View of part of the Fujairah Corniche and the Hajar Mountains in the Background

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

English Idioms in the Emirates and Dubai Speak

Hannah Allam in her Middle East Diary has written a stimulating and humorous post entitled Dubai Speak.

You may have heard the terms ‘Emiratization’ and ‘The World’ but are you familiar with commonly spoken phrases in the UAE such as ‘visa hop’, ‘shag pad’ and ‘the hole’ (or in Fujairan phraseology ‘the hole in the wall’?

Extend your Emirates vocabulary and add to this commencement of a UAE dialect by checking out Hannah’s post.

Dr. Geoff Pound

Image: ‘Modhesh’ (‘amazing’ in Arabic) is one of Dubai’s overworked mascots.