mel7a7 ملحاح
Algerian Darja · adjective
“mel7a7” (ملحاح) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning insistent, constantly demanding.
Meanings
- insistent, constantly demanding
- clingy, pestering
Usage
Mel7a7 refers to a person who insists relentlessly, who keeps asking for the same thing until they get it. It is very often used for a child who asks for a sweet or an outing, but also for an adult who badgers someone with requests. The tone is informal and often annoyed, sometimes affectionate when it concerns a child. It is used with rak, rah or rahi: "rah mel7a7 bezzaf". It is related to the verb lle7, "to insist". The feminine is mel7a7a. Note: the word is not strongly pejorative; it mainly signals the speaker's weariness.
Example
هاد الطفل ملحاح بزاف، ما يسكتش حتى ياخذ واش بغى
had tfel mel7a7 bezzaf, ma yesketch 7tta yakhoud wach bgha
“This child is really insistent, he won't stop until he gets what he wants.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mel7a7” but also “mal7a7”, “melhah” and “mlhah”. 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.