yakhtef rejlou يخطف رجلو
Algerian Darja · expression
“yakhtef rejlou” (يخطف رجلو) is an expression in Algerian Darja meaning to go somewhere in a hurry.
Meanings
- to go somewhere in a hurry
- to drop by someone's place briefly
Usage
A very common expression, literally "he snatches his foot". It refers to a short trip with a quick return: you go somewhere in a flash. It is conjugated with the matching possessive pronoun: nakhtaf rejli (I'm popping over), akhtaf rejlek (pop over), yakhtaf rejlou (he pops over). It is often followed by the destination with l or 'and, then w nwelli (and I'll come back). The register is informal and everyday. It has nothing to do with theft, despite the verb khtaf (to snatch, to steal): what matters is the idea of speed.
Example
نخطف رجلي للحانوت ونولّي
nakhtaf rejli lel hanout w nwelli
“I'll pop over to the grocery store and come right back.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “yakhtef rejlou” but also “yakh6ef redjelou”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 6 is emphatic ta (ط).