Here are 7 words Nigerians use every day which do not exist. These are the kind of words you type into your phone or computer, and it draws a red line underneath it.
Please read on and educate yourself.
(1.) GO-SLOW: Although the word ‘go-slow’ appears in the dictionary, it is wrongly used by many Nigerians. The word go-slow means a form of industrial action in which work or progress is deliberately delayed or slowed down. It does not mean congested traffic, so it is wrong to use it in that way.
(2.) INSTALMENTALLY: There is no such word in the English dictionary, this word exists only in the Nigerian edition dictionary (if such a book exists). The correct thing to say is ‘in installments’
(3.) OPPORTUNED: How many times have you said “I was not opportuned to come?” The correct variants that exist are ‘opportune’ or ‘opportunity’. The word ‘opportune’ has no past tense.
(4.) CUNNY: “That guy is very cunny”. This is wrong, the word is ‘cunning’, not cunny. If you want to refer to someone who is sly or deceitful, use the word ‘cunning’, ‘cunny’ simply does not exist.
(5.) WAKE-KEEPING: I’m sure most people will argue with this, but argue as you may, what you will find in the dictionary is ‘wake- keep’.
(6.) SCREENTOUCH PHONE: “Oyinbo” people made these devices and called it ‘touchscreen’: by the time the phones entered “Naija”, we renamed them ‘screen-touch’.
(7.) DISVIRGIN No, you did not dis virgin that babe, you deflowered her, you took away her virginity, but you certainly did not disvirgin her, because the word ‘disvirgin’ simply does not exist!
