ro93a رقعة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“ro93a” (رقعة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning nerve, cheek.
Meanings
- nerve, cheek
- patch, sewn-on piece
Usage
In casual conversation, ro93a refers to the nerve or brazenness of someone who says or does something improper without embarrassment. It is used mainly as an exclamation to express indignation or irony: mela ro93a!, "what nerve!", or ech-hal 3andou ro93a, "he's got some nerve". The word is very common in comments on current events and politics. The register is casual, but the word is not vulgar. The original sense of "sewn-on patch, piece added on" also exists, but it is less frequent in everyday use.
Example
ياخو بلاصتي و يقلي ارتاح؟ ملا رقعة!
yekhou blasti w y9olli erte7? mela ro93a!
“He takes my seat and tells me to relax? What nerve!”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ro93a” but also “ra93a”, “ro9a3” and “rou93a”. 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; 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.