3ers dhib عرس الذيب
Algerian Darja · expression
“3ers dhib” (عرس الذيب) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning rain falling in sunshine.
Meanings
- rain falling in sunshine
- rainbow
Usage
A popular expression, literally "the jackal's wedding". It refers to the moment when it rains while the sun is shining and, depending on the region or the person, to the rainbow that appears then. It is readily said in an amused tone when seeing the phenomenon: 3ers dhib! In Darja, the word dhib means the jackal, not the wolf as in Standard Arabic. In a neutral or school context, 9aws 9zah is preferred for "rainbow". The register is informal, with a touch of oral tradition.
Example
شوف، راهي تصب والشمس طالعة، عرس الذيب!
chouf, rahi tsob w chems tal3a, 3ers dhib!
“Look, it's raining and the sun is out: it's the jackal's wedding!”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ers dhib” but also “3ers dib”, “3urs adhiib” and “aars dib”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “3ers dhib” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “rain while the sun is shining”: 3ors edhib in Tunisian.