machbouh مشبوه
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“machbouh” (مشبوه) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning suspicious, shady.
Meanings
- suspicious, shady
- of dubious origin
Usage
Machbouh is a word of standard-Arabic origin, very common in the Tunisian of news and political discussion. It appears in phrases such as mal machbouh ("dirty money"), tamwil machbouh ("dubious funding") or 7arka machbouha ("suspicious movement"). The feminine is machbouha. Said of a person, it means "shady", "someone who attracts suspicion". In a more colloquial register, mrayyeb or ma yetwahhamch are also used. The word fits well in everyday conversation, with a slight journalistic flavour. It is used both literally and figuratively.
Example
شفت كرهبة واقفة قدّام الدار من الصباح، حاجة مشبوهة.
chouft karhba wa9fa 9oddem eddar mel sbe7, 7aja machbouha.
“I've seen a car parked in front of the house since this morning, that's suspicious.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “machbouh” but also “mashbouh”, “mechbouh” and “machbouha”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “machbouh” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “suspicious, shady”: mchbouh in Moroccan.