Dundee United is one of the historic clubs in Scotland, but Nigerians see ‘Dundee United’ in a totally different way
In Nigeria, the term ‘Dundee’ or ‘Dundee United’ is an insulting word usually used instead of ‘stupid’, but ‘Dundee United’ is actually a club in Scotland.
Speaking on BBC’s comedy panel show QI, Nabil Abdulrashid, a Nigerian who was born in London but spent a chunk of his life in Nigeria, noted how children who did stupid things were called Dundee.
“Whenever we did something stupid, for me, which was very regular, we used to get called Dundee United,” Abdulrashid said.
Apparently, the term ‘Dundee United’ is a term that is loosely used by Nigerians- especially in the middle and lower classes.
The term has been around for many years, but there seems to be no appropriate reason for it. However, the host of QI, Sandi Toksvig, stated that the most possible reason for using Dundee United as an insulting word is because the club did a tour of West Africa in 1972. On that tour, they were flogged by Nigerian club Stationery Stores 4-1. Because of how poor Dundee United were, Nigerians took to calling idiots ‘Dundee United’.
There are other theories, but they all lack substance. However, Toksvig’s explanation seems to be the most plausible one so far.
Dundee United currently plays in the Scottish Championship.
