid-19 measures.

2021 February 10, Eoin McSweeney, “As Covid-19 cases rise in Nigeria, a government policy is creating crowds and chaos”, in CNN:

w:National Identity Management Commission

(Nigeria) Initialism of National Identity Management Commission.