l7es لحس
Tunisian Derja · verb
“l7es” (لحس) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to lick, run one's tongue over.
Meanings
- to lick, run one's tongue over
- to finish off completely, leave nothing
Usage
Common verb: l7es (past), yel7es (present), el7es (imperative). Used literally: a child licking a spoon, a cat licking its bowl, an ice cream being licked. The object follows the verb directly, with no preposition: l7es es-sa7n, "he licked the plate." In a figurative, colloquial sense, it means everything was finished off, nothing is left. Depending on context, the word can take on a vulgar connotation. The register is colloquial, though not crude in its basic sense.
Example
الصغير لحس المعلقة متاع الياغورت
e-sghir l7es el-m3al9a mta3 el-yaghourt
“The little one licked the yogurt spoon.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “l7es” but also “l7as”, “lhes”, “le7es” and “lhas”. 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.