chbar شبر
Tunisian Derja · noun
“chbar” (شبر) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning span, width of an open hand.
Meanings
- span, width of an open hand
- small piece of land
Usage
Chbar is the measure of the open hand, from thumb to little finger spread apart. It is used to estimate a length without a ruler: chbar w nos (a span and a half). Figuratively, it designates a tiny plot, especially in phrases about land or homeland: kol chbar (every inch of land). The register can then become elevated and patriotic. Chbar chbar means "step by step, meticulously." English says "inch" rather than "span" in these figurative uses.
Example
الطاولة هاذي أطول بشبر.
tawla hedhi atwel b chbar.
“This table is longer by a span.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chbar” but also “chber”, “shbar” and “chbir”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.