chawch شاوش
Moroccan Darija · noun
“chawch” (شاوش) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning usher, administrative attendant.
Meanings
- usher, administrative attendant
- orderly, office messenger
Usage
Chawch refers to the junior employee of an administration, a school or a court. He receives the public, carries files, guards doors or runs the office's errands. The word is common and neutral, but it suggests a humble position. It is sometimes used disparagingly for someone who servilely carries out orders. The plural is chwawch. Do not confuse it with the French huissier de justice (court bailiff), which is usually called mofawad qadaï.
Example
الشاوش ما خلانيش ندخل للمدير
chawch makhllanich ndkhel l lmoudir
“The usher didn't let me in to see the director.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chawch” but also “chaouch”, “chaweech”, “shawsh” and “chawech”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.