bghal بغل
Tunisian Derja · noun
“bghal” (بغل) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning mule (animal).
Meanings
- mule (animal)
- idiot, stubborn fool (insult)
Usage
Bghal first means the animal, the mule, still found in the countryside for transport and farm work. Today the word is mostly heard as a familiar insult: calling someone bghal means calling them thick-headed, stupid or stubborn, much like "ass" or "mule-headed" in English. The tone is clearly pejorative and can offend, so avoid it outside very familiar company. For the animal, the word is neutral. In an argument, its use is almost always insulting rather than descriptive.
Example
جدي كان عندو بغل يهز عليه الحطب.
jeddi ken 3andou bghal yhez 3lih el 7tab.
“My grandfather had a mule that he used to carry firewood.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bghal” but also “b8al”, “bghel”, “baghl” and “bghl”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 8 is light ha (ه) or ghayn (غ), depending on the writer.
Type “bghal” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “mule”; “stubborn or dense person”: bghel in Moroccan.