My B ook of

Pigdin Pr overbs

a SABINAIJA
PUBLICATION
 INTRODUCTION

Pidgin is a lingua franca in Nigeria, it is

spoken by majority of the people
irrespective of tribe, religion or educational
status.

It is sometimes referred to as broken

English or Brokun. The vocabulary of pidgin
is formed by the deletion of English words
and reduplication of most words.

Variations in Nigerian pidgin exist based on

the region or state, as different ethnic
groups intersperse some of their language
elements while speaking.

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The list of pidgin proverbs is non exhaustive.
These proverbs have been compiled from
word of mouth from family, friends,
strangers. Sourced from the internet,
from books and movies.

It is written for both the pidgin and the

non-pidgin speaker in mind.

It has been written to impart knowledge

and understanding to its readers.

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 about SABINAIJA

These pidgin proverbs have been

compiled and curated by Terngu,
founder of SabiNaija

The website was born out of a need

to document the Nigerian story
focusing on her people, her culture
and her history.

This book has been written solely for

the purpose of sharing knowledge

Read up more about Nigeria, also

popularly known as Naija at
www.sabinaija.com

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 COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All rights reserved. No part of this book

may be reproduced or used for
commercial purposes.

Copyright © 2021 by SABINAIJA.COM

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Na from clap dem dey enter dance

A dance started from a clap

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 Who no know go know
Who doesn't know, will know

Chop clean mouth

To eat and wipe your mouth clean
In denial

When cunny man die, cunny man go

bury am
It takes a thief to catch a thief

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This one good, this one good, na im mad
man take dey gather plenty load

Lack of discretion is what makes a

destabilized person own a ton of
garbage

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Monkey no fine, im mama like am so
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Monkey dey work, baboon de chop

Poor guys labour, Rich men benefit

Who dash monkey banana?

Who freely gives a banana to a monkey
To say nothing is gotten easily or freely

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 Fisherman no dey wear raincoat
A fisherman doesn't wear raincoats

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No put sand sand for my garri
Do not put sand in my garri

Body no be wood
The body is not wood

I no be your mate na im make

slippers get size
Difference in equality is what
makes slippers to have sizes

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Time na money

Time is money

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 Make we find black goat before night
come
No one searches for a black goat at night -
to sort out a matter early

Water e no get enemy

Water has no enemy

My own, your own, our own different

To each his own

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Dem no dey tell old man say im mouth
dey smell

Do not be quick to criticize the elderly

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 Oba no dey go transfer
A King does not go on transfer.
Used to encourage one to work
to the top

I tire no be lazy
Tiredness is not laziness

Awoof dey run belle

Free food causes a diarrhea
Free things often have a hidden cost

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 Wetin old man siddon for
ground see, pikin wey climb tree
no fit see am

What an old man sees while

sitting on the floor, cannot be
seen by a child even atop a tree

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 Wetin concern agbero with
twitter?
What business does a tout have
with twitter?

Wetin concern bicycle with

filling station?
What business does a bicycle
have with a filling station?

To mind your business

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Pikin wey say im mama no go sleep, im
too no go sleep

A child who says his/her mother will not

sleep, will also not sleep

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Na overconfidence make February no
complete
Overconfidence often makes one
stumble

No matter how lizard do press up, e no

go fit get chest like alligator
One cannot hide their original self

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Dirty water fit quench fire

Dirty water can quench fire

Everything has its purpose
E go better e go better, na im make igbo
man dey sokoto
Optimism is what has allowed the Igbo
man remain in Sokoto

Poor man no dey siddon for front

bench for village meeting
A poor man is not given
importance at village meetings

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 Na determination dey make okada
overtake trailer for road

With determination, the okada rider

can overtake the trailer on the
highway
 Na condition make crayfish bend
The dry shrimp is bent due to its
conditions

Say lion dey sick no mean say cat na im

mate
Just because a lion is sick does not make
it a cat's equal

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 Person no dey carry hernia dance
Makossa
A person with hernia does not dance
Makossa

Person wey borrow cloth go party no

dey dance too much
A person who borrows a cloth for a
party doesn't dance too much

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 I get am before no be property
'I had it before' is not an asset

Soup wey sweet, na money kill am

A delicious soup is expensive

Shine ya eye no be curse

A word on being vigilant is not a
curse

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Na with one leaf bird dey build im house
A bird builds its nest, one leaf at a time

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 No matter how hot your temper
be e no fit boil beans
One's hot temper cannot boil
beans

Person wey use Elephant set trap, na

him know wetin he wan Catch

One who sets a trap bigger than he can

handle, is on his own

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When elephants fight, na ground dey
suffer
When the powerful fight, it is the
powerless that suffer

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One day breeze go blow and fowl nyash
go open
One day a breeze will expose the fowl's
ass
A liar will one day be exposed by
something little

One day ne one day, im tori ge geti bow

leg (one day, his stories will have a bow
leg)
One day a liar will be caught in his lies

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 Dem no dey tell blindman say
market don close.
You don't tell a blindman that the
market is closed

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Lice wey dey for poor man cloth no dey
live long
Lice do not live for long in a poor man's
clothes

Pesin wey wan follow long road,

make him fes look for beta shoe
One who wants to go on a long
journey should prepare durable
shoes

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Small pikin wey dem carry for back
no go know say the journey far

A child who is piggbacked will not

know how far the journey is

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 Yes sir no dey tear pant
Saying yes, will not tear your pants

I hear no mean say I agree

Listening does not mean agreement

Monkey no dey wear coat

A monkey doesn't wear coat

When cat no dey house, mouse go dey

dance zanku
When the owner is not around, the
renters have a field day
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Dem no dey tell tortoise say race don
start
You don't inform the tortoise that the
race has began

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De man wey de sell meat, na him sabi fly
wey get one eye
The meat seller is conversant with flies

Fly wey no dey hear word, dey follow

dead body enter grave.
A fly that doesn't listen will follow a
dead body into the grave

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 Today newspaper na tomorrow Suya
wrap
Today's newspaper will become a wrap
for tomorrow's suya

Today cassava fit be tomorrow garri

Today's cassava will become
tomorrow's garri

No condition is permanent

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 Ashawo no be work
Prostitution is not a profession

Na see finish dey turn good morning to

how far
Familiarity breeds contempt

God no dey sleep

God doesn't sleep

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 Na who pour dust, dust dey follow
Actions taken due to jealousy will
have repercussions

Chicken wey run way from Borno go

Ibadan go still end up inside pot of soup
You cannot change your fate; What is
meant to be will be

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 Water don pass garri
A situation has grown out of hand

Khaki no be leather
All fingers are not equal

River wey forget im source go

run dry
A river that forgets its source
will run dry

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 Na di same hot water wey dey make
egg hard, na im dey make potato
soft
Hot water makes boiled egg hard,
and also makes the potato soft.
Everyone has their fate.

Akara and moin moin get the same

parent na wetin dem pass through make
dem different
The process determines the end

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Na as goat stand for market, dem dey
price am
It is how a goat stands at the market,
that its value is determined

Na as person siddon, photoman snap

am
It is how one sits, that a picture is
taken of him

People will treat you, the way you see

yourself
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Person wey chop belle full, no sabi
wetin hungry man dey see.
One who has eats to his content can
not identify with the poor man's
struggles

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 Eye wey dey cry dey see road
Tears do not blind the eyes

To piss no hard, but fowl no fit

Urinating isn't difficult, but a
chicken can't

Craze no hard to form, na trekking

be wahala
Pretending to be mentally disabled
isn't difficult, but trekking is a
problem

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'Its a small world' No mean say you fit
trek from Naija go London

'Its a small world' doesnt mean you can

trek from Nigeria to London

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 A SABINAIJA PUBLICATION
2021

My Book of Pidgin
Proverbs