Emphasis has always been placed on these words for as long as Nigeria has existed, and it is blasphemous to do otherwise. Many Nigerians are guilty of this, especially nosey neighbours or that one annoying seat partner in primary school.
1. Borrow Borrow
This is the only way to address someone that is always borrowing people’s things, maybe Nigerians think that if they say it twice, it’ll stop the person from borrowing.
2. Cry cry
You will be deep in your feelings as a child, crying (sometimes unreasonably) and one yeye person will come and say, “Cry cry baby, you can cry oh.” Aunty Ngozi, no, are you mad?
3. Fear fear
Nigerians are very good at shaming people for being afraid of anything that scares them. To be honest, the fear of being called this has probably made people do a lot of stupid things.
4. Looku Looku
This one usually follows with a slap or an insult of sorts. In fact, being called a looku looku is an insult.
5. Scatter scatter
This one is specially reserved by Nigerian mothers for their kids. She’ll enter your perfectly disorganised room where you can at least find all your things, unlike the glasses she is always looking for that is always on top of her head. Somehow, you’re the scattered one.
6. Follow follow
If someone calls you follow follow, it’s probably because you got into trouble after following someone to do something bad.
7. Bear bear
This one just doesn’t make sense because how do you get “bear bear” from “beards”? But if people don’t say “bear bear” for emphasis when referring to someone growing a beard, that means the beard is nothing to write home about.
8. Corner corner
This basically means that someone has done you dirty, played you wayo, or taken you fi eediat.
9. Lie lie
This one is complicated because it can mean so many things. If a market woman says “lie lie” in a high pitch, it means she is about to cheat you. If a child says it in a lower pitch, you are being called a liar and if two people are gossiping and one person says it, then they are simply expressing disbelief. Think about the power of emphasis, people.
10. Copy copy
This is when someone steals your intellectual property, style, girlfriend, slang e.t.c. The gag is to say it twice for emphasis so they can acknowledge how unoriginal they are.
