9ba7a قباحة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“9ba7a” (قباحة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning insolence, cheekiness.
Meanings
- insolence, cheekiness
- misbehaviour, indecency
Usage
9ba7a mainly refers to a lack of respect: talking back to one's parents, mocking an elder, acting without shame. It is often said to children or about young people: "barcha 9ba7a!" (what a nerve! that's too much insolence). The word can also describe behaviour seen as shameful or indecent. The corresponding adjective is 9bi7 (insolent, brazen). Pitfall for an English speaker: the common meaning in Tunisia is not primarily "ugliness", as in standard Arabic, but insolence. Informal register, frequent in reprimands.
Example
ما تجاوبش أمّك هكّا، هاذي قباحة
ma tjewebch ommek hakka, hedhi 9ba7a
“Don't answer your mother like that, that's insolence.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9ba7a” but also “qba7a”, “kbaha” and “9baha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.