hogra حقرة
Algerian Darja · noun
“hogra” (حقرة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning injustice, abuse of power.
Meanings
- injustice, abuse of power
- contempt, humiliation inflicted
Usage
Hogra refers to the feeling of being treated unjustly and with contempt, especially by someone more powerful: the administration, a boss, the authorities, or even an arrogant neighbor. The word carries both the idea of injustice and that of humiliation, which no single English word conveys. It is very common in conversation as well as in social and political discourse. People often say "hadi hogra" to denounce a situation. The corresponding verb is hgar ("to despise, belittle, oppress"). An English speaker should not reduce it to "contempt": hogra implies a power imbalance and a victim.
Example
خلصوه قدّ زوج مرات وأنا لا، هادي حقرة.
khelsouh qad zouj merrat w ana la, hadi hogra.
“They paid him twice as much as me, that's an injustice.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hogra” but also “7ogra”, “hagra”, “hugra” and “ho9ra”. 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; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “hogra” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “contempt, disdain”; “humiliation, injustice suffered”: 7ogra in Tunisian.