Slangs trend and get popular at a quick rate. Once a slang is coined, it would be all over the social media and within split seconds the whole world knows about it. They are mostly derived from music and movies and the social media plays a great role in making it trend.
Every culture, race and region across the globe has their own slangs and Nigerian communities are not left out.
Here are top trending slangs which every Nigerian knows and has probably used.
Kuku kill me: This is one slang that has come to stay. It is used on social media, mostly, when you see something funny or super interesting and you are extremely excited. “Kuku kill me” which could be translated to “just kill me” is a way of expressing deep pleasure and satisfaction to the thing that caught your attention.
Wawu: This is a Nigerian word for ‘’wow’’. It is like pronouncing wow with a bit of stress on the last syllable. It is a way of expressing astonishment and surprise.
This one weak me: It is used to show a high level of amusement, which could be either a funny picture or meme. So when something gets you rolling with laughter, and you are short of words to describe how you feel, you could simply say “This one weak me”
Turnioniown: ‘Turnioniown’ has been used to describe things you cannot control or situations out of the ordinary.
Slay: This is a term often used by fashionistas to describe someone who looks extremely beautiful when she wears an outfit especially if she is a good dresser.
Osha pra pra: This is used in singing someone`s praises, which can be loosely translated to mean “you look fresh’’. It is used when greeting a friend or acquaintance who is passing by.
I’m in my house come and beat me: This slang is mostly used by trouble-makers on the internet. They use this expression after looking for someone’s trouble. They are know fully well that they person is in no way close to them, hence they tell the person to come and beat them in a sarcastic manner.
Fall my hand: “Fall my hand” is one of the funniest slangs because when people use it, it must have been a serious situation. This slang is often used when someone disappoints people or is disappointed by others. The extent of the disappointment is so bad that the best way to describe the feeling is by saying “You fall my hand”.
Na dem: This slang just started being used recently. It is used when referring to a particular group or gender known for an act or a behaviour. An example is “When you hear ‘Can you come to my house this weekend?, My sister, na them”
As E Dey Hot: This means when you want someone is asked to hasten up or to do something quickly. For example, you can say “Abeg make we go collect that money from that woman, as e dey hot“.
“If you know you know”: It is used when a hidden message or post is posted on the social media platform and the poster doesn’t want to state the real issue for reasons best known to him/her.
Slangs are usually common among teenagers and they have entered our everyday vocabulary such that you would rarely see a group of teenagers talking without using words that may not be understood by someone that is not in their group. They are unconventional words that are common to certain age groups or set of people most especially teenagers.
