mesmar مسمار
Tunisian Derja · noun
“mesmar” (مسمار) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning nail.
Meanings
- nail
- guaranteed steady income (figurative)
Usage
Mesmar is the usual word for a nail; the plural is msamer. It is used with dagg ("to drive in"): dagg mesmar fel 7it. The expression "mesmar fi 7it" ("a nail in the wall") is very common. It refers to a stable, secure source of income, especially a civil servant's salary, paid every month no matter what. It is often used to contrast state employees with precarious or day workers, sometimes with a hint of reproach. The word also means a corn on the foot.
Example
عطيني مطرقة ومسمار باش نعلق التصويرة.
a3tini matra9a w mesmar bech n3alle9 tessawira.
“Give me a hammer and a nail to hang the picture.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mesmar” but also “msmar”, “masmar”, “mosmar” and “mismar”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “mesmar” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “nail”; “clove (mesmar l-qronfel)”: mesmar in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “nail”; “stingy person, miser (figurative)”: masmar in Algerian.