Egyptian Arabic

Noun

بَلْطَجِى • ‎(balṭági) m ‎(plural بَلْطَجِيَّة ‎(balṭagíyya))

1. thug, gangster, hoodlum, goon, hooligan

   ده لازم يتحاكم .. البلطجى ده ,الولد اللى اتقتل ده ذنبه ايه ؟! بجد والله شئ محزن.

   da lā́zim yitḥā́kim .. il-balṭági da, il-wálad ílli tʾátal da zámb-u ʾēh?! bi-gad walláhi šēʾ múḥzin.

   He must be prosecuted .. that thug, the boy that was killed what did he do wrong?! I swear this is something really saddening.

   من داخلية مصر لداخلية السودان مفرقناش كتير كلهم شوية بلطجية.

   min daxlíyyit maṣrⁱ li-daxlíyyit is-sudā́n mafarraʾnā́š kitī́r kull-úhum šiwáyyit balṭagíyya.

   From the Egyptian police to the Sudanese police there isn't much of a distinction all of them are a bunch of thugs.

2. bully

   لازم نحرس منه دا واد بلطجى.

   lā́zim niḥárras minnu da wād balṭági.

   We must watch for him, that kid is a bully.

3. (obsolete, military) pioneer, sapper (a class of palace guards in the Ottoman Empire)

Synonyms

• بطحجى ‎(baṭáḥgi)
• شبيح ‎(šabbī́ḥ)
• صايع ‎(ṣā́yiʿ)

Derived terms

• بلطة ‎(bálṭa)
• بلطج ‎(bálṭag)
• بلطجة ‎(balṭága)