u/buch0n

Anyone else annoyed by trains stopping traffic in Riverside? I swear whenever there is a train, it stops traffic for like half an hour. I hate it so much.

We usually hear that Egyptian Arabic is the most widely understood of Arabic dialects. This is mostly true due to the spread of Egyptian media. However, I've found that there are a lot of Egyptian slang words that many Arabs outside of Egypt DON'T understand. Every Arab will understand commonly used Egyptian phrases like "izzayyek, 3amel eih?" But that doesn't mean all Arabs understand Egyptian slang 100%.

For example, I was speaking to a Lebanese friend and I used the word صايع. He had no idea what I meant. This word has a lot of meanings ranging from someone who has game or someone who is a thug. Another example (which I've posted about in the past), is فرس which literally means "horse," but is sometimes used to refer to beautiful women in Egypt (like baddie, hottie, etc.). However, this sounds incredibly weird to many Arabs outside of Egypt. Other Egyptian words I've come across which other Arabs may not readily understand include: مكحكح which means old, and مزمزق which means happy.

There are also words that are used by urban youth which are not understood by all Egyptians. One example is طرش which literally means deaf, but means cool in Egyptian youth slang. I have seen multiple Egyptian shows and movies where younger characters use this word, and older Egyptians are just confused. There is also a whole layer of street slang used in mahraganat songs, which can be hard for many Egyptians to understand.

What are some other examples of Egyptian slang that Arabs outside of Egypt may struggle with?

Note: I am not Egyptian or Arab, but I feel like mastering real Egyptian slang is the final boss of dialect learning!

Can someone explain why people are mad that Bulin 47 collaborated with a Haitian artist? I know there's some beef between Dominican Republic and Haiti, but I'm not sure about the details. Is it about racism / anti-blackness? I would love a fuller explanation. Thanks!

I was watching a Moroccan comedy video about migration to Spain, and one character said, "Dir rasak nasrani." (lit. make your head Christian). He was basically telling the other character, "Act European."

I know Nasrani means Christian in Classical Arabic. However, I am wondering if this word is used generally to refer to Europeans/ Westerners in Maghrebi Arabic? Do any other dialects do this?

Edit: this question is not about what to call Christians in Arabic, but rather the word for Westerners in Moroccan Darija.

I know Arabic has many words for shoes across different dialects: 7idha' (MSA), gazma (Egyptian), kendara (Levantine), sbat (Maghrebi), etc. I just learned sbardila refers to sneakers in Morocco. I learned the word kendara from a Lebanese TV show. However, when I used kendara with a Lebanese friend, he said he never heard that word and said he uses sbat instead.

What do you call shoes in your dialect/ country? If you are from the Levant, do you use kendara or a different word? What do you call shoes in Gulf countries and Iraq? What about dialects spoken in other Arabic-speaking African countries (Sudan, Mauritania, Chad, Tunis, Libya, Algeria, etc.)?

Hi all, what's the best place for kebab wraps in OC (near Anaheim/ Little Arabia)? I am looking for something similar to Baba's Kebab in LA Chinatown (Turkish street-style, cooked over an open-flame grill). Is there anything similar in OC? Thanks!