settle

settle
 v.— «Adewale Ayuba is a popular fuji musician in Nigeria. He was shot in the leg on 8 April, 2001 while returning to his house after a performance. Four men of the dreaded mobile police jumped on him and demanded to be “settled” (the parlance for bribe). Ayuba gave them some money but the four policemen were unsatisfied. Ayuba was also unsatisfied with their Oliver Twist posture so he refused to add to it and he was subsequently shot in the leg.» —“N20 for a life” by Wole Efunnuga Nigerian Tribune Sunday Magazine (Ibadan, Nigeria) Dec. 23, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Further reading

Kelly Days for Cops and Firefighters

A firefighter named Steve in Newport News, Virginia, wonders why in his line of work, and for some police, certain additional kinds of days off after long unbroken shifts are called Kelly days, Kelly shifts, or Kelly time. The term most likely comes...

Why Money is Sometimes “Cool”

While reading Great Expectations (Bookshop|Amazon) by Charles Dickens, a listener in Arlington, Texas, is surprised when one of the characters inherits some money, which Dickens describes as a cool four thousand. Were they really using cool that way...