mortachi مرتشي
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“mortachi” (مرتشي) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning corrupt, bribe-taking.
Meanings
- corrupt, bribe-taking
- a corrupt person
Usage
Mortachi comes from standard Arabic and is commonly used in Tunisia for an official, police officer, referee or person in charge who can be bought. It appears a lot in debates about corruption, online comments and football. It also works as a noun: "hedha mortachi". In colloquial language, a bribe is called "rachwa" or "9ahwa" (a "coffee"). The usual verbs are "yekel" or "yechri". The word is a serious accusation: not vulgar, but strong.
Example
الحكم هذا مرتشي، باين من الماتش.
el 7akem hedha mortachi, bayen mel match.
“This referee is corrupt, you can tell from the match.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “mortachi” but also “mourtachi”, “murtachi”, “mertachi” and “mrtachi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.