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Translate English to Nigerian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nigerian Word |
Continuous Meaning |
ENGLISH NIGERIAN |
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H. |
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h |
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it means for someone to be hungry |
Haba! |
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Expression of surprise or amazement; Hausa and heard mainly in the North. N.B. Habahaba! was a common expression of joking amazement in the US in the 1940s. Related? |
habba |
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relax for a moment; please, consider me; can be used to make someone consider of the seriousness or craziness of what he is about to do {e.g. So just because I don't share the bread with you dey vex? Habba! Meaning - Are you cross just because I didn't give you some bread? For crying out loud!} |
had to |
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it was likely that...would; When the war broke out many people had to die |
hail |
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form of greeting when you walk into a room filled with people or a person for instance, sign of courtesy... {e.g. Bros I hail you ooo!, na me hail pass} |
hair-packer |
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small elastic band with beads attached, used to adorn a hair style |
hairy |
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with plenty of hair {but with a positive implication} she is a hairy girl she has lots of hair |
hala |
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to shout at or raise your voice at someone. |
hama |
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sexual intercourse |
hama/hit |
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make money unexpectedly |
hamma |
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to have sex |
hammer |
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to make a lot of money; become rich quite suddenly. |
handset |
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mobile phone |
hand-work |
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anything produced by hand, including both crafts and physical labour; It is a hand-work Presumably from Standard English 'handiwork' |
hanging |
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state of hanging from the back of a passenger vehicle; The policeman demanded N200 'fine' as punishment for the offence of the conductor, who was hanging on the vehicle's door {The driver} said: 'One of the policemen demanded N200 from me alleging that my driver was hanging'. |
harlot |
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prostitute; The harlots are dancing; N.B. not considered archaic in Nigerian English |
harmattan |
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season of dry winds and dust, usually December-February |
haste |
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in the expression; in a haste |
haus |
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House, home |
Have it! |
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Usually in the context of shopping, a shopkeeper will say 'Have it!' meaning 'Take it!' |
have you added?; you've added oh! |
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you've gained weight! |
head |
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as in Standard English, but also state of mind, mental state as in Californian English Your head is not correct You're mad {abusively rather than medically} but also 'You are seriously confused' {about some specific matter} |
head scatter |
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confuse or disorganise |
head-load |
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amount that can be carried on the head |
head-pad |
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quoin, circular cloth or fibre pad, to protect the head when carrying a basin or similar. |
head-pan |
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large enamel basin commonly used to carry loads. |
head-tie |
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kerchief tied around the head. |
hear |
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to sense, smell; I hear the food on fire |
hear |
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to understand a language; I hear Yoruba |
hear word |
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listen |
hear word |
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Obey iinstruction, listen |
heart cut |
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shock |
heart cut |
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to be afraid or shocked |
heavy |
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pregnant; My wife is heavy |
heavy |
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very; very much; serious; a lot of |
heed to |
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to heed; The students refused to heed to their pleas. {senate minutes} {on the analogy of listen to} |
hell of |
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plenty of; They were making hell of noise; hell of a lot of |
hemp |
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marijuana, dope archaic; also Indian hemp |
hence |
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since, because; Hence we are going to market, we'll buy oranges, 'hence' means 'therefore', 'thus', 'consequently', 'it follows that': it marks the conclusions of arguments; it means 'since' or 'because', marking the premises. |
herbalist |
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traditional doctor who treats patients, in principle with plant remedies, but also other types of socially approved magical remedies. |
h-factor |
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a factor of h added into every razz Nigerians sentence. |
hia |
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here |
high |
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to drink or smoke any stuff that intoxicates; drunk |
high{-}life |
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musical style now rather outmoded Probably of Ghanaian origin. {1950s and 1960s} |
highly welcome |
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very welcome; You are highly welcome! |
hint |
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to give a hint; he hinted me that he would go; hinted to me. |
hiphop |
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a usually percieved posher way of living. |
hit |
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to have sex with a woman; he hit her in the palour |
hold |
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take place, be held; The meeting will hold at 4 o'clock arch. |
hold |
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to stand guard over, to be in place; We are holding the road so that no-one may disturb you |
hold |
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to stay in place; Although I patched my bicycle it did not hold |
hold belle |
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this is to prevent or endure hunger |
hold-up |
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traffic jam |
holy |
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describes one who is neat and clean; student slang |
holy ghost koboko |
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a term used to mock a self-righteous person. |
holy holy |
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to act in a righteous way, especially in an overdone way; Self-righteous. |
home |
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place where some activity is carried out; barbing home hairdressing salon; maternity home clinic for women to give birth; funeral home funeral parlour |
home and abroad |
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{last pint of} cash |
home people |
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extended family in your home area; How are your home people? |
home video |
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locally made Nigerian Films {Nolloywood; Kannywood} |
hometown |
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association of expatriates from a particular area or tribe, formed to promote development in their area of origin |
honeycomb |
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vagina |
hook |
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to feel {as a pain}; the pain hooks me there; to be arm-in-arm with someone |
hook |
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to have made a woman pregnant; he sexed her and it has hooked; he had sex with her and now she is pregnant |
horn |
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to blow the horn on a car horn him! |
hospitality committee |
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group formed to meet with incoming Fulani pastoralists and inform them of local grazing access rights Northeast Nigeria only |
hot |
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alcoholic; any hot drink for me, sah? {often said by policemen at roadblocks} |
hot |
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short for 'hot drink', i.e. spirits beer and hots for sale {Notice on shopfront} |
hotel |
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commonly applied to bars and drinking places that serve food but may have no lodging 'hotel' in the Standard English sense is 'guest hotel'. Modern usage is gradually replacing this so that nigerian english is coming to conform to. |
house boy |
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male servant or house keeper |
house girl |
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House keeper, nanny |
houseboy |
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male servant |
house-rent |
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rent the landlord has increased the house-rent |
how bodi |
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how are you |
how body |
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how are you? |
how e be |
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how is it |
how e be u |
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Whats up with you |
how far |
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what's up? |
How far? |
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how far are you going? How far have you succeeded {in the matter we discussed previously}? Taken as an invitation to ride with the speaker who would normally be in a vehicle. Also used when you cross paths; and want to know how far they have come. |
how na |
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how are you! |
How now? How na? |
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How are you? |
how ur end |
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just want to know how you are doing |
how was your night? |
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good morning |
how you dey? |
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a common pidgin greeting. It means 'How are you?' 'Hope you are fine today?' 'Hello' 'Hi' etc. |
howfa |
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an informal greeting that loosely translates to 'how are you?'; May be applied more generally to inquire about an individuals circumstances or more appropriately a status update {e.g. My man howfa na? Howfa with that business?} |
hu be gofnor for Lagos? |
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who is the governor of Lagos {State}? |
hyper-jack |
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reading or studying to much |
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