bliya بلية
Moroccan Darija · noun
“bliya” (بلية) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning addiction, dependence.
Meanings
- addiction, dependence
- vice, bad habit
- misfortune, calamity
Usage
Bliya mainly refers to dependence on a substance or habit: tobacco, coffee, drugs, gambling, the phone. One says "3ndu l-bliya" ("he's hooked") or "bliyt l-garro" ("cigarette addiction"). The related adjective mbelli means "addicted, dependent". The word has a negative connotation, but it is also used humorously for an all-consuming passion, such as tea or football. The older sense of "misfortune, ordeal" still exists in some expressions, but it is less common.
Example
ما قدرش يحيد البلية ديال الگارو
ma qdarch y7iyed lbliya dyal garro
“He can't get rid of his cigarette addiction.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bliya” but also “blia”, “bliyya” and “blya”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.