English around the world: to smell pepper

Heute geht es in unserer Rubrik „English around the world“ nach Afrika. Erfahren Sie hier, was es mit dem nigerianischen Ausdruck auf sich hat. Hier finden Sie die aktuelle Ausgabe der World and Press mit allen aktuellen Themen der englischsprachigen Presse.

By Carol Richards

“To smell pepper”

Nigeria

“To smell pepper” means to be treated badly or to be in an unfair situation. My brother smelled pepper the other day when he realized that Grandma gave more cookies to me than to him. It really was not fair that Grandma gave fewer cookies to my brother. “To smell pepper” can also mean “to face difficulties”. For example, Grandma will smell pepper if my brother complains about getting fewer cookies.