m3iz معيز
Tunisian Derja · noun
“m3iz” (معيز) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning goats (collective).
Meanings
- goats (collective)
- absurd stubbornness (in the proverb)
Usage
M3iz is the collective term for goats; a single goat is me3za. The word is known to everyone, but it survives mainly in the proverb m3iz w lou tarou, "goats, even if they fly". The image comes from an argument where one person insists they are goats even when the animals fly off: the expression is quoted to mock someone who denies the obvious out of stubbornness. It is very common in online political debates, sometimes as a hashtag. The literal sense remains current in rural areas.
Example
قتلو الحقيقة وهو ديما معيز ولو طاروا
9otlou el 7a9i9a w houwa dima m3iz w lou tarou
“I told him the truth, but he still stubbornly denies it.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “m3iz” but also “ma3iz”, “m3eez”, “m3yz” and “me3iz”. 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.