chett7a شطحة شطيح
Algerian Darja · noun
“chett7a” (شطحة شطيح) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning dance, dance step.
Meanings
- dance, dance step
- dancing
Usage
Chet7a refers to a dance or a dance step; chti7 refers to the act of dancing in general. The corresponding verb is che7 (yech7a7), "to dance". These words are very common at celebrations, weddings and parties, for example chti7 w ghna (dancing and singing). The register is casual and neutral. Figuratively, chet7a can refer to a way of wiggling about, or to agitation seen as ridiculous, with a mocking nuance. Note: in literary Arabic, the root also evokes mystical ecstasy, but in darja the primary meaning remains festive dancing.
Example
فالعرس كان الشطيح حتى الصباح
fel 3ers kan chti7 hetta sba7
“At the wedding, there was dancing until morning.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “chett7a”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.