How to say "idle talk, tall tales (Arabic) → nonsense, baloney (Israeli slang)" in Arabic
LoanwordMeaningidle talk, tall tales (Arabic) → nonsense, baloney (Israeli slang)
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
خَرْط
kharṭח'רט
خرط
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
חרטה
khartaخَارْتَا
How the two words are related
Loanword
Borrowed between the languages (or by both from a third).
Arabic root
خ-ر-طkharaṭa is to turn wood on a lathe — and, colloquially, to spin stories out of thin air. The Levantine kharṭa, one serving of hot air, became Hebrew חרטה, later doubled for emphasis into חרטה-ברטה.
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On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Levantine · Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria
خَرْطَة
kharṭaח'רטהA single instance of kharṭ — the form Hebrew borrowed.
In a phrase
هٰذَا الْكَلَام خَرْط
hādhā l-kalām kharṭהאד'א אל-כלאם ח'רטthis talk is nonsense
More words from this root
More in Arabic You Already Speak
- 'as you please' (Arabic) → terrific, tip-top (Israeli slang על הכיפאק)ʿalā kayfikaعَلَى كَيْفِكَעל הכיפאק
- oh my darling (Arabic) → buddy!, wow! (Israeli slang exclamation)yā ḥabībīيَا حَبِيبِيיא חביבי
- fool, dimwit (Arabic and Israeli slang)ahbalأَهْبَلאהבל
- five (Arabic) → the hand-shaped amulet (Israeli usage)khamsaخَمْسَةחמסה
- failure (Arabic) → screw-up, botch (Israeli slang)fashalفَشَلפשלה
- broke, penniless (colloquial Arabic and Israeli slang)ṭafrānطَفْرَانתפרן
All Arabic You Already Speak words Explore all root families