Weighty questions (light + heavy)

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You probably already know the words تقيل and خفيف in their literal senses, along with their plural forms. You’ve probably also heard at least some of the various verbs derived from them, or could guess at them based on our handy guide to causatives.  You might not know, however, that calling someone ‘heavy’ is more likely to be a comment on how they deal with potential suitors than their actual weight. For this and more metaphors and expressions of similar weighty importance, have a look at this post.

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تقيل تقال t2iil t2aal ‘heavy’, also metaphorically ‘coy, playing hard to get’

تقل té2@l (tu2el) ‘heaviness’

تقيل عليك t2iil 3aleek ‘too heavy for you’

تقل يتقل té2el yét2al ‘get heavy(ier)’

تقلان ta2laan ‘having got heavier’ [participle of the above]

تقل ta22al ‘make heavier, heavy, go heavy on’

تقل حالو ta22al 7aalo ‘play hard to get, be a bit reserved’

تقّل بالعشا ta22al bil3asha ‘eat too much at dinner’

دمو تقيل dammo t2iil ‘he’s annoying, has a bad personality’

تقّل دم ta22al damm ‘to be annoying’

حكي تقيل ‭7‪‭aki t2iil ‘harsh/serious/indelicate language’

اكل تقيل ‭2akal @t2iil ‘heavy, stodgy food’

تقل حكي ta22al 7aki ‘go too far, be too harsh’

تقل العيار ta22al lé3yaar ‘raise the stakes, make something more serious’ [= make the standard heavier]

تقل العيار té2el lé3yaar ‘the stakes have got bigger, it’s got more serious’ [= the standard got heavier]

لهجة تقيلة lahje t2iile ‘a strong accent’

لسانو تقيل lsaano t2iil ‘his [often non-native] accent is strong, he can’t talk normally’

لغتك تقلانة شوي lughatak ta2laane shwayy ‘your [Arabic]’s got a bit worse’

خفيف خفاف khafiif khfaaf ‘light’

خف يخف khaff ykhiff ‘get light(er)’

خافف khaafef ‘having got lighter’ [= participle of the above]

ايدو خفيفة ‭2iido khafiife ‘he’s quick(-handed)’, ‘he’s dextrous’

خف ايدك, رجلك khéff 2iidak, khéff réjlak (ijrak) ‘hurry up!’

اكل خفيف ‭2ak@l khafiif ‘snack food’

نام ع الخفيف naam 3alkhafiif ‘go to sleep hungry, without eating [much]’

خف علينا khéff 3aleena ‘go easy[ier] on us’

سكر خفيف sékkar khafiif ‘not much sugar’

شعر خفيف sha3@r khafiif ‘thin, fine hair’

شغل خفيف shégh@l khafiif ‘light, easy work’, ‘not much work’

خفّف سكر, دخان khaffaf sékkar, dékhkhaan ‘cut down on sugar, cigarettes’

خففلي شعراتي من ورا khaffafli sha3raati mén wara ‘he thinned out/trimmed the hair on the back of my head’ [=  he lightened me my hairs from behind]

دمو خفيف dammo khafiif ‘he’s easy to get on with, nice to be around’

خفف دم khaffaf damm ‘have fun, be fun’