What does “everybody go chop breakfast” mean? Everybody go chop breakfast is a Nigerian slang about a relationship breakup. If you are from Nigeria or if you’ve stayed there for a while, you may have come across this slang.
Everybody go chop breakfast is an old Nigerian slang, but for those outside Nigeria, this slang became popularized after the afrobeat star, Burna Boy, released his debut single, Last Last. Since then, this slang has gained substantial popularity outside Africa.
What does “everybody go chop breakfast” mean?
Everybody go chop breakfast literarily translates as “everyone will eat breakfast” but it means something entirely different from that. It is derived from pidgin or Nigerian creole. In pidgin, you use everybody when you want to say “everyone”; will is replaced by the word, “go”; the word “eat” does not exist in pidgin. It is replaced by “chop” or “chow” in some instances.
Now “everybody go chop breakfast” put together means, “everyone will eat breakfast”. The actual meaning, however, is everyone will get heartbreak at some point in their lives.
Origin of “everybody go chop breakfast”
The origin of this slang is not clear. Just like most pidgin slang in Nigeria, they appear to be created by random unidentified individuals and the terms soon go viral from then on without making reference to the original inventor of the term, phrase, or slang.
However, the presence of “break” in the word “breakfast” closely aligns with the meaning of breakup that the slang connotes.
How true is the statement that everybody go chop breakfast?
This statement was probably created following the observation that almost everyone who has been in a relationship has had at least one breakup. It is a very true observation that has proven itself over and over again.
Another important message this message tries to convey is, no matter how strong we think we are, even the best among us, the most loyal, will one day go down the drain of breakup too. We just need to face the fact, even though no one prays for a breakup in their relationship.
Many people have prayed, wished, and worked hard towards settling down with their first relationship partner. How did it often turn out? The same inevitable path of breakup comes staring face-to-face with us. This was what the afrobeat star sang about when he said, “Last last, everybody go chop breakfast”, meaning, “In the end, everyone will experience a breakup”.
Can breakfast/breakup be avoided?
It is possible to settle down with your first love and never date again. Some people have recounted their experiences in support of this, you may have heard of a few. The only issue is most people have their first relationships at a time when they have little or no knowledge about love and relationships. They explore what it means to be in love and to be loved. Most of the time, they are not fully abreast with what it entails to keep a relationship or marriage. It eventually ends in a breakup.
Every breakup teaches us a lesson about love and relationships. These lessons shape our understanding of what love should be, not how we initially perceived it to be. Eventually, we will all meet the perfect one who will make us feel perfect about ourselves and the relationship.
In an actual sense, breakfast or breakup can be avoided, and the only way to do this is not to enter a relationship at all. The chances of any relationship succeeding or not are 50-50 from the start. This ratio may shift to either side depending on the level of commitment and love shared by the partners.
Funny ways Nigerians use the slang, “chop breakfast”
Just like other phrases or slang, everybody go chop breakfast, or breakfast (meaning breakup) has had different funny variations. Here are some:
1. Breakfast in bed
Breakfast in bed is a romantic act by lovers or partners in a relationship. We all know what it means, I presume. But just in case you don’t, serving breakfast in bed involves one partner surprising the other with a special meal prepared and served to the other partner on a tray immediately after he/she wakes up from sleep.
It is a very romantic and special way of showing love in a relationship or marriage.
In the context of “everybody go chop breakfast”, breakfast in bed hilariously refers to a specially painful way of receiving a breakup from your ex. An example of a breakup or breakfast served in bed is when your partner sends you an enveloped note on your birthday which should supposedly be a birthday present or love quote, but instead, you find out it is a breakup note. So pathetic, right? It’s a premium breakup.
2. Independent breakfast
This is used to refer to breakfast or breakup served on independence day. This was seen in a tweet by a Twitter user who referred to his friend as an independent man because he “chop breakfast” on Independence day. See the original tweet below.
My guy chop breakfast on Independence Day, now my guy is independent😭
— Big Derah🇬🇧🍯🦅 (@Big__Derah) October 1, 2022
3. They are rich kids because they have “chopped breakfast”
Most destitute people don’t get to eat breakfast or even lunch because they cannot afford it. On the other hand, rich and comfortable families can afford three fortified square meals and even more.
The slang, “chop breakfast” was used metaphorically to mock those who have had a breakup in a funny way, saying that they are among the rich ones for being able to eat breakfast. While having a breakup does not have anything to do with being rich or poor, this is a funny way to mock them after having their own share of the breakfast.
Everybody go chop breakfast can also mean other forms of disappointments
The context of the breakfast slang is about relationship breakups and disappointment but it has also been extended to mean other forms of disappointment. For example, some Twitter users have forewarned football fans and sports enthusiasts that they too will chop breakfast if they are too optimistic that their team would win.
In this context, it means they will be utterly disappointed and heartbroken. Just like in the original context of the slang, even the strongest teams lose matches too, and the best players disappoint sometimes. So, if you put too much hope in your team or a player, get ready to be served breakfast soon enough.
Final words
Now you know what everybody go chop breakfast means if you never knew it before. It is a hard part of reality that disappointments and heartbreaks are sometimes inevitable. But when you get served, you should be brave enough to stand and face the tough times until you see the greater light ahead of you.
It’s okay to chop breakfast, but it’s divine to learn to move on.
The real origin of the slang is actually quite recent, perhaps within the last 5 years. During the 2019 elections, political thugs were used massively in Lagos and the SouthWest parts of Nigeria to suppress opposition voters, and they thug leaders were paid quite well so they let the money trickle down to their minions, assuring them that they that after the dark labours of the night, everyone will eat in this new day. That was the first time the slang started building up, then we started hearing the thugs say in Yoruba “Gbogbo wa lama he breakfast”.
One day a video emerge of someone lamenting about heartbreak, and without knowing the difference between breakup and breakfast, the person said they got breakfast from their partner. It was the funniest thing, went viral, and that was where the meaning of ‘chopping breakfast’ took a turn from getting part of the largesse to getting heartbroken.
Burna Boy then mixed the two sayings up in his song to become “Everybody go chop breakfast”. Meaning that no one in life can escape heartbreak.
Such a beautiful narrative, Bello.
Thank you for this awesome contribution to the post.
I’d love to see you more often.
Regards