5al3a خلعة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“5al3a” (خلعة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning fear, sudden fright.
Meanings
- fear, sudden fright
- ugly or scary person (slang)
Usage
5al3a is a very common word for a sudden fear, a jolt of terror. You say "5dhit 5al3a" (I got a real fright) or "5al3atni" (you scared me). "5al3a kbira" means a big scare, for example after a narrowly avoided accident. In slang, the word can also describe a person considered ugly or frightening: "hiya 5al3a". It is then mocking, even hurtful. The corresponding verb is 5la3, to frighten.
Example
خذيت خلعة كي سمعت الصوت
5dhit 5al3a ki sma3t essout
“I got such a fright when I heard the noise.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5al3a” but also “khal3a”, “5ala3” and “khal3aa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent; 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “5al3a” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “fear, fright”; “panic, alarm”: khel3a in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “fear, fright”; “scary thing, horror”: khal3a in Algerian.