Have you ever come across an English word you've always used wrongly? I have.

It takes some learners years to realise a word they were too sure they knew how to use is not what it seems. Sometimes when it dawns on you, your mind runs back to those important occasions you used those words.

For the record, let's check some of those words we use in Nigeria:

Bogus: If you think this word means 'massive' or something close to that, you need to check the meaning again. It means 'not genuine or true', 'counterfeit', etc.

Dupe (noun): The action aspect of this word is not the problem, but the noun form. If you think a dupe is the person who performs the action, sorry, you are wrong. A dupe is the person being duped.

Terrific: This word looks like the synonym for 'terrible' or 'terrifying', but it's not (in present day English). It means 'tremendous', 'great', 'huge', etc.

Double-date: In Nigeria, this word simply means 'having two or more affairs'. Well, my Naija people, it means 'a situation where two couples (you and your bae plus you friend and his bae) go out on a date.

naijaenglishforum..com

I enjoyed that!