tarchaq طرشق
Tunisian Derja · verb
“tarchaq” (طرشق) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to burst or pop with a sharp noise.
Meanings
- to burst or pop with a sharp noise
- to crackle, to snap
- to burst out (crying, laughing)
Usage
Tarchaq describes something bursting suddenly with a noise: a tire, a balloon, a firecracker, oil crackling in a pan. Figuratively, it means to burst into tears or laughter. One says tarchaq bel bke, "he burst into tears", or tarchaq bel dh7ak, "he burst out laughing". The word is also used for a noise that "bursts" the eardrums. Its register is colloquial and expressive. It can be intransitive, "it burst", or transitive, "he burst it".
Example
الكاوتشو طرشق في الطريق
el kawtchou tarchaq fel thni
“The tire burst on the road.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tarchaq” but also “tarche9”, “tarcha9”, “tarchek” and “tarchak”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.