y7ach يحش
Algerian Darja · verb
“y7ach” (يحش) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to cut, mow (grass, hay).
Meanings
- to cut, mow (grass, hay)
- to crop short (hair)
Usage
Y7ach (past 7ach) means to cut down to the ground, especially grass, hay or grain with a sickle. It is also used for a very short haircut. The sense is more concrete and more agricultural than yqass, the general verb for "to cut" with scissors. In informal speech, notably in sports, it can take the figurative meaning of "crushing" an opponent. The noun 7chich ("grass") belongs to the same family. Be careful not to confuse it with 7ass, "to feel, to sense".
Example
بابا راح يحش الحشيش في الجنان
baba ra7 y7ach el 7chich fel jnan
“Dad went to mow the grass in the garden.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, it is written “y7ach”. 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.