hamel هامل
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“hamel” (هامل) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning good-for-nothing, loser.
Meanings
- good-for-nothing, loser
- idle, left to oneself
Usage
Hamel is a pejorative term. It targets a person seen as worthless, incompetent or unreliable, and is often used with contempt: wehed hamel (a loser). The exclamation mella hamel! expresses disdain toward someone. The feminine is hamla. The word is informal and insulting without being vulgar, and it is best avoided in front of the person concerned. It can also describe someone left to fend for themselves, who hangs around with nothing to do and no supervision. Do not confuse it with the classical sense of "neglected" applied to things.
Example
خليه، راهو واحد هامل ما ينفع في شي
khallih, rahou wehed hamel ma yenfa3 fi chay
“Leave him, he's a good-for-nothing, useless at everything.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “hamel” but also “hamil”, “hemel” and “haamel”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.