Just dey play!
Translates loosely as a sarcastic “keep playing”. You say “hmm, dey play. Just dey play” when a person is goofing around and acting unserious with an issue that they should be obviously more serious about.
E.g “You haven’t read for the exam? Just dey play.”
No dey cap
Colloquially, to cap means to lie, to speak words that are not factual, or to say a lot of words without the proper application of one’s sound reasoning. No, we’re not calling anybody Ergo, No dey cap which translates as “stop capping” means stop saying rubbish. Next time you’re in the company of a loudmouthed person (we’ve all been there), you might unconsciously find yourself saying “Brooo, no dey cap, ahbeg” out of pure frustration.
Omo ope
Omo ope is used to refer to a person who has had a lucky break, or who seems to be swimming in the proverbial ocean of wealth. So, peradventure one of your rich friends offers to buy you a drink, it is rightly expected of you to hail them in a way reminiscent of area boys and say “Omo ope, thank you” as you collect your cold drink and sulk inwardly, wondering when you’ll also become omo ope.
Ma fo
Ma fo translates directly to English as “Don’t break”, but colloquially, it means don’t fret, don’t be scared. Ma fo might be the perfect thing you need to hear on a hot Saturday afternoon after you’ve judiciously (or not so judiciously) put a dent in the hood of your landlord’s brand-new Toyota Corolla. Ma fo is usually preceded by “Omo iya mi”, which translates loosely as my brother, or my sister.
We meuve
This is singularly the most self-induced method of gas-lighting that Nigerians have come up with in the many years after gaining independence. We meuve is a phrase that people use when something of varying levels of tragedy has happened and there is no easy way of rationalizing it so they choose to deny or neglect the experience and its effects by saying “we meuve”, which translates colloquially as “we can only keep moving forward”, because what is the point of focusing on what has already happened?
Trenches
Trenches is used to refer to a very poor neighborhood or the slums. Trenches could also be used to refer to a place where you experience extreme discomfort and inconvenience. The latter definition was made popular by Nigerian students when they have to return to the rigors of their parents’ houses every time they go on holiday. You would hear them bemoaning the loss of their independence and free time by saying “O God, I’m back to the trenches”.
A person who has recently experienced a soul-shattering decline in their financial status could also use Trenches to signify a very dejected state of mind and say “Oh wow, this is the trenches”.
O por
Any time they flaunt their wealth by dressing up in a flashy way or buy something expensive that could probably pay your house rent two times over, it is your duty to shout “O por, o porrrr”. O por translates as “It is plenty”. Usually said to express sincere shock, awe, and befuddlement at the amount of money a person is spending. It shows that you’re happy for your rich friends, not jealous, and also helps to cover that gaping hole of financial inadequacy you may feel.
Sope otilo
This is a very humorous way to let someone else know that they just lost something very big. It could be an opportunity, or it could be that their property just got stolen.
Random person: Please did you notice any wallet on this table?
You who vaguely remember a shady character picking up the wallet: Ah, sope otilo.
Shey you dey whine me ni?
This is a clearly rhetorical question because not once has an answer been provided to the question “Shey you dey whine me ni?” It loosely translates as “are you kidding me?” You ask this question of yourself when a situation seems too shocking and overwhelming for it to be happening in the sphere of your reality. You can also ask this question when you’re genuinely confused and feel like somebody else is trying to get the better of you. But of course, don’t expect an answer because nobody has been able to find a suitable answer to this question.
Lori iro
You say “lori iro” when a person is obviously lying to you and you want them to know that you’re clearly aware and you can basically see the lie drooling down their mouth.
Person: “Jessica, it’s you I love, I’ll leave my 3 wives and 8 kids for you. I swear.”
Jessica: “Lori iro.”
Now, no man can take you for an idiot because you can see through their lies. 😊
Trabaye
This is another word whose origin is quite mysterious, but we use it in conversation. Trabaye means to go out and have wild fun with your guys. It could also mean that you’ve drunk alcohol or taken narcotics (not that we support that kind of behavior) and you’ve gotten to a point where you can’t tell where your body stops and your vomit starts.
Enipe
Enipe translates as “Pardon?” You say this when someone has spoken to you but you did not hear what they said. But most of the time, you heard them the first time around but what they have said is so mind numbingly stupid and you’re giving them a second chance and desperately hoping that they would employ at least a small fraction of their common sense.
O ti zeh
This is a congratulatory phrase. You say “O ti zeh” when something is done and has gone according to plan.
Person: “Hey, how far your plans to leave the country.”
You: “ah ha, o ti zeh.”
Alaye
Alaye is a non-gender-specific term used to refer to any person. It could mean dude, comrade, bro, sis, my guy, etc. Also when you question the truth and validity of a person’s words, you can draw out the syllables of the word Alaye to let them know that you don’t totally believe them.
Kala
Kala means to be selfish or to be stingy. When someone refers to you as being kala, they usually mean that you’re too stingy, or that you don’t spend enough money on your friends.
Ment
Ment is usually used to mean that a person’s brain is addled and isn’t functioning adequately. When people say ment as a statement, they usually mean that the person being referred to is crazy. When people say ment in a questioning tone like “ment?” you’ve probably done something so abysmally stupid and they are trying to fathom how a person with full possession of his reasoning facilities could do something like that.
Sapa
Without wasting too many words, sapa means to be broke, or to be going through varying degrees of abject poverty.
E choke
People say “E choke” when they are faced with too many activities or conflicting situations at the same and it is getting very hard to pay the right amount of attention to every single activity. “E choke” means it is too plenty, or it is starting to get overwhelming.
Who dey breet
This is usually something people say to get themselves or other people hyped up. It can be used before or after the announcement of good news, as a social media caption for your stunning picture, or at a party after the enviable clique walks in.
So, the next time you’re at a party and the MC says “who dey breet”, that’s not the cue for a breath holding competition, you’re supposed to bring the roof down with your noise.
Chop breakfast
Chop breakfast means that you’ve been served a hypothetical breakfast and you’ve eaten it. What this means is that you just got your heart broken, or you just got dumped. The person who “chop breakfast” is always the person who got broken up with, or dumped.
God when
This is usually used to express your desire to have something someone else has. It is sometimes used as bants and in a sarcastic way. You say ‘God when’ whenever you see or hear about people living the life that you want for yourself. If you are single and someone writes a post praising their partner, you can say ‘God when.’ You can also say ‘God when’ in a sarcastic way whenever you see a person making choices that you would never make.
Doings
People say “doings” when they see a person making smart moves and moving upward on the social and/or financial ladder. It usually means that the person is doing and putting in work, and that the work is producing very good results.
You can also say “doings” as sarcasm when you see a person do a rubbish job and end up accomplishing nothing.