9nbola قنبولة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“9nbola” (قنبولة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning bomb, explosive device.
Meanings
- bomb, explosive device
- sensational thing or person (informal)
Usage
9enbola means a bomb in the literal sense; you hear it in the news and in conversations about war or attacks. The usual plural is 9nabel. The word is also used figuratively, especially by young people, for a shocking piece of news ("jab lina 9enbola", he dropped a bomb on us) or for something or someone very impressive. The first sense remains the most frequent. The verb "tfergé3" (to explode) often goes with it. In its literal sense the word is not slang: it is neutral and used in all registers.
Example
طاحت قنبولة حدا الدار
ta7et 9enbola 7da dar
“A bomb fell near the house.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9nbola” but also “9enbola”, “9nboula”, “9anbola” and “qnbola”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.