latkha لطخة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“latkha” (لطخة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning heavy blow, beating.
Meanings
- heavy blow, beating
- stain, smear
Usage
Latkha literally means a stain or smear. In everyday use, the word is mostly figurative for a heavy blow, a crushing defeat, or a nasty surprise. It is often heard about politics or sports: kla latkha ("he took a beating"). It can also announce a disaster: famma latkha jeya ("something nasty is brewing"). The register is colloquial, often mocking or bitter. An English speaker should not take "stain" literally when the context is about elections or matches.
Example
الفريق كلا لطخة البارح
el fari9 kla latkha lbera7
“The team took a beating yesterday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “latkha” but also “lat5a”, “latkhaa” and “lotkha”. 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.