khayekh خايخ
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“khayekh” (خايخ) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning rotten, spoiled (food).
Meanings
- rotten, spoiled (food)
- overripe, mushy
Usage
Khayekh is said mainly of fruits, vegetables or meat that have gone off: they are rotten, soft or foul-smelling. The feminine is khaykha and the plural khaykhin. The corresponding verb is khekh, "to rot", for example in "eddalla3 khekh". Figuratively, in informal register, it can be applied to a thing or a situation completely ruined, or even to a person judged worthless. In that case the word becomes derogatory. For food, it is stronger than "fsed" ("to spoil"): it suggests advanced decomposition.
Example
الطماطم هاذي خايخة، ارميها.
tmatem hedhi khaykha, armiha.
“These tomatoes are rotten, throw them away.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khayekh” but also “khaykh”, “5ayekh”, “khayakh” and “5aykh”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.