t7assar تحصر
Tunisian Derja · verb
“t7assar” (تحصر) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to be desperate for the toilet.
Meanings
- to be desperate for the toilet
- to be stuck, cornered
Usage
Very common colloquial verb (t7assar), meaning to urgently need the toilet. It is conjugated in the past tense to describe a present state: t7assart (I'm desperate), t7assar (he's desperate). It isn't crude, but it's informal language avoided in formal settings. By extension, it can describe a person who is stuck or under pressure. Pitfall for an English speaker: the perfective form expresses a present state, and the word has nothing to do with the classical Arabic idea of 'restricting'.
Example
وقف الكرهبة، تحصرت برشا!
wa99ef el karhba, t7assart barcha!
“Stop the car, I'm desperate to go!”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “t7assar” but also “t7asar”, “t7assart”, “thassar” and “t7asart”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.