Sunday 16 June 2024

Phree Phlow



Phree Phlow by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul


Following the most recent (H)ero, here is more language fun. 



Superfluous Lewis diving into the abyss
Dulcifluous Chris needed a first kiss
Miss they won’t, shan’t and can’t
Kentucky blissful lucky
Found at the end of this rant
Kaleidoscopic hues they use
Holotropic psychonautic breathing abuse
Accuse-bemuse, confuse-diffuse, excuse-profuse
Electrifying muse at the tip of a ventouse fuse


*

Now the abyss is staring back
Would he all alone hold his own?
Sun shone nick-knack rack attack
Give a cloned dog a
 coned bone

*

Synergic lysergic cantankerous incantation
Illuminated notion nation
What limpid sublimation
Incipient and vacillant
Absconding, fractious, resilient
Querulous, rubefacient, impending
Supervenient and factitious with an ending
Let the bell ring. See what it’ll bring
Rung Rang Ring: O’ Dung Dang Ding.
 
 

ALSO VIEW:

(H)ero 
 
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Saturday 15 June 2024

Some Egyptian Arabic Expressions and Their Translations — مصطلحات مصرية و ترجمتها



Some Egyptian Arabic Expressions and Their Translations — مصطلحات مصرية و ترجمتها by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

Sometimes I feel certain guilt for not writing enough in Arabic. English, as some may know, is technically my third language. Yet when I started expressing myself more around university time, it was indeed in English — the readings, the research, the papers, the whole lot. It was the American University after all, yet still in Cairo. And I am Egyptian. 



When a decade following graduation I took writing as a vocation it was essentially in English. Being in Canada at the time followed by the U.S, it seemed like the natural course of things. 



I can still remember a school-bud, Ismail, recounting to us what his father said when on our senior year he mentioned the American University as an option. 

“Yabny dah este3mar fekry ( يابني ده إستعمار فكري ) — “Son, that’s intellectual colonialism.” As much as we all laughed then, his sobering statement remained with me to this very day.



What makes an Arabic-speaking Egyptian become so westernised, that he becomes a writer in English, and an alright one at that? Certainly education helped pave the way; probably also my upbringing and early travels, and lots and lots of reading. Of course music and movies, but mostly music due to the lyrics. You can find more about the topic in the previous From English as a Third Language to Author — How I Expanded My Vocabulary

So French school then American University, what did one expect, right? It’s also the most spoken language in the world, including native and non-native speakers. But what about writing more in the Arabic language — I was born into — beside English? Because I do enjoy and even miss it. 



Expressing myself in Arabic reminds of simpler, younger times. Being the class clown at school and the court jester within the family. The puns, wordplay, songs among more creative silliness that came out from the experience of going to a strict all-boy catholic school while at the same time having Sheraton Hotels as a home for 20 years. Humour, it seems, was one way I was trying to make sense of the whole thing. Except maybe the few non-Egyptian ex-girlfriends and beside education and working in hotels, most of my verbal communication was conducted in vernacular Arabic. That was before social media of course and before relocating in my early 30s.


As such, as I matured along with my linguistic abilities and philosophical views, I began contemplating how being a multilingual communicator can be a bridge that connects certain gaps between different languages, roots, cultures, histories, and most importantly, people. 

There are about a dozen Arabic articles and poems on One Lucky Soul [links found down below], out of 670 in English. Quite telling.

There are a bit more bilingual posts on Facebook, like the one about how the word ( ألوف ) “Aloof” happens to mean opposite things in Arabic and English. Also several stories from the school days and some jokes that are written solely in Arabic without translation. Those posts ought to be compiled somewhere. 



Lots of legitimate pondering to work on.  


Now that I am residing in Egypt following a decade in North America, connecting with more people through Arabic in addition to English often flirts with my mind. I wonder what if more Egyptians or Arabic-speaking people in general got the chance to read my writings and be exposed to my thoughts and queries — including the psycho-philosophical stuff. This leads me to want to translate such writings one day, though I should do it myself.  



On the other hand, there are also non-Egyptians who live in Egypt — or in Arab countries — much more now than, say the 80s. Perhaps it would be fun for them to learn about the origin of a colloquial term or an expression or three, especially that oftentimes the literal meanings may cause confusion. To learn a language means to also learn about the culture. 


I hold that communication is what brings us Earthlings a bit closer together. It’s what bridges the gap between people from different countries, cultures, mindsets. Apart from language there is otherwise music, which can transcend the constructs and limitation of language or the intellect as a whole while speaking more to our hearts 



Alright, following this sentimental introduction, here is a jolly list of Egyptian Arabic words ( كلمات ) and terms ( مصطلحات ), their literal meanings, pronunciation [in Italic], usage, and possible equivalents in the English language. Some are found across several informal Arabic dialects, others are solely Egyptian Arabic vernacular — “Masri” — or more specifically colloquial.

This article could be considered the sequel to Some Arabic Sayings and Their Translations — أمثال عربية و ترجمتها. While the first from 2016 was about common traditional idioms, proverbs, and adages usually intended to convey a certain message, herein are simple and shorter expressions. 



There is also Words With Italian Origin That Are Still Used Today In Egypt.

Now let’s go. Vamos. Vamoose. Yalla. Allons-y. 


 
إبن اللعيبة


“Son of a female player” is the literal translation of “ebn el la3ibah”. As in your mother is a player, but not necessarily as a participant in a sport or game nor a musician; certainly not the informal meaning for men who have many sex partners.    



First thing first. In Arabic parlance ‘ebn’, son and ‘bent’, daughter [of] is usually used before a swearword, as an insult. “Ya” is added before it if addressing someone or to call or get their attention. In more linguistic terms, ‘ya’ is a vocative particle preceding a noun used in direct address. 



However, sometimes the word following “ebn / bent” is meant affectionately as an exclamation of encouragement or an endearing praise. So “ebn el la3iba” here was often said as young boys about someone playing sport, doing a certain move or trick or so. I guess there was something daring in saying the clean form “ebn el” which is usually left for swearing by adults. But in any case, all these ebn / bent forms are essentially to describe a person not their mothers or fathers.   



The expression remained till adulthood as some kind of flattery within the clean dialect; also as an exclamation — as someone watching a sport game would utter rather enthusiastically. 



Funny that “bent el la3iba” is seldom used. But for some reason you’d almost never say or hear: “ebn / bent el la3eeb”, a male player. Could it be because the mother is the one who gave birth?




With equal energy or enthusiasm, there is “ebn / bent el magnouna” ( إبن / بنت المجنونة ) — son / daughter of a mad woman; your mother is crazy. It is usually said casually to someone who did or is doing something seen crazy or daring. It is not much of a [real] cuss word or profanity, but it can be uttered angrily as an insult in fights. Whether it is meant in a positive light or negative depends on the context and, when said out loud, the tone. But it’s nothing too expletive. 



Again here, almost never “ebn / bent el magnoun”. Mothers apparently get most of these.  



Son of a gun”, a euphemism for son of a bitch, may be one equivalent as clean as “ebn el eih
or bent el magnouna”, despite gun being masculine, in Arabic that is. Both expressions can be used positively or negatively.


Imagine saying to an Arabic speaking person 
ya ebn el mosadas ( يابن المسدس ) and it will mean nothing to them, not good nor bad. Just a funny and absurd combination of words. Like son of a chair or daughter of a shower curtain.


On the other hand, “ebn / bent el gazma” 
( إبن / بنت الجزمة ) is a common swearword in Arabic. It means 
Son / daughter of a shoe”. Say this to an English speaking person; well, don’t... unless they truly deserve it.

In English, “son of a bitch / whore” seem to be the main swearwords used involving parents, or once again, the mother. In Arabic there are a lot more variations and, dare we say, more creativity when it comes to swearing. Basically you can add any noun, but also its own adjective and it will still be utterable. “Son of as dirty whore” in English for example. 


At school, for instance, we learned a new literary Arabic word from a book we were studying: 
el 3abd el 2abekالعبد الآبق ) — meaning the runaway slave. As such, for a few days or so I kept jovially using it on the boys in “Yabn el 3abd el 2abek”. Being so unusual, absurd, and certainly untrue, everyone would laugh.   



إبن إليه  بنت اللذينا   

 


‘Eih’ means ‘what’, normally used alone as a question [?]. So, “Yabn el eih — ya bent el eih” means “Son / daughter of a what”. Yep.



‘El lazina’ means “those who”. So “son / daughter of those who”. Normally a verb would follow but not in this usage.

Both expressions are mostly used as an enthusiastic direct response to someone doing something special, smart, daring, cheeky, or mischievous. A kind of flattery, perhaps implying that we have no words to describe their mother or father.
; that we
re speechless.

However, polite people who don’t like to swear may use it in negative connotations. As in: “Ebn el eih didn’t deliver on time”, “Bent el lazina overcharged us”.

Unlike the positive use, this negative one is always used when referring or talking about someone behind their back and not to their faces.



 ولاد ناس : إبن / بنت ناس
Some Egyptian Arabic Expressions and Their Translations — مصطلحات مصرية و ترجمتها by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul


In “Welad Nas or Ebn / Bent Nas”, ‘welad’ is children while ‘nas’ is people. Literally translating as “children of people” or “sons and daughters of people”. While ‘welad’ is often used as a genderless noun, ‘walad’ is a singular boy — as ‘ebn’ in son — and bent is both girl and daughter. But what does it actually mean? Of course as humans everyone is a son or daughter of people. 

Well, in Egypt it simply means coming from good homes; those were well brought up and have manners. Sometimes it means old or traditional families, or the sons and daughters of someone or the other in the society.

Other people may describe someone as one, but it is seldom said about oneself. Because it can sound like showing off as it can also be a divisive or polarising statement.  

Some people may add the word ‘akaber’ after “welad nas", meaning grand. But it is often edited out.    



That said, one night in the streets of Cairo a police officer responded back to my nephew who was trying to get us out of getting busted spray painting by repeatedly and naggingly telling him: “Hadretak, we are the sons of people” 
( حضرتك احنا ولاد ناس ).

“So we are the sons of dogs*?!” 
( يعني احنا ولاد كلب؟ ) was the man’s hilarious reply. Pfff. 

You can check the full story in Funny Drug-Related Stories 2

 
*Son of a dog is one of two major swearwords that finally mentions the father. The other is son of a khawal ( خول ), a gay man, aka faggot. 



  كل تأخيرة [و] فيها خيرة  معلش 


Kol ta2kheera fiha kheira means every lateness has good in it.

Hmm. This may be the only full sentence and actual adage in the list. But it’s here because it is still told to me on occasions.   



Well, the phrase is said as consolation when you have been waiting for someone who didn’t show up on time or something that didn’t take place on time; when there is tardiness.

If we really think about it, however, it’s a nonsensical platitude. The generalisation and the assumption in the message makes it sound like other vague, hollow phrases such as “Everything happens for a reason”. True or not is not the concern here. But hey, it’s almost always used to comfort someone or even oneself and uttered with good intent.

I think that mostly it still holds due to the [almost] rhyming of both words. Everyone loves a rhyme.

Speaking of consolation,
another common Egyptian expression you would hear everywhere is Ma3leshمعلش ). Originally from Classical or Literary Arabic ma 3aleih shei2 ما عليه شيء ), nothing on him, it was uttered by judges back in the days about those were deemed free in court.

Eventually the phrase was contracted to become the single word 
ma3lesh’, meaning its alright, its OK, or its nothing to trace it back to its origin; do not be upset or worked up. The expression is used to console someone who went through or is going through something hard or unfortunate; as a way to downplay or minimise the misfortune while seemingly calming people down. An example of it being used is the event of a car accident or mid a quarrel.

Depending on the context and situation, it may also be part of an apology. Sometimes 
ana assef ( أنا أسف ), Im sorry, may follow ma3lesh



فك الأسير

 
When younger and wanted to get a joint from a friend who had been smoking it for a while without passing, we would sometime say: “Fok el aseer” — release the prisoner of war.


Once while watching a Portuguese show for some reason [yeah, don’t judge me], the dubbed English translation mentioned “Release the prisoner” when a woman wanted to get the joint from someone nearby. Until then, I thought the expression was purely Egyptian Arabic slang, perhaps even exclusive to our circle of friends. But nope. Joints apparently tend to be held captive by stoners all over the world.

In fact, in the U.S the expression is “Don’t Bogart that joint”. It’s a slang term derived from famous actor Humphrey Bogart; because he often kept a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, seemingly never actually drawing on it or smoking it. It is often used with joints but can be applied to anything.

I wonder what they say in other countries.


Puff, Puff, Pass.



   إتفضل

 
While walking in the streets of an Arab country you may hear the word Etfaddalإتفضل ) or more formally ( تَفَضّل ). Based on the root ‘fadl’ ( فَضْل ) graciousness, the meaning of this one too depends on the situation and context. 

When a group of people are sitting down or even just one person and another passes by, the sitter would cordially say ‘etfaddal’, as in come join in;
enter. It is an offer or invitation to join the sit-in, group, or meal.

The other situation is when someone is eating or drinking [often tea] when another happens to pass by or is sitting nearby — especially when an eye-contact is made. Here the person would generously say ‘etfaddal’, meaning “have some of this food or drink”; as an act of sharing, or more precisely, readiness to share.  
 
The majority of people realise it’s a mere kind and generous expression and refuse the offer. The same with ‘Khally’ or “keep it”, said by some taxi drivers [among others] about their fees after having a cordial conversation with the passenger. Especially in such instances, the invitation to not pay is not to be taken literally.

Public Service Announcement: Please pay you cab drivers in Arab countries despite them saying ‘khalli’. 
  

In North America I would sometimes find myself in a situation when I’m eating something and someone looks at me. Funnily, while the sentiment of wanting to share remained, there was no suitable English word for ‘Etfaddal’, which would baffle me since, between three languages, I usually find the right words for whatever I want to say. But here there was none. Eventually, I settled with ‘Please’ accompanying an extended hand gesture. However, it certainly does not come close to the warm-hearted ‘etfaddal’ or to the richness of the Arabic language. Different worlds, different word. ⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is one linguistic example depicting the warmth, generosity, and congeniality of Arab hospitality and the nomadic, tribal culture it embodies. For after all: Sharing IS Caring.




  زغروتة  زغردة
Some Egyptian Arabic Expressions and Their Translations — مصطلحات مصرية و ترجمتها by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul


Being multilingual, you often wonder about the meaning of certain rarely used words in the other languages you speak. One of those unusual Arabic words is “zaghrouta / zaghrata” ( زغردة / زغروتة ); from the verb zaghrat / zaghrad (زَغْرَد / زَغْرَتَ ), meaning sing.

Now, this is a peculiar sound you would hear some women produce in Egypt, usually to show emotions in wedding ceremonies among other joyous celebrations. Apparently, the Arabic word originates from the sound mules make through their throats.

The expression, however, is found in other African and Arab countries as well, with slightly different versions of the sound and words to describe it, depending on the geographical location. 

I recall once in the beginning of my writing journey thinking if the word even has a translation to English — being a non-western expression and all. And since one would rarely, if ever, find themself witnessing a ( زغروتة ) while at the same time trying to translate the Arabic word into English, I never checked it. Until recently when watching a docuseries about African tribes from the 1600s, titled African Queens: Njinga.


In one scene, a ( زغروتة ) was heard, slightly different than the Egyptian ones one was accustomed to, yet the sound still retains a certain similarity. Looking at the subtitles, I could read
ululation. Oh! So that is it, I wondered and instantly decided to check it out. Yes indeed, the word exists!

Ululate (v): From Latin ululo, means to utter a loud, usually protracted, high-pitched, rhythmical sound especially as an expression of sorrow, joy, celebration, or reverence; long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound resembling a howl (عول) or a wail (عويل) with a trilling quality. The ululation is produced by emitting a high pitched loud and wavering voice accompanied with a rapid back and forth movement of the tongue and the uvula (the baby tongue at the back of the throat).


Interestingly, the word does sound like the actual sound: “Lulululuiiiiiiiyy”
 and hence it is considered an Onomatopoeia.

According to the English description, ululations can also be heard in funerals and not just on happy occasions. But in Egypt, at least to my knowledge, women don’t do it to express sorrow or sadness. Some may howl/wail to mourn the dead though, but those remains different sounds which lack the usual sense of joy typical zaghroutas transmit. 


And now we know. Lulululuiiiiiiiyy



عنيا  عيني


3enaya’ means “my eyes”, while the singular ‘eini’ is “my eye”. It is an affirmative expression usually said as an endearing response when you ask someone to bring you something. As in, I would give [you] my eyes to please or serve you. Often heard in local cafes, eateries or shops among other places and circumstances.

The word may be accompanied by a gesture of the index finger pointing to their own eyes. Sometimes the index and middle one are used to point to both eyes. 



Another common response a customer would hear in stores and eateries is
to2mor (تأمر ) or ‘to2morni’ ( تأمرني ) — meaning “you give me an order” or “ta7t amrak” ( تحت أمرك ) — under your order.  



The Lebanese people take it further than losing one’s eye(s). The sweet mother of another school-bud would instead endearingly say: ‘To2borni’ 
تؤبرني ) [with a b rather than m] — meaning “You’d put me in a tomb”; as in I would die for you. It is sometimes used as a response to us saying “thank you”; almost like a “you’re welcome”.

And this rather intense expression is casually uttered at the dinner table and elsewhere, to show how much you love and care. Quite the passion, huh. Syrians, too, apparently use it.




يا كابتن


This one brings back childhood memories. So in the early 80s, usually at sporting clubs and beaches, us boys would call each other captain. But only those we did not know; otherwise we’d use their actual names. It was the common term of address for boys of certain age. So, you want to play ya captain?”. Sometimes in the playground “Captain, captain, do you want to become friends?” —  tesa7ebny ya captain? تصاحبني يا كابتن؟ ). Ha.

You’d think this title would be reserved for coaches or actual team captains of various sport teams around the club, like Amr Atata from Gezira Club football team and Captain Mohsen and Gamal from the basketball. But calling an 8/9-year-old boy sounds funny, now at least. Actually the coaches would also call us captain. Maybe to give us some confidence, maybe it was just the way it went. I
n return, we would likewise call them captain so and so.

The term was somewhat new lingo to our generation. Because my grandmother and her sister would sometimes say it all amusingly, as if it’s their first time to use it in such context, which is when addressing a young boy. I actually doubt that in my father’s childhood “ya captain” existed among young boys.



Following a certain age around the teenage years, we stopped hearing
captain outside of the sport environment. It almost like it became inappropriate to use it with a 14-year-old boy or older.  

I wonder if kids today still use the term.




حضرتك


Literally meaning “your presence”. Hadretak or 7adretak’ is used as a term of address and sign of respect, could be to elders, uncles/ants, bosses, or someone who represents a source of authority.

In the Arab world some grown children may say to their parents 7adretak / 7adretek when addressing them
— rather than you, enta / enti” ( أنت / أنتي ). The more endearing “3ammi / 3ammeti
( عمي / عمتي ), uncle and aunt from the father side; and ( خالي / خالتي ) “khali / khalti” from the mother side.

Those words are equivalent to the non-Arabic Oncle and Tante used by the more educated sections of the Egyptian society.

Hadretakis equally used with older family members or relatives; as in the elders, as well with friends of one’s parents. 

As kids and teenagers
Hadretak is normally used without much thinking. In my case, when I relocated to Canada after living in Egypt for 32 years I sort of grew or matured on a different level. So when returning for visits I began feeling that these “older” people are not much older, in terms of mental age. I began seeing myself as equal who doesn’t require to use a title to address another human being. 



About respect? Well, why can’t we respect each other without titles? So I began using 7adretak / 7adretek less and less, while keeping oncle and tante to close family members also those from the grandparents generation. Maybe even only with the grandparents generations — whoever was still around.

It is like kids in the West who address their parents as well as elders as
sir and
maam, again out of respect. While a bit strict, formal, and military-like, the children probably stop using it as they mature to a certain age, or so they ought to.  



With the same root
Hadar - 7adarحضر ), meaning arrived, we also have another word ( حاضر ) Hader - 7ader, meaning present. In school, when they would call each kid’s name to check the attendance, the formal response by each was hader: I am present. 



At some point the use of hader included saying yes in a polite way. Again, it became an affirmative response to when parents or bosses ask something of you
, similar to “yes, sir”.




ماشي

Literally, ‘mashi’ means walk or move; from the root “mashy” walking. 

However, the somewhat novel implied meaning of ‘mashi’ came to mean: yes, OK, alright, keep going, cool. 



As I recall, it was used by car valets (sayes) in certain busy areas around Cairo who would help drivers park their cars just by saying ‘Mashi’ — also ‘Ta3ala’, meaning ‘come’ — while using hand gestures. Of course these territorial beings expect a certain fee. Some actually make a whole lot of money from this ‘business’.

But ‘mashi’ was also used as an informal expression of agreement by the help, as in maids and drivers among the working-class section of the society.

I also recall that in the 1980s my maternal grandmother as well as my father being displeased by the then-new use of the word. For them it was ‘unrefined’ or ‘unsophisticated’ street lingo. They would often make a fun remark to any of us who would say it, but never to those who actually used it. Something to remember though, is that both their fathers were born in the late 1800s, that is two centuries ago, so they were naturally brought up “old school” when Egypt was still a Kingdom.

My grandmother, Madame l’Ambassadrice, was also the wife of a diplomat; hence been dealing with a certain type of worldly and somewhat educated people for a large chunk of her life. 



Language, you see, is part of our upbringing and sometimes we may resist the novelty just because it’s new. Neither them nor even my mother ever utter/uttered ‘mashi’ themselves. 



It seemed the usage of ‘mashi’ we’re discussing herein has made an appearance sometimes in the second part of the 20th Century, maybe late 1960s or 1970. Not too sure because I wasn’t there. Yet likely as some agree, it was following the 1952 Coup that new words came to being in Egypt while others seemed to slowly vanish. What I do remember from childhood is that the word almost intruded into our everyday dialect and vocabulary; that it was used by certain kind of people and not others. One, for instance, wouldn’t easily find it in dialogues in old 
classical black-and-white Egyptian movies.



Sometimes you would hear simple-minded peasants among the subordinate, less educated portion of society sometimes taking it further by combining both ‘mashi’ and ‘hader’: “Mashi 7ader” ( ماشي حاضر ) — often said when addressing their bosses or landlords.


What remains interesting is 40 years later the expression seems to have thrived and survived. As I found out through Sabina, the lovely Italian woman who makes yummy home-cooked food at Amanda Market here in Dahab. Whenever asking her to keep me this or that till I’m back from the beach, she would reply with a simple bubbly
Mashi. Other times she would tell me the total in Arabic numbers. She’s been living in Sinai for about eight years so maybe that’s how she practices.


As noticed, I may sometimes use ‘mashi’ but only when talking with certain common people, like workers, handymen, dealers. I have probably never used it with family members.

One final Snapple Fact to conclude this bit is that in Yemen, ‘Mashi’ means no — from
ma’ shei2ما شيء ), no thing. So it is somewhat of an antonym or the opposite of the Egyptian version. Without knowing this simple piece of info, Yemenis in Egypt or Egyptians in Yemen may face some funny confusion in their everyday interactions.





أفندم  يا فندم


‘Efendim’ is originally a Turkish word that was borrowed into Egyptian Arabic ever since the Ottoman Empire. Meaning ‘sir’ or ‘mister’, it is a respectful reply to someone calling you. For Turks and Egyptians, ‘efendim’ and ‘afandem’ are used when responding to someone who has a certain authority over oneself, sometimes in the military.

It could likewise be a reply followed a question mark when one does not hear or not understand what had been said. So ‘afandem?’ here means “excuse me?, what?” 





Efendim/afandem is related to “Effendi /Effendy”, which was former title of nobility in the Ottoman Empire and the Caucasus, meaning sir, lord or master. It was especially used with for government officials and men who are members of the aristocracy.

When used as a form of address in Egypt ‘ya’ is added before ‘fandem’. 



Famous examples are the department stores “Omar Effendi” founded in 1856 Egypt. Also Youssef Effendi who first introduced the mandarin fruit to Egypt during the era of Muhammed Ali,
the Ottoman Albanian ruler of Egypt from 1805 to 1848, after bringing the saplings from the Island of Malta. As a token of appreciation, Muhammed Ali named mandarine in Arabic after the man: Youssef Effendi ( يوسف أفندي ), becoming youssefi ( يوسفي ) and sometimes contracted in Egyptian Arabic to youstafandi ( يوسفندي / يوستفندي ).   


More about the topic can be found in another earlier article
The Difference Between Mandarin, Tangerine, and Clementine.

Having direct Turkish roots in my paternal family as well as with several other relatives left and right, we grew up using certain words at home, which other more “purely Egyptians” would not. And it only became apparent when growing up and meeting different people with different backgrounds and from different social circles. Our Arabic dialect and vocabularies slightly varied.



I recall when at some point younger me replaced it with ‘na3am’ or even ‘eih’ to reply to my father, he kind of corrected me: “It’s called Afandem”. However, if we really think about it, ‘na3am’ is ‘yes’ in proper literary Arabic. So he was almost subconsciously favouring the Turkish-borrowed word because his own family and upbringing.

Unlike ‘hadretak’, I still use ‘afandem’ to this day actually, sometimes sarcastically as a question. It’s like a response to hearing something strange, stupid or ridiculous. Like “what?!, huh?!”. I also kiss women
s hands and tip my hat to them. Uhu.  



Outside of the realm of police, military, governmental institutions and large organisations you don’t hear afandem or ya fandem much nowadays, certainly not here in Dahab among the Bedouins. The formal Turkish word didn’t make it to Sinai it seems. 


So as we have seen in the list, terms and their usage indeed develop with time and among different cultures. Many words have more than one meaning and may mean different things depending on context. Language, Ladies and Gentlemen, is alive, constantly changing and evolving according to the demands of each era. This also makes it elusive; beautiful yet also limiting. I still absolutely love it, or them more likely.

And the Egyptian Arabic language is no different. Some word almost disappear, which will follow in a coming article, others stick around while also shape-shifting to include different meanings. I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed conjuring.  



سلام  Peace
 
 
 
ALSO VIEW: 
 
 
 
From Hebrew ‘Tzedakah’ to Arabic ‘Sadaqah’: A Linguistic Tale of Origin of Charity and Righteous Giving in Judaism and Islam

From English as a Third Language to Author — How I Expanded My Vocabulary

1920s Egypt in Colours

OLS Reflections — الطبعة العربية المرحة

احذروا التقليد عند الشراء — ظاهرة الحشيش المخلوط في مصر

رحلة عبر التاريخ مع الدكتور عبدالفتاح البيطاش: واحة باريس وتفشي الملاريا في الأربعينات

الدكتور الذي بَرَعَ في إنقاذ حياتين سنة ١٩٥٦

التنافر المعرفي — Cognitive Dissonance

ظاهرة إستري نفسك و ريحيها 

Nena Ya Nena: a Bilingual Duet with Vaya Con Dios — نينا يا نينا: ثنائي ثنائي اللغة مع ڤيا كون ديوس



The Letter That Hit Me In The Feels
 
 
 
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Tuesday 28 May 2024

Words I Made Up — The Twentieth



 
Words I Made Up — The Twentieth by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

The Words I Made Up series first saw the light in September 2015. And just like the OLS Reflections, I had absolutely no idea it will last for almost a decade and counting.

As mentioned in the first list-article, ... My thoughts are often invaded by new single words. Sometimes I wake up with one in my head, such as ‘Jalapeñonated’. Other times, it’s while meditating, showering, reading, or just relaxing.

Knowing that language is beautiful yet elusive and limiting, the trilingual logo-lexophile in me now finds exquisite joy to give the made-up words proper definitions. For perhaps someday they could be used in appropriate situations — even make it to dictionaries and thesauruses. Who knows. Because, when you think about it, one way or another all words are made up. So maybe we should play around with language.
...”

Jalapeñonated’ was later defined as: Being so assertive and dogmatic in one’s opinions that your face turns red and you start sweating and tearing. Yeah, pfff.


The following are the most recent neologisms, reaching 200 babies in total, which will soon be compiled into
one hilariously absurd, ridiculously silly book:   


 
• On the lamb: Running away, especially from police, by riding on the back of a young sheep.



Exaspiration: Feeling of intense irritation or annoyance due to the end of ones life. 



Crag: A stoned rocker who brags till they become a drag.  



Lipelule: A pill-popping French dragonfly.
  


Acanemia: Condition that develops in hard-working scholars when blood produces a lower-than-normal amount of healthy red blood cells.



Limsp: Hobbling in one’s walk and talk.



Cellsius: Scale of temperature inside prison.
 
 

Starewell: Long, vertical passage in a building around which a set of stairs is built that could only be used when one fixedly gazes at it. 
 

 
Embark: When dogs go on board a ship or aircraft.  



Manga cum load: To graduate, with a great bang, with a degree in Japanese comics, cartoons, and animations.



ALSO VIEW:

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Tuesday 21 May 2024

OLS Reflections 80 — The Flamboyantly Unfun Ones



OLS Reflections 80 — The Flamboyantly Unfun Ones by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

When the OLS Reflections series was first incepted in 2014 I had absolutely no idea that it will carry on for ten years and counting. As mentioned in the very first list-article,
I will try to arrange them by topic, but probably they will be grouped according to how serious/less serious they are”. Eventually by the third article, OLS Reflections Tre — The Mildly Unfun Ones, the humorous Unfun sub-category came to being. Today there are over 20 out of the total 80 here on One Lucky Soul, amounting to 200 ha-has to lighten up your existence along with 600 more serious reflections.
 
Another idea proposed in the first article is that I might add the topics in the label à la Goodreads. While this proved to be somewhat impractical, more than 130 of the OLS Reflections actually made it to Goodreads as quotes. One day they shall all be compiled into a book or two. Onward Forward. 

Now let us see whats in store this time.


• Whenever seeing a grown-ass adult drinking milk with their dinner — or lunch — I’m always tempted to burp out loud. By ‘see’ I mean in a movie or something, because I don’t know any serial killers.



• Talking to yourself is perfectly normal. Answering back is a different story.




• “Are you more into Dostoevsky or Bukawski?”, he smugly asked — trying to show off his literary knowledge.

“Uhm, well I snowboarded once. But I’m more of a rollerblades person myself” was the reply.



• Somewhere there is a rat feeling stuck in a routine, pointlessly competitive, self-defeating work-life existence and is blaming it all on the “Human Race”.




Whenever someone throws a tantrum I usually duck. Other times I goose. Not to crow, but I never quail or chicken out from such fowl play.



Regular massages tend to keep you fit. I don’t know about you, but if am going to get naked around someone, I want to be looking at least presentable... if not somewhat hot. 



“Iran in the morning, then Iraq in the afternoon.”
— Persistently, Americans who don’t say (Eye-)taly



Next time you hear someone confidently ascertain “Everything happens for a reason” just slap their face. When they ask why you have done so, act bewildered and confess that you have no idea. “Must be part of The Plan. You should know though. Aren’t mindless, irritating, thought-terminating platitudes your special department?” could then follow. 



I want to make viral social media videos so I’m buying a car. Where else can one record themselves talking to a screen?

*Remember this trend? Yeah, it was everywhere two/three years ago, which explains how the above 
— among others — was recently salvaged from the 2740 pages long (898,164 words) Reflection file on Pages simply by going up. But those peeps still exist, so I still have to get that car.



Whoever is freaking out about Artificial Intelligence has not fully considered the inconceivably impregnable power of Natural Stupidity.


OLS Reflections 80 — The Flamboyantly Unfun Ones by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
Un reflet من غير ليه


ALSO VIEW:
 

OLS Reflections Sixty-Six — The Outrageously Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections 64 — The Dangerously Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections Sessantadue — The Scandalously Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections 60 — The Sensationally Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections 五十八 — The Shamelessly Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections Fifty-Six — The Notoriously Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections Dreiundfünfzig — The Playfully Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections Cinquante-et-Un — The Corruptly Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections 36 — الطبعة العربية المرحة


OLS Reflections Treinta y Seis — The Wickedly Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections — Facebook Edition

OLS Reflections — Facebook Edition Deux

OLS Reflections ثمانية وعشرون — The Tranquilisingly Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections पच्चीस — The Soothingly Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections Venti — The Quiescently Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections Siebzehn — The Peacefully Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections Quatorze — The Mitigatingly Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections Девять — The Pacifyingly Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections Seis — The Mollifyingly Unfun Ones

OLS Reflections Tre — The Mildly Unfun Ones



 

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Monday 13 May 2024

(H)ero



(H)ero by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul

The following two stanzas were conjured last night at around 2:30 am. Only that they were sung in my head in the style of a 1980s Run DMC rap tune — in terms of rhythm, lyricism, and speed of utterance. So I suggest you sing along while reading.


 He’s a go-getter 

From the get-go
Should have known better
Than Edgar Allan Poe
A real trend-setter
*(transcender)
What a mofo
Unchained his fetters
Now he can flow
Unwrite these letters
Stack ’em in a row

*
You may feel shattered

But that’s your ego
It keeps getting better
Through the high and low
You count, you matter
Like stars you glow
You’re still a mad hatter
Behold and lo
The former and the latter
O’ Oh what a show.

— Skuncle O

 
 
 
 
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Monday 11 March 2024

OLS Reflections Eighty



OLS Reflections Eighty by Omar Cherif, One Lucky Soul
 
The first list-article from the OLS Reflections series was published on 22 August 2014. Little did I know that it will last for ten years and counting. In it, I mention that the Pages Reflections file was 121 pages long and consisting of 38,998 words. A decade later today the same file is 2846 pages sporting 888,145 words — close to a million!

The series is comprised of reflections, introspections, observations, and philosophical poetry, as well as lessons learned through life experiences. There are also some thought-provoking questions and the occasional language-related joke or pun. Some 130 of them made it to Goodreads as quotes. Woot Woot.

I equally mention how the reflections may be grouped according to their level of seriousness. This eventually led to creating the humorous subcategory, the (un)fun sibling: OLS Reflections — The Unfun Ones, which for now makes up about 23 of the total 80 articles.

Links to the entire collection can be found below. Now Onward Forward: Here is the latest...

 
• Being alone tends to be feared by many as it’s widely regarded as the worst and scariest thing that could happen to one’s life. But it isn’t so. Lying to oneself is worse and scarier; because when done long enough people end up believing their own lies, failing to distinguish between the delusions and their actual inner truth. What follows, in the words of Fyodor Dostoevsky, is that “they lose respect for themselves and for others. And having no respect they cease to love”. A life without love then means bitter, alienating loneliness — especially with one’s own company and therefore also among others. That, my friends, is the real miserable tragedy.

Those
on the other hand who learn to value and cherish their solitude end up becoming a celestial force of nature. 



• The sun does not apologise for its vibrancy
Nor the wind for its gust
The moon does not feel guilty that its lunacy
Does not always appear perfectly full around the crust
Brother, forget the ‘should’ and the ‘must’
Do what thou wilt with love and self-trust
Stay true to thyself, shine on with beaming lust
Keep flowing and glowing like our ancestors, the primordial stardust.



• There is something absorbingly soothing about listening to the sound of rolling waves while welcoming the rising sun. It has this magical ability to wash our spirit clean from all troubles and conflicts. In actuality, every sunrise signifies a new beginning; whether to be the best version of ourselves, to lead a more conscious, empathetic, compassionate existence, or to stop suffering.

You see, the very possibility that we can go to bed one night to never ever wake up ought to be that one catalyst enticing us to enjoy life to the fullest. That is, today, in the present Here and Now. Simply because life has an expiration date and tomorrow may never come. One way to do so is to connect with Nature; to build a lasting relationship with it. For we ARE Nature. We only seem to temporarily forget it — due to the distractions of life. But truly, it is the sobering realisation of the inevitability of our own mortality that tends to lead to awakening. 

Shine On & On.



• Poetry is whispered magic for the listening hearts. As an art form, it uses language to alter consciousness — allowing us to transcend reality as we know it.



• When what you love doing in life requires a certain degree of solitude and seclusion, there is a high chance that at some point it becomes addictive. These are the activities that inherently make one glow while radiating unfiltered passion right out the core of their every nerve ending. The reason being is that this kind of inner — and outer — meditative peace of mind and soul is rarely ever found around others. The same goes for drama, or lack of it. For the creative person such a Flow State of being remains essential.

By embracing solitude with open arms you naturally come to know yourself better. Another reward for digging deep into oneself is coming to equally know that, somehow, you are everyone and everyone is you — the consciousness of mankind. Then you are never truly alone, even when you are. Echoing with what Mark Twain had succinctly worded. Fortunately, aloneness and loneliness remain two different things.

Get into yourself and you will discover wonders.  



• Make it a habit to every once in a while spend time with people over 80 and children below 10. The experience of seeing the world through their eyes tends to enrich our palette of perspectives. 




• Forgive. Because you deserve to set yourself free. However, it is not always about forgiving others or being forgiven by them. Sometimes to be able to carry on living we must learn to forgive ourselves — for not knowing what we didn’t know at a certain point in time. Forgiveness then tends to breed empathy, compassion, and eventually self-love. 



• The feeling of being loved, even by your own self, catalyses a certain joie de vivre. People then tend to become better versions of themselves. In return, it makes loving others a much more natural and empathetic process. Truly, learning how to love yourself is the ultimate gift to yourself as well as to the world.
 
You see, love will never cancel or annihilate hate. It just helps forging us in a way that allows us to live in a world where both exist and yet empowers us to choose love — every time.



• “It must be strange to be considered normal or ordinary. It must be absurd not to see through the absurdities of life. But what is normal, ordinary, or absurd anyway? Who gets to choose or define these societal concepts, as in according to who? And do normal, ordinary people seem normal and ordinary because they like to see themselves as such? Because they strive to fit it within the societal status-quo norm of their time and place, hence project the corresponding image of their seemingly acceptable, polished-up, edited-out persona unto the outside world? Is that why certain people feel included and represented while others excluded and marginalised?



• She dances with her demons
While her angels sing along
Wears her skin so boldly and beautifully
Juggling two rights with every wrong. 

 


ALSO VIEW:

OLS Reflections

OLS Reflections Deux

OLS Reflections Vier

OLS Reflections Khamsa

OLS Reeflections Yedi

OLS Reflections 八

OLS Reflections Ten

OLS Reflections Onze

OLS Reflections 13

OLS Reflections Quince

OLS Reflections Sixteen

OLS Reflections Dix-Huit

OLS Reflections تسعة عشر

OLS Reflections Veinte Uno

OLS Reflections 22

OLS Reflections Dreiundzwanzig

OLS Reflections Twenty-Four

OLS Reflections Vingt-Six

OLS Reflections Ventisette

OLS Reflections Veintinueve
 
OLS Reflections 30

OLS Reflections Einunddreißig

OLS Reflections  إثنان وثلاثون

OLS Reflections Thirty-Three

OLS Reflections Trentaquattro

OLS Reflections 37

OLS Reflections Trente-Neuf

OLS Reflections Forty  

OLS Reflections Einundvierzig

OLS Reflections — The Spiritual Edition 

OLS Reflections Cuarenta y Cuatro

OLS Reflections 45

OLS Reflections Quarantasette

OLS Reflections — The Unpublished Edition

OLS Reflections Forty-Nine

OLS Reflections 50 

OLS Reflections Cincuenta y Dos

OLS Reflections Cinquantaquattro

OLS Reflections पचपन 

OLS Reflections 57

OLS Reflections Cinquante-Neuf
 

OLS Reflections Sesenta y Uno
 

OLS Reflections ثلاثة وستون 

OLS Reflections Soixante-Cinq

OLS Reflections 67

OLS Reflections Sixty-Eight 

OLS Reflections 69 
 
OLS Reflections Settanta­quattro
 
 
 
 
 
 
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