lharba الهربة
Algerian Darja · noun
“lharba” (الهربة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning escape, running away.
Meanings
- escape, running away
- emigration, leaving abroad
Usage
Lharba is the action noun of hreb, "to run away". It appears mainly in the very widespread expression lharba tsellek, "running away saves you". The English equivalent would be "every man for himself": the expression is tossed out jokingly when facing a situation to flee, a problem, a chore. The word also evokes the desire to leave the country, often for Europe: it then touches on the imagery of the harga, without being the same thing. The register is informal. Depending on the context, the use can be humorous or bitter.
Example
شفت المشاكل جايين، قلت الهربة تسلّك.
chft lmachakil jayin, 9olt lharba tsellek.
“I saw the problems coming and said to myself: run for it.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lharba” but also “harba”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.