chella شلة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“chella” (شلة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning group of friends, gang.
Meanings
- group of friends, gang
- skein (of wool, thread)
Usage
Chella means a group of people who hang out together: friends, neighbourhood buddies or college mates. The word is neutral or affectionate ("a7la chella", the best gang), but it can become pejorative depending on what follows, meaning a clique or a disreputable gang. People often say "chelletna" (our gang) or "chellet el 7ouma" (the neighbourhood gang). The plural is chellat. The word also means a skein of wool or thread, a more domestic sense and rarer in young people's usage.
Example
احلى شلّة و احلى ناس في دنيا
A7la chela w a7la ness fi denya
“The best gang and the best people in the world.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “chella” but also “chela”, “chellat”, “shella” and “chlla”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.