bassas بصاص
Tunisian Derja · noun
“bassas” (بصاص) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning police informer, snitch.
Meanings
- police informer, snitch
- tattletale, person who reports others
Usage
Bassas refers to a person who secretly reports what others do or say, especially to the authorities: the police informer, the snitch. The word is pejorative and politically charged, as it evokes police surveillance of citizens. It is also used in everyday life for a colleague or classmate who will tell everything to the boss or the teacher. The usual plural is bassasa. It is not a vulgar word, but calling someone a bassas is a serious accusation: you are accusing them of betraying the trust of those around them.
Example
رد بالك منو، راهو بصاص
redd belek minou, rahou bassas
“Watch out for him, he's a snitch.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bassas” but also “bassess”, “basas” and “bassès”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.