Hello guys, are you ready to know the winner of Saturday's quiz? Oh! I
forgot some new guys might be seeing this for the first time. Well, on
Saturday, I promised to give N1000 airtime (of choice) to anyone who
could translate the pidgin expression "Over sabi dey worry
you" in English. Unfortunately, very few persons responded. I
understand. The quiz wasn't easy at all.
I say a big THANK YOU to my senior colleague, Sarah Daba Wilson, for her assistance. To the participants, I say Kudos! You all did well, but that
wasn't your best. However, I have consolation prizes for y'all. Before stating
the answer, it is important I react to your comments.
Those of you whose answers carry the word "claim", please note
that in the Pidgin expression, "over sabi dey worry you", no word
actually means "claim", so it is incorrect. You guys almost got it
but for the addition of the word "claim".
Similarly, those who said "You are over confident/You are too full
of yourself" or "Hyperactive is your problem" is the correct
answer, please, note that "over confident" or "hyperactive"
has nothing to do with "over sabi" semantically (i.e. in terms of
meaning).
Another person stated "conceitedness is your problem" as an
answer. Well, I applaud you for that, but know that the word
"conceitedness" is more related to pride than to knowledge. According
to my senior colleague, Sarah Daba Wilson, "Conceitedness is
your problem" in pidgin parlance can mean "Your problem be say you
too dey carry body."
Having said that, what then is the correct English translation?
First and foremost, "sabi" means "knowledge" in
English, so "over sabi" will simply mean "excessive
knowledge" or "too much knowledge/knowing too much" in English.
Now, when you say "Something dey worry you" in pidgin, it
simply means that you are being disturbed by something, and that
"something" disturbing you, becomes a problem. Therefore, "Over
sabi dey worry you" simply means either of the following in English:
- Excessive
knowledge is your problem.
- You
are suffering from an excessive knowledge syndrome.
- Your problem is that you know too much.
Important notice
For clarification, suggestion and observation, don't hesitate to make
use of the comment box. Also, all those who commented should expect their
consolation prizes soon. Once you get yours, please kindly come back here to
inform us. Once again, thanks for participating.