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I don't know if such a word exists in the English language. In the Bisaya language of the Visayas region in the Philippines where I belong, there is a verb that describes exactly that. I can't find the English translation of it. I can't even spell it correctly which means I can't find it in the Bisaya dictionary. I don't even know the root word of it is. The word is "moyboy" or "boyboy" or whatever. It's used like this:

Person A: "Gipa-eskwela tikaw. Ako gabayad sa imohang mga tuition. Unya dili ko nimo togtan pahulam og kwarta?

  • I took you to school. I paid all your tuitions and you wouldn't let me borrow money?

Person B: "Ayaw ko boyboyi."

  • Don't ___ me

Namoyboy si Person A ni Person B

  • Person A is "doing the action on" Person B

Mamoyboy si Person A kung dili pahulmon og kwarta.

  • Person A "does the action" each time he borrows money.

So if there's an actual word that is similar in English, I'd like to know what it is.

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    "Scorekeeper"/"keeping score" would be the closest idiom? What do you call a person who counts the favor he has done for you?
    – Yorik
    Commented Feb 5, 2020 at 22:26
  • "Scorekeeper" is good but sounds too informal. I ended up just writing "he would remind you of the good things he's done for you".
    – Carl
    Commented Feb 5, 2020 at 23:13
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    "I did X for you, yet you won't do Y for me" type complaints could be considered guilt tripping. A person who does it is a guilt tripper. But from your previous comment this term doesn't seem formal enough for you?
    – nnnnnn
    Commented Feb 6, 2020 at 4:44
  • In English, this person would be referred to as a, 'Fairy Godmother'.
    – GoodJuJu
    Commented Feb 6, 2020 at 23:51

2 Answers 2

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"Don't guilt me" or "Don't guilt-trip me."

Person A is guilting Person B. Person A guilts me each time he borrows money.

"Guilt-trip" (Wikipedia) is probably the closest, but isn't quite one word. "Guilting" is a little broader, but would be the strict one-word answer.

Merriam-Webster: guilted; guilting; guilts transitive verb

  • to cause (someone) to feel guilty
  • to persuade (someone) to do something by causing feelings of guilt; often followed by "into"
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Don't nag me

Person A is nagging Person B

Person A nags me each time he borrows money.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nagging

a few definitions of nagging/nag are:

  1. persistently annoying or finding fault with someone.
  2. to annoy (someone) with repeated questions, requests, or orders.

The act described would involve someone constantly urging another person to do something (definition 2) while also finding fault with them for not doing it because the nagger has done so much for the person they're nagging (definition 1).

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  • I don't think that 'nags' necessarily carries the idea of reminding you of the good things they did for you. You might want to include a suitable definition and example to support your suggestion. Commented Jan 25, 2023 at 8:44
  • He's a non native speaker looking for an English equivalent. No doubt it's not as specific, but it covers the examples he gave. Should I ask for more examples or clarification from the poster? Commented Jan 25, 2023 at 8:47
  • Good idea on including the definition tho Commented Jan 25, 2023 at 8:59
  • Given that the question was asked almost three years ago and the OP hasn't been on the site in the last couple of years, you're unlikely to get any clarification. Commented Jan 25, 2023 at 9:00
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    Your updated answer is much more convincing! Commented Jan 25, 2023 at 22:39

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