When the #ZiyakhalaWahala season began, we started hearing a lot of common slang expressions from the housemates, and they began crossing over countries. Let’s take a look at five of these words and what they mean.
Asambe: This is a slang that can be translated as “let’s go”. The housemates made use of this it when it was time to get that task schmoney, wager win, or simply to get to the party on time.😂
Oskalayo: Now this is a bit tricky because it means different things depending on the context in which it is used. An example of what it could mean is “fact remains”.
For example: ”The housemates may have lost their wager, oksalayo they’re finalists and Biggie couldn’t let them starve on their final week in the house.”
Yoh: This is no doubt one of the most common examples of slang this season. It is an exclamation, especially of disbelief, and an interjection that can be used when one is stressed or surprised etc.
For example: “Yoh, can you believe we started the season with 24 housemates and now we’re down to six?”
Omo: This is another tricky piece of patois as it means different things depending on context. "Omo" means “child” in some languages in the south of Nigeria, but when used as slang it can express shock, stress, or a precursor to the beginning of a conversation with a friend.
Example: “Omo! The artist did an amazing job with the portrait.”
Sha:This is a Nigerian term that acts as an interjection in sentences and is often used to downplay circumstances or scenarios. Its origin is from the Yoruba language but it is commonly used in pidgin English. For example: “The food no too pepper sha”. In this case: the food is not too spicy.
Language barriers
It's been fun getting to learn the nuances of the languages from various cultures, and we hope y'all have learned a thing or two too!
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