degage ديقاج
Tunisian Derja · interjection
“degage” (ديقاج) is an interjection in Tunisian Derja meaning get out! (protest slogan).
Meanings
- get out! (protest slogan)
- ousting of an official
Usage
Degage comes from French "dégage", which became the emblematic slogan of the Tunisian revolution against those in power. It entered derja with a specific political meaning: demanding that an official leave. It is used as an interjection in demonstrations, and as a noun in the phrase ya3mlou degage l-flen, "to drive someone out of their post". It can be aimed at a minister, a governor or a director. The tone is demanding and sometimes ironic. Outside this context, saying degage to someone is still rude, as in French.
Example
الخدّامة عملولو ديقاج للمدير
el 5addema 3amloulou degage lel moudir
“The workers ran the director out.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “degage” but also “dégage”, “digage” and “dagage”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.