yahbech يهبش
Algerian Darja · verb
“yahbech” (يهبش) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to scratch, to claw.
Meanings
- to scratch, to claw
- to snatch, to grab quickly
Usage
The verb primarily means scratching or clawing with the nails. It is used for a cat, but also for a fight in which people scratch each other's faces. By extension, it means to snatch or grab something with a quick movement, often dishonestly. The past is hbech ("he scratched"). The victim is the direct object: hbechni, "he scratched me". The word almost always has a negative connotation. It belongs to the informal register.
Example
القط هبشني في يدي
lqett hbechni f yeddi
“The cat scratched my hand.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “yahbech” but also “yehbech”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.