What ‘No gree for anybody’ slang mean to Nigerians

Over time, slangs have played significant roles in songs, movies, other works of art and daily conversations.

Defined by Cambridge Dictionary as ‘very informal language that is usually spoken rather than written, used especially by particular groups of people’, slangs are often used by people to press home their points or emphasise their arguments.

On many occasions, such slangs have also made their way to works of arts and even mainstream lingo.

With barely days into 2024, a slang— No Gree for Anybody— has already gone viral; with many saying that it is a year to stand firm by one’s convictions and not easily give in to others.

Though it is not a new slang, some people have traced its resurgence to a gospel song titled, ‘I No Go Gree’, by Sister Agatha Moses in her album entitled, ‘Thank you’.

So far, there have been several memes and posts to emphasise the slang on social media, including pictures of a tricycle dragging the right of way with a heavy-duty vehicle; and one purportedly showing a student pointing to a particular answer on the board, while the lecturer pointed at another answer.

In a testament to its popularity, the slang already has a logo, and has been inscribed on clothes and other items.

An Igbo variant of the slang, ‘Kwechiri’, has also been making waves on social media.

Other slangs that have ‘reigned’ in recent times and have been used widely on and off the Internet include ‘Dey Play’, ‘No Evidence’, ‘E don Cast’, ‘Sapa’, ‘E Choke’, and ‘Japa’.