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Day 41: A Shine Ya Eye dictionary – BBNaija

News
03 September 2021
Six weeks in the Big Brother House, we've heard a few phrases coined that have turned out to be surprisingly durable. We thought it might be time for a definitive Big Brother Shine Ya Eye dictionary.
Dictionary article cover

Our Big Brother Naija Housemates have been living in the House for six weeks now, and they've coined a few phrases along the way.  We thought we'd document these sayings because – well, they're funny.  Also, we added a few of our own, because we couldn't resist.

cross    /kɹɒs/  adj.

The feeling of irritation you get when you get the sense that Saskay is stringing you along.

“Cross was feeling cross that Saskay spent her time with Jaypaul.”

cruise /kɹuːz/ n.

  1. The kind of journey you want from a ship but so seldom get.
  2. Hassle-free, no-strings-attached “acts of affection”. The nasty. Bumping uglies. Under-the-covers trouble. Casual sex, basically.

“That Michael isn’t into marriage, he just wants to catch cruise.”

e-choke /ɛ t͡ʃəʊk/ adj.

plenty, lots, much

“Cross said that, ‘Jackie B had won so many Tasks, her Abeg Naira right now – e choke!’”

Saga-like /’sʌɡʌ laɪ̯k/ adj.

  1. Fighting for what you want, sticking to your guns, not taking “no” for an answer
  2. Following somebody around like a lost puppy

“Sammie shouldn’t give up on catching cruise with Angel just because she told him to get lost.  He should be more Saga-like.”

shine ya eye /ʃaɪn jə aɪ/

Be alert, stay woke, don’t get caught unawares

“If you want to win N90 million, you need to shine ya eye!”

ship /ʃɪp/ n.

  1. relationship, a partnership
  2. something about to catch cruise (see above)

“Liquorose and Emmanuel have been spending so much time together; I think they are a ship.”

military /ˈmɪl.ɪ.tɹi/ adj.

authoritarian, bossy, domineering, militant

“Nini is so domineering during Truth or Dare games – she’s almost as military as Pere,”

okra /’ɒkrɒ/ adj.

slick, smooth

“Boma thinks he’s so good with girls, he’s like okro.”

period  /ˈpɪɚ.i.əd/ adj.

done and dusted, finished, over

“Angel said, ‘I am never speaking to you again, period!’”

Who dey breet? /huː deɪ bɹiːt/

Who’s challenging, who’s showing off?

“Whitemoney is so into the Big Brother Game, he can’t stop wondering who dey breet?”

We know there will be more, in time, so we'll have a second edition out in no time, we're sure!

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