In Ghana, there are many words/phrases we use and assume they are perfect but the funny thing is, the world knows nothing about these words or phrases.
We coined them ourselves and it has become so normal we see it as the correct or right English words and phrases.
We’ve already given you 10 of such words and phrases and here are 42 more just to keep you on the guard.
1. Jack or Root
This word is actually common in the Ghanaian pidgin but found its way into proper English with people using it in formal write-ups. When people use these words, they actually mean an erection.
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2. Juice
We refer to Sperm as juice.
3. Blowman
In movies, the Hero or protagonist is always the Blowman because he executes most of blows or sort of.
4. Killer
And the killer is always the Villain.
5. Our Day
On the eve of vacation, especially from the lower to the upper primary, children throw a party or picnic where their parents prepare all sort of tantalizing foods accompanied with pastries and drinks to share with their peers. In Ghana, we refer to it as Our Day.
6. Pour
When you hear people say pour in Ghana, especially when they talking about a sex act, then you should know they are referring to Ejaculation.
7. Gangalia
If you’ve ever heard this word anywhere then you should know what they actually meant is Gang Leader, which has been corrupted to Gangalia. This word is only known to us, the world knows nothing about it.
8. Battery Water
If you’ve ever been to the mechanic to change your battery or to recharge it, the common word you’re likely to hear is Battery Water, what they actually meant to say is Sulphuric Acid.
9. Palaver
“More money, more palaver” is what’s written at the back of somebody’s car and it simply means “more money, more problems”. When you hear people use this word in Ghana, it means problems.
10. Chef
When you’re experienced at something or have the technical know-how to something, we refer to you as Chef and does not necessarily mean the head of cooks.
Image: NdaniTV/YouTube
Image: NdaniTV/YouTube
11. Burger Meat
In Ghana, we say Burger meat and that means Pork.
12. Booklong
When you’re knowledgeable about something and is able to give vivid descriptions to things in books or talk too much about books or don’t know how to summarize simple explanations, we say you’re booklong. If you don’t find it in any dictionary, don’t worry, it is in ours.
13. Brutal
When we refer to something as being brutal, we are not referring to the literal meaning of the word, it actually means something entirely different and that means, fun and exciting.
14. By Day
When you hire somebody to weed your compound for you, it is referred to as By-Day.
15. By Heart
If you’re rough and rowdy, we say you’re by-heart.
16. Caterpillar
Don’t bother trying to explain all the types of heavy duty cars and bulldozers in town, just refer to them as Caterpillar, Ghanaians will understand.
17. Charley
When we say charley, it means peer or friend.
18. Chew and Pour
If you’re in school and you hear people say, chew and pour, it simply means, memorize.
19. Chewing Stick
A chewing stick is a kind of toothbrush, don’t bother trying to find it in the dictionary. It is usually a twig of a tree used to clean the teeth.
20. Chop Chops
Chop Chops simply means Savories, usually used at events where item 13 are served.
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21. Chook
To chook means to jab or puncture something and these days it also means gossip or snitch.
22. Chop Bar
An eatery or a place where you can buy food and eat is usually referred to as a chop bar.
23. Chop Money
The money husbands leave behind for their wives to use for the upkeep of the home is known as Chop Money.
24. Concert Man
Most comedians are referred to as concert men.
25. Cornroll
You say braids, we say cornrolls, a name derived from cornrow hairstyle.
26. Counters
The caps of bottled drinks are known as counters because they were used to teach counting in classrooms.
27. Curve Curve
When travelling and there happens to be many turns on the road, we say, the road is curve curve.
28. Dash
To dash means to tip.
29. Face The Wall
When you hear this, it doesn’t mean you should actually face a wall, it is just the name given to a local dish known as Konkonte.
30. Free Range
Many homes in Ghana do not have WC’s and so you find people defecating in open places and this is termed as Free Range. ???
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31. Knickerbocker
We call baggy shorts Knickerbocker
32. Lavender
Every perfume is called Lavender, names after the lavender plant.
33. Long mouth
If you love to gossip, we say you have a long mouth.
34. Maame Water
A mermaid is known as Maame Water.
35. Motor Way
When you’re bald headed, we say you have a motor way.
36. Potomanto
Potomanto is any large traveling bag, Potomanto is also used by students to mean objective questions during an examination, where the questions are mixed.
37. Red Fish
In Ghana, snappers are referred to as red fish, because of their red skin.
38. Rice Balls
Rice balls are a coagulated rice shaped in balls and in the local parlance called omotuo but we devised our own English name for it, called rice balls. So in case you can’t find it in any dictionary, now you have it.
39. Rice Water
Just like rice balls, we just didn’t know how to make you understand this dish, so to be able to communicate easily with you, we devised our own name for this and called it rice water, but it’s just your normal rice pudding.
40. Running
If you are communicating with a Ghanaian and he says he is running, he is not really referring to the literal meaning of the word, he means he is down with a diarrhea. ???
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41. Supi
We refer to lesbians as Supi.
42. Watertank
When at the local mechanic and he tells you there is a fault with your water tank, he is referring to your radiator.
Add yours if we haven’t said it all. You may want to see the first 10 words only known to Ghanaians here.
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