9ayla قايلة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“9ayla” (قايلة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning midday heat.
Meanings
- midday heat
- early afternoon, siesta time
Usage
El 9ayla means the hottest part of the day, from midday to early afternoon, especially in summer, and by extension the crushing heat of that time. It is the hour when people avoid going out, the streets empty and many take a nap. People say fil 9ayla (during the hot hours) or 9ayla kbira (intense heat). The related verb 9ayyel means to take a siesta. For an English speaker, the word does not correspond exactly to "noon": it refers as much to the heat as to the time, and a sentence like 9ayla lyoum means "it's very hot today."
Example
ما تخرجش في القايلة، الشمس تحرق.
ma to5rojch fil 9ayla, echams to7reg.
“Don't go out in the midday heat, the sun is burning.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9ayla” but also “9aila”, “gayla” and “qayla”. 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.