# I need an Arabic pejorative ....



## aj47 (Dec 1, 2017)

Looking for a word in Arabic that you would call someone when you're talking about them, not to them or at them.

My Jewish neighbor would say, "some poor *schmuck* working the night shift," but that's not the word this character would use.  Anyone know enough idiomatic Arabic?


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## Jack of all trades (Dec 2, 2017)

Abid?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abeed


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## VonBradstein (Dec 2, 2017)

The word 'hmar' means literally 'donkey' in Lebanese Arabic and is used widely in Lebanon as a word for idiot.

What country specifically? Arabic is not a homogeneous language and varies widely, just as British slang differs from American. There is a high degree of mutual intelligibility but in terms of slang it is much more regionalized.

I spent a year living in the UAE and learned some Arabic. A pretty universal pejorative is to call somebody a son/daughter of a *insert bad (usually anti-Islamic) thing* However that may be a lot harsher than what you are looking for since 'schmuck' is relatively mild.


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## aj47 (Dec 2, 2017)

He's a genie, so I don't know what country he's from.


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## VonBradstein (Dec 2, 2017)

astroannie said:


> He's a genie, so I don't know what country he's from.



Ah, probably something from the Arabian peninsular then - that’s where Aladdin is set anyway.

“Jerboa” is a common one I heard in the UAE. It’s like a desert mouse but school kids used it as a pejorative. Not 100% sure how appropriate it is for your character but it’s relatively mild.


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## Darren White (Dec 2, 2017)

Well, that is a far too vague question, as others have already said. I am a native Egyptian, there are so many weird words and expressions  in every country, although they all use a variation of Modern Standard Arabic....

So....... how about 'mutt' = 'mughafil'  ?
Would you like that?


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## aj47 (Dec 2, 2017)

ah, nevermind, I'll use English and say "sucker"


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## velo (Jan 19, 2018)

Sharmoot!


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