hacha حشا
Tunisian Derja · expression
“hacha” (حشا) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning pardon the expression.
Meanings
- pardon the expression
- except, save
- to stuff, cram
Usage
Hacha is a polite formula placed before or after mentioning something considered dirty or degrading (animal, toilets, filth): hacha es-sem3in, "no offense to those listening". The form hachek addresses the interlocutor directly. Hacha khliqet rabbi is used ironically to put someone down while feigning the respect owed to God's creatures. The same spelling also notes the verb hcha, "to stuff, cram". This verb is used colloquially to say you fobbed something off on someone, and it takes on a vulgar meaning in certain contexts.
Example
حشا السامعين، الدار كانت موسخة برشا
hacha es-sem3in, ed-dar kenet mwasskha barcha
“Pardon the expression, the house was very dirty.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hacha” but also “7acha”, “hasha”, “hache” and “7ache”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.