messmar djeha مسمار جحا
Algerian Darja · expression
“messmar djeha” (مسمار جحا) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning pretext to impose oneself on others.
Meanings
- pretext to impose oneself on others
- flimsy excuse, ruse
Usage
The expression messemar djeha, "Djeha's nail", refers to the character Djeha, well known from popular tales. In the story, he sells his house but keeps ownership of a nail driven into the wall, which lets him keep coming back to the buyer's home. It is used for a pretext that serves to keep a foot in someone's door or to bother them, and more broadly for a made-up excuse. It is often said ironically, for example: rah dayer messemar djeha, "he has found himself a Djeha's nail". The register is informal but understood by everyone.
Example
هاذي غير مسمار جحا باش يولي يجي كل نهار
hadi ghir messmar djeha bach iwelli iji koul nhar
“This is just a pretext so he can come every day.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “messmar djeha” but also “mesmar jha”, “messemar djeha”, “mesmar djha” and “masmar jo7a”. 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.