lef3a لفعة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“lef3a” (لفعة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning viper, venomous snake.
Meanings
- viper, venomous snake
- treacherous person, viper's tongue
Usage
Lef3a refers to the viper, and more broadly to any venomous snake. In its very common figurative sense, it is applied to a cunning, sly or malicious person, often a woman. One expression amplifies this image: lef3a b seb3a rouss, "a viper with seven heads". It describes someone especially dangerous or manipulative. The figurative use is colloquial and clearly pejorative, but it is not a vulgar insult. The plural is lfa3i.
Example
ردّ بالك، لقينا لفعة في الجنان
redd belek, l9ina lef3a fel jnen
“Be careful, we found a viper in the garden.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lef3a” but also “laf3a” and “lafaa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.