Dundee (slang)

⁵Dundee or Dundee United is a colloquial Nigerian insult used to describe someone as an idiot or stupid. The phrase originated from the Scottish football club Dundee United's tour of Nigeria in 1972.

 Origin 
Akwai dalilai da yawa da za a iya yi, ciki har da Gasar Cin Kofin Duniya ta FIFA ta kasa da shekaru 16 ta 1989 inda aka buga wasanni hudu a filin wasa na Dens Park,  da kuma gasar cin kofin Turai ta 1983-84, wanda Dundee United ta rasa Roma duk da cin nasara da kwallaye biyu a matakin farko.  A madadin haka, yana iya zama onomatopoeic, kamar yadda drum a Yoruba shine "dundun"; wannan na iya zama dalilin da ya sa. Kalmar ta samo asali ne aƙalla zuwa ƙarshen shekarun 1980 a cikin talla.

The likeliest reason is their two-week tour in May-June 1972, where Dundee United played several matches against local (sometimes amateur) Nigerian teams, suffering notable defeats — including a 4-1 loss to Stationery Stores and a 2-0 loss to Enugu Rangers. Jim McLean, the then-new manager of Dundee United, blamed heat, injuries, and the condition of the pitches. [<span title="The material near this tag may rely on an unreliable source. A third-hand source (May 2025)">unreliable source?</span>]

These unexpected results led to widespread ridicule, and the team's name became synonymous with poor performance and ineptitude. Over time, Nigerians began using "Dundee United" as an insult to mock someone perceived as acting foolishly or making avoidable mistakes.Simpson, Peter (2013-10-14). "Scottish fact of the day: Dundee United". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 2018-07-02. Retrieved 2025-05-28. It became known to the world during a BBC documentary "Welcome to Lagos".

 Evolution 
The phrase later evolved into a shorter form, with "Dundee" alone sometimes used to convey the same meaning. In certain contexts, "Dundee United" is reserved for describing a group behaving foolishly, while "Dundee" targets an individual.

It has been posited that due to the large disparity in population between Nigeria and Scotland, more people know "Dundee United" to mean a fool than know that it's a real football team.

 Manazarta