How to Insult Your Friends in Egyptian Arabic, Part 2 : Cheapness

Introduction

Last week we covered insulting your friends for their laziness.

This week we are moving on to Part 2 : Cheapness.

Everybody hates a stifler for money. Ir’s even worse when that stifler happens to be your friend, and refuses to buy you coffee even once.

Thank God for insults!

Vocabulary

Let’s start with the necessary words you need to talk about this subject:

Money : “FuLOOS”

فلوس

Fun fact: this is one of the first words that made me realize just how different Standard Arabic is from Egyptian.

Cheap : “BawKHEEL”

بخيل

This is not exactly an insult. Instead, it means “stingy” or “skimpy.”

Add a tamrubootuh (ة) at the end to feminize it.

Cheap : “GEHLda”

جلدة

This word actually means a piece of leather or a piece of skin.

Um, yeah. Don’t ask us why, but it means a very cheap person.

This one is used for both males and females as it is, and is more “extreme” than “bawkheel.”

Cheap : EEhuh (e7a)

ايحة

A weird and uncommon (maybe also old) way to say cheap.

Not everyone will use it, but pretty much everyone will understand.

Jew : “YaHOOdee”

يهودي

No comment. You can figure this one out on your own.

Menofian : “MeNOOfee”

منوفي

This word means someone who is from El Monofya.

The format shouldn’t surprise you after our “introduction” post, though.

https://cleolingo.com/how-to-introduce-yourself-without-crying/

El Monofya is one of the 27 governates that is located in the Nile Delta.

Even Monofya people admit that they’re cheap!

Some typical things your cheap friends might say:

I’m broke. : “Ana muhFEHliss.”

.انا مفلس

I’m saving up. : “Ana buhHOWwish.”

.انا بحوش

I have no money. : “Ana mawAYsh fuhLOOs.”

.انا معيش فلوس

Often, like a lot of languages, Egyptian Arabic will omit the pronoun.

Here you technically hear “Have no money,” but it’s understood as “I have no money” because of the conjugation.

Something to keep in mind.

Do you have money? : “MAW’uck fuhLOOS?”

معاك فلوس؟

Get some of what is under the tile (literal). : “Talaa’ men eluh TAWHT el buhLAWta”

.طلع من اللي تحت البلاطة

You can use this when a cheap person finally pays for something!

It means that he finally took some of what he was hiding under the tiles (or the floor).

Alternatively, you could use this when you are actually telling that cheap person that he has to pay, that you are not taking “I have no money” as an excuse, and that he should go search under the tile for whatever money he has hidden.

Good stuff.

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A parting note: Cairo isn’t a rich city, and the people of Egypt often have little money.

Make sure you are using these insults to describe a friend who can actually buy shit, but chooses not to. These are the times when you should (good-heartedly) tell the world about his or her cheapness.

Some people, on the other hand, can’t afford any luxuries at all.

Buy them coffee instead. 🙂

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Happy learning,

Cleo Lingo