Egyptians have always had a well founded reputation for putting their own unique twist on the Arabic language. And while all Arab countries have their own dialects, the amount of popular expressions and phrases Egyptians have invented – or reinvented – is unrivaled.
It's no surprise that the Arabic hashtag translating to "terms and expressions you can only find in Egypt" quickly went viral, trending on Twitter in Egypt on Monday.
The hashtag spread beyond Egypt as well, as many users from other Middle Eastern countries joined in, sharing the Egyptian expressions they've encountered and the hidden meanings behind them.
The results ranged from the absolutely hilarious to the utterly bizarre. If there's one thing that this hashtag has made clear though, it is that Egyptian Arabic is not just a dialect, it has become a language in its own right, worthy of its own decoding system.
Labeling senior citizens since ancient Egyptian times:
"The word 'Mekahkah', is impossible to find anywhere other than Egypt because it's a hieroglyphic term meaning old."
Only Egyptians can use the Arabic word for coughing and make it into an adjective to describe the elderly.
And wordplay that makes your head spin:
"We have to disturb the noise with more noise than its noise so it doesn't disturb us."
Yes, that's an actual expression. Because what better way to avoid noise than by being even more noisy?
Then there are hidden meanings for days:
"'Boss Hadretak' (Look, sir) = a professional scamming job through spinning around the point and sweet talking. 'Eshta Ya Mealem' (Cool) = I don't understand anything but I'll just go with it anyway."
Two old favorites decoded by a Kuwaiti.
And more days..
"'Ala had elmi' (as far as I know) means they will say something inaccurate, 'ma' ehterami' (with due respect) means they will give you no due respect whatsoever, 'besaraha' (honestly) means all the lies are about to be said."
Always answering a question with a question:
"When you're lost somewhere and you ask because you want an answer, you find them answering with the question: 'Homa alolak fen?' (Where did they tell you?)"
They obviously didn't tell them anything useful or else they wouldn't be lost in the first place, but Egyptians still have to open with that phrase.
And two opposite verbs can totally have the same meaning:
"I'll stand up to sit."
Translation: I'll just sit. Confused? Don't be! Literal translations can't work with Egyptian Arabic. You need a guidebook.
Time-saving tea invitations:
"Teshabshay?"
Translation: Would you like a cup of tea? Why not combine two perfectly fine words into one single term? It's a time saver.
And perhaps the most used Egyptian word ever:
"I looked for the word "ma'lesh" in all countries and I couldn't find it honestly."
Translation: It's alright, don't worry about it, but Egyptians can say all that with just one word!