bakhchich بخشيش
Algerian Darja · noun
“bakhchich” (بخشيش) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning tip.
Meanings
- tip
- small sum of money given
- bribe (euphemistic)
Usage
Bakhchich refers to the small sum left for a waiter, a delivery person or a parking attendant. More broadly, it is a bit of money given to thank someone. Ironically or euphemistically, the word also refers to the bribe slipped to obtain a favor. Context tells the two meanings apart. The register is colloquial and common. It is used mostly with the verb "3ta", to give: "3tih bakhchich". French also has "bakchich", but with a mostly pejorative nuance of corruption, which the Algerian word does not always have.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bakhchich” but also “ba5chich” and “bakhshish”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.