fagous فقوس

Tunisian Derja · noun

“fagous” (فقوس) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning long, thin cucumber (snake melon).

Meanings

1. long, thin cucumber (snake melon)
2. cucumber in general

Usage

In Tunisia, fagqoûs refers to a long, thin, slightly ribbed cucumber with pale skin. Botanically, it is a variety of melon. In principle it is distinguished from khyâr, the ordinary cucumber, but usage varies by region, and some people use fagqoûs for any cucumber. It is mostly eaten raw, in salads (slâtet fagqoûs) or sliced as an appetizer in summer. The word is a collective: fagqoûsa means a single cucumber. Depending on the region, it is pronounced with a g or a q.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “fagous” but also “fagouss”, “faggous”, “fakous” and “fa9ous”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.

Type “fagous” on the Arabic keyboard

In Algerian Darja

The same word also exists in Algerian Darja, written الفقوس, where it means “long cucumber, Armenian cucumber”; “unripe melon”: feggous in Algerian.