Somalis nicknamed corrupt ministers by what they consumed or stole

Evidence

The prime minister told Duale that people in Hargeisa had already dubbed him “dhul cun” (land eater) during his governorship in that region because of his corrupt land practices. Now, as minister of Agriculture, the public labeled him “dhir cun” (forest eater), because of kickbacks he received from exports of banned forest products such as charcoal. In jest, the prime minister told Duale that the dismissal was a preemptive act, before Duale became “dad cun” (people eater). — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 831

Categorization

• CANDY: “Land eater” to “forest eater” to “people eater” is a witty, memorable Somali corruption-naming progression.
• DEFINE: Explains the Somali compound nicknames dhul cun, dhir cun, and dad cun built on the verb ‘to eat’ as a metaphor for corrupt appropriation.