C Letter Words for Nigerian English
to Nigerian Translation

Nigerian

Word

Continuous Meaning

ENGLISH

NIGERIAN

 C.

 caban House

  A place where one lives.

 cabu-cabu

  also spelled KABU KABU; This is an unregistered taxi cab operating illegally. Not painted in official taxi colours. Usually, drivers using cars for cabu cabu, upon discovery on the road are pulled out of their windows by police, or risk being flogged; {Your driver Sunday dey use una car for cabu cabu - when I'm drop of una pikin for school, on the way back, im go dey pick up passenjas.}

 caf

  cafeteria

 caff

  short form for cafeteria. Usually the kind found on secondary school and university campuses

 cak

  to where clothes, usually to dress up for an occasion or function

 call card

  visiting card

 camp

  stay in a group in temporary simple accommodation while on a visit for a purpose We were camped in the student hostels while attending the Nigerian University Games Association {NUGA} games.

 camp, to

  to hire a room in a hotel or elsewhere and keep it for the purpose of entertaining male visitors for money through formal or informal prostitution

 can

  to like {in relation to food}; Can you eat that type of food? Do you like that type of food?

 can

  to want to Can you take your bath now? i.e. do you want to take a bath now?

 cane-rope

  rattan-palm or the fibre derived from it Calamus deeratus

 canteen

  supermarket or large grocery store now archaic, as supermarket has replaced it, but a colonial-era expression. Borrowed into Hausa land

 canvasser

  one who is paid to go round to campaign for a particular candidate and make sure that the people turn up en masse at polling stations on election day

 carbon copy

  Look alike or replica

 card

  fish-drying rack this type of fish they put on card

 carelessly

  anyhow; she was sitting there carelessly; she was sitting there in an inappropriate position

 carry

  word used to define how powerful a generator is in terms powering appliances.

 carry and go

  a chant sang to a person caught stealing

 carry belle

  get pregnant

 carry go

  suit oneself

 carry go

  Go ahead; Help your self. {There is Carry Go featuring one of the finest Choc City artiste Ice Prince by Jaybee on Spotify}

 carton

  cardboard box of any form

 casala

  trouble

 casala

  trouble; problem.

 casanova

  a womaniser

 case

  misunderstanding, big problem; This thing is a big case now!

 cash and carry

  a prostitute

 cash-madam

  large-scale woman trader, generally in the south this cash-madam is too tough this woman trader is a hard bargainer

 catch

  to affect, to trap, to afflict sickness has caught me rather sickness don catch me Pidgin - usage in many African languages

 catch trips

  To entertain one's self, usually at the expense of another.

 cd plate

  compact disc

 Ceiba

  trade name for the kapok tree, Ceiba pentandra {silk-cotton}

 cha cha

  gambling

 cha cha

  brand new

 cha-cha

  not at all; Used for emphasis of a negative statement. {Frequently used amongst Igbo speakers}

 chaf

  Smoking

 chai

  What! {chai tea or chai recipe as a beverage that is a blend of black tea, honey, spices and milk}.

 chai!

  Usually exclamation, used to express grief, surprise, disappointment and anger, etc... Also see choi

 chaii

  An exclamation

 chaik

  to chat up or chase the opposite sex; usually male to female he prefers chaiking to reading.

 chairman

  a boss

 chairman

  Term used to describe a guy {at times my chairman};

 chance

  Cheating someone {take a chance or chance upon or chancellor or second chance}; enter one chance; grateful for getting the chance to; greatful for the chance; a chance to experience great culture and music!

 chance

  in the expression Give chance! i.e. Give me room! but also give me an opportunity to do - usage in many African languages

 change am

  to change an article or something; to change someone's fate without his or her intention.

 chao

  verb: to eat, noun; food

 Chapman

  soft drink usually made mineral plus Ribina and fruit; similar to a nonalcoholic Sangria

 chappy

  a beautiful girl; {chappy's restaurant}

 char

  Something you tell someone when he say something stupid or incorrect word or strange word, its just use when someone say something out of point {e.g. Guy, you char}

 charge to court

  to charge s.o. with an offence bring money, or I will charge you to court

 chark

 to drink alcohol, get drunk

 charlie

  Originates from Ghana, it mean Friend.

 chaser

  man who chases women

 chasis

  awesome, very nice

 chassiss

  new

 Che!

  Expression of surprise - Igbo chei!

 check

  we will go check him we'll go and see if he's in check well! said by traders urging you to look round their shop

 chei

  wow!

 chewing stick

  stick from various tree species, chewed to clean the mouth and teeth.

 chewing-stick

  a piece of wood which can be softened by chewing and moisturing and which serves the purpose of teeth-cleaning {e.g. Please give me a chewing stick; I need to clean my teeth}

 chey

  exclamation or sign of sympathy. Usually for something bad.

 chi chon chi

  it means experience, or having witnessed something or be a victim of a circumstance. Chi chon chi is mimic from the word 'see something'. 'Chi chon chi' is the way a typical Calabar or Ibibio man pronounces; see something {it could also be written as shi shon shi}{ e.g. You never chi chon chi, if you chi chon chi you go yon}

 chickala

  a beautiful, sexy girl

 chicken-change

  insignificant amount of money, 'peanuts' these people only give chicken-change they only pay peanuts - 'chicken-feed'

 chickito

  young pretty looking lady

 chief

  term of address; used to show respect or towards male friends

 chika

  a girl or babe

 chikala

  a girl. see chickito

 chilax

  chillin or relaxing somewhere outside ur area or to calm someone's anxiety,fear or eagerness.

 child dedication

  church ceremony followed by elaborate entertainment in churches which do not practise infant baptism, {often} replacing the traditional naming ceremony

 chillax

  chill out; relax

 chin

  to chin {verb}; to ignore another person, especially on purpose.

 chin-chin

  triangular fried cakes served at gatherings

 chinco

  Chinese or a Chinese individual

 chinco land

  China

 chineke

  God Almighty; {the emphasis is placed on the creative activity of the supreme being simply by the use of the one word.}

 Chineke meeeeeeee!

  Oh my God!

 chingum

  chewing gum.

 chinko

  this word is used to describe Chinese people or people of the Asian race

 chiz

  a word that represent money

 chock

  to place stones or wood under the wheels of a vehicle to stop it rolling away

 chock

  used for aircraft

 choco

  weed, marijuana

 chook

  stab

 chook

  awl used by carvers

 chook

  stab

 chook

  to prick, to inject the thorn has chooked me

 choose

  to choose between two alternatives contrast with 'select'

 chop

  food let us go for chop let us go and get some food

 chop

  to eat

 chop

  to eat can you chop rice? do you eat rice?

 chop

  to embezzle; He has chopped too much money

 chop beans

  to fail at something

 chop belleful

  eat well

 chop burger

  to put on weight

 chop chop

  gluttonous

 chop cockroach

  to get pregnant

 chop go

  escape

 chop I chop

  mutual corruption

 chop knuckle

  fist bump

 chop knuckle

  fist bump, a kind of greeting similar to high five.

 chop up

  to increase in wealth, status or body size. move up

 chop wowo lick plate

  used to describe someone who is very ugly. it's a pidgin equivalent of 'hit by the ugly stick'

 chop-bar

  small eating house

 chop-congo

  to have sexual intercourse; I chop-congo today I had sex today

 Christmas bush

  bush whose leaves are used to treat wounds Alchornea cordifolia.

 chuk

  to have sex. to stab someone

 chuku-chuku

  Spikes or sharp object

 chukuli

  to cheat Carrying exam answers into the exam; Pieces of paper containing answers smuggled into an exam venue to aid in cheating.

 Chukwu; Chiokike; Obasi; Chukouuee

  God; he infinitely powerful, undefinable, supreme deity encompassing everything in space and space itself.

 chyke

  to woo someone of the opposite sex

 civilisation

  shorthand for the colonial and post-colonial era since we had civilisation

 clap for yourself

  be proud of yourself; well don!

 class-mate

  in the same year at school or university as the speaker; He is my class-mate means he was my classmate a relationship much more important in Nigeria than elsewhere

 clean

  to erase

 clean off

  to wipe off, wipe away Clean off that writing!

 clear

  to park off the road Clear the car! = Park well!

 climb

  to get into climb that moto! get into that car! {enter}

 climb am

  sex

 climb down

  to get out of, to get down from climb down from that machine get off that motor-bike

 close

  as in applied to enterprises and machines, thus also 'switch off' they have closed the enterprise has reached closing time. close the fan shut off the fan.

 coal-tar

  asphalt road Now we have reached the coal-tar again

 coast

  urban areas He has gone to coast he has gone {from his home village} to work in the modern urban sector {common in the Delta} Originally coastal towns visited by European traders.

 cocktail

  cocktail party You are invited to cocktail.

 coconut head

  a dunce

 coconut head

  empty head, of low intelligence, a fool, an academic failure

 cocoye

  someone from central or south America; a Hispanic or Latino person; a Chicano or mestizo

 code

  to lie {lying}

 coded

  a person who did something which no one around him or her notice; silently; gently

 coke

  cocaine

 coke

  this is the short form for Coca-cola, the popular brownish-black drink.

 collect

  to pick up, to go and get Collect your loads.

 colo

  to loose ones mind, become crazy

 colobi

  see Kolobi

 colonial masters

  stereotyped expression for British officialdom in the colonial era; Our colonial masters taught us this Used sneeringly by some speakers but as a purely decriptive term by others

 colonial mentality

  pejorative expression implying readiness to accept inferior status; He is showing colonial mentality

 combine

  gin and indian hemp taken together

 combing

  to have have sex with a lady

 come

  to be returning soon I am coming {said by someone just leaving}. Only when used in the given expression, not in any other collocation

 come chop

  come dine or eat

 come down

  to get down from a vehicle; I will come down here.

 come follow me stay

  cohabitation

 coming causing confusion!; Come and be going; I'm coming

  go quickly; I'll be back

 commot

  go away or get out

 comot

  leave

 comot

  to leave a place

 comot for road

  make way; get away!

 company

  describes who owns a number of companies he is a company man he is a man who owns a variety of businesses N.B. 'company man' is thus almost the inverse of its meaning

 complain

  complaint the community forwarded their complains to higher authorities

 complete

  describes money and usually in the form 'not complete' your money is not complete the money is not enough

 complete

  entire. Describes a period of time and precedes the noun the market burned for complete ten days

 compound

  any ground of buildings surrounded by a notional or actual external perimeter.

 compound

  land surrounding a fenced house/houses

 conceive

  to impregnate; He has conceived her

 condemn

  to be worn out, useless, spoilt {of objects} the moto is condemned the car is no longer any good they have condemned it.

 conducive

  good, appropriate, fit the place is not conducive

 confam

  Means Confirm or a way of showing integrity and assurance

 confirmed

  see correct; something or someone with a good reputation

 confra

  campus fraternity

 confusionist

  who brings about confusion; he is just a confusionist

 Congo meat

  meat of the giant African land snail

 conji

  Horny

 conk

  to hit a persons head with clenched fingers.

 conscience

  girlfriend

 continental

  describes non-Nigerian food of vaguely European type.

 control

  to speak to someone

 cook

  to heat on the fire, whether a solid or a liquid she is cooking the water She is boiling water.

 cool down

  calming down or relaxing one's temper

 coolu temper

  control your temper!; title of song by Nigerian saxophonist Lagbaja.

 copaiba balsam

  tree, Daniellia oliveri, formerly valued for its gum?

 copper

  Graduate fresh out of the university and serving in a cooperation temporary.

 copy copy

  unoriginal person; see follow follow

 copyright

  applied to a song performed by a popular entertainer previously made popular by another entertainer. Often said with slight scorn. That song is copyright.

 corner-corner

  to do something sly

 corner-mate

  person who shares your corner of a room typically a room, especially in Lagos and in universities with accommodation problems, is divided into four corners and each corner can be shared by two people On the analogy of room-mate; also bedmate in the same sense

 Corper

  Member of the National Youth service Corps {NYSC}

 correct

  a way of expressing something is good

 correct

  as in to be correct they are not correct they are not doing the right thing.

 cortex

  nail polish

 cotton

 but also cotton-wool and kapok from the silk-cotton tree

 could remember

  for 'can remember' I could remember when we still had kobos.

 counta

  bottle cap

 counter blast

  to respond or to counter attack

 country man/woman

  a citizen

 country people

  the masses

 cover slap

  hard slap using the whole of your palm and fingers

 cover-cloth

  is a long piece of cloth usually wrapped around the body when one lies down to sleep {e.g. The boy is sleeping, where is his cover-cloth?}

 cover-cloth

  long strip of cloth usually wrapped around the body when sleeping

 cover-shoes

  ordinary shoes as opposed to sandals Do you never wear cover-shoes? {said to a persistent sandal-wearer}

 co-wife

  wife married to the same husband; co-wives always quarrel. {=mate}

 co-wife; co-wives

  female partners in a polygamous marriage {e.g. South African President Jacob Zuma's co-wives were present on marriage to his third wife}

 cowitch

  stinging vine. Mucuna pruriens - Hindi kawach

 cowleg

  common cut of beef, often made into soup cowleg soup.

 cow-meat

  beef.

 cowpea

  bean, Vigna unguiculata More written than spoke; {beans.} - Hindi kalpi

 cra-fish

  local way of pronouncing crayfish.

 craise

  telling someone craise or craize in pidgin; telling someone that he or she is mad or crazy.

 cram

  to memorise or read

 crase

  mentally unbalanced; acting out of the norm

 crash

  to sleep

 craw-craw

  skin disorder that causes itchy rashes

 crayfish

  shrimp, prawns

 craze

  having or showing a very abnormal or sick state of mind

 cream boy

  a guy who is a show-off. Somebody who likes to show off clothes, money, etc.

 creaminal

  being the best creme de la creme in whatever you do

 crench

  a prison or jail house.

 crispy

  concise just a short crispy message

 croaker

  sea-fish spp. Pseudotolithus spp. very widely traded

 cross carpet

  to cross the floor {politician}

 crown

  king in draughts

 cruz

  use excessively

 cry

  to make a noise {of objects} the thing was crying it was making a noise.

 cry-cry

  somebody who cries too much, or easily. Usually a baby. This is used sometimes to tease babies in hope that the babies will stop crying, and most times the babies even cry louder {e.g. that una baby na cry-cry. I just commot from dommot because I for slap am}

 cultism

  practice of secret societies, especially in universities. Believed to be violent and based on traditional religion Soyinka seeks end to cultism in varsities

 culture

  ceremony, cultural festival; They do their cultures after the harvest

 cunny

  tricky a cunny man a trickster; cunning?

 cunnyman

  {specifically:} a con man.

 cup

  any drinking receptacle, including glasses, mugs etc.

 cushion chair

  armchair with cushions

 customary court

  court where justice proceeds according to the traditions of a particular ethnic group Recognised by the Nigerian state for civil cases

 customs bar

  commission charged on every puncheon of oil sold, deducted from the native trader's money and paid to the chief under whose auspices the supercargo had placed his ship for trading archaic, Niger Delta; work-bar

 cut

  to be broken, cut, snapped in two the wire has cut the wire is cut.

 cut neck

  when you like something so much

 cut out

  Pidgin English phrase often used to refer to a hurried escape.

 cutlass

  machete, used for cutting vegetation; matchet

 cutleries

  cutlery Advert - For hire: Chairs, canopies, cutleries, utensils

 cutting-grass

  cane rat, Thryonomys swinderianus; also more commonly 'grasscutter'. Throughout West Africa

 cycomolocuting

  Going around in circles with words; saying the same thing repeatedly using different words, phrases or sentences {e.g. Na cycomolocuting dem just de do for de meeting}