jalta جلطة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“jalta” (جلطة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning stroke, heart attack.
Meanings
- stroke, heart attack
- blood clot
- shock, huge letdown (informal)
Usage
Jalta refers to a blood clot and, more broadly, to the medical event it causes: a stroke or heart attack. The typical construction is "jatou jalta" (he had a stroke). The word is also used figuratively, in a familiar tone, for shocking news or a defeat that makes you furious: "jatni jalta ki ri'it el match" (I nearly had a stroke when I saw the match). This sense is very common among football fans and on social media. Avoid this figurative use in front of someone who has actually been affected.
Example
بوه جاتو جلطة وهزوه للسبيطار
bouh jatou jalta w hazzouh lel sbitar
“His father had a stroke and they took him to the hospital.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “jalta” but also “jaltaa” and “jelta”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.