شختوره (Shakhtoora)
What does شختوره (Shakhtoora) mean? شختوره (Shakhtoora) is a Arabic moderate that translates to “old hag / ugly woman / jalopy (for a woman)” in English.
Literal Translation
old boat / barge (Lebanese slang)
Meaning & Usage
"old hag / ugly woman / jalopy (for a woman)"
Literally an old, battered boat — Lebanese slang for an unattractive, run-down looking woman. The marine metaphor is quintessentially Beiruti: a shakhtoora is a woman who's let herself go, who looks worn out, who's past her prime. It's cruel body-shaming wrapped in nautical imagery, and it's one of those insults that sounds almost affectionate because of how ridiculous it is.
Examples in the Wild
شو هالشختورة هاي، والله ما بتنعرف! (Shou hal shakhtoora hay, wallah ma btn'aref! - What a boat this one is, God I can't even recognize her!) — Cruel gossip about someone's appearance.
Regional Variations
Well-known Beiruti slang
Not understood outside Lebanon/Syria
When to Use It
Context
- Casual conversations with friends
- Informal settings where profanity is accepted
- Direct confrontation (use with caution)
Avoid
- Professional or formal settings
- Job interviews, meetings, or customer-facing situations
Cultural Context
This is hyper-local Lebanese slang — most non-Lebanese Arabs won't know it. It emerges from Beirut's port culture and the Levantine tradition of creative metaphorical insults. Lebanese Arabic is famous among Arabic dialects for its inventive, almost poetic profanity. 'Shakhtoora' is the kind of word a Beiruti hairdresser uses about a client who walked in looking terrible, or that catty friends use about someone at a party. It's sexist and ageist but it's also undeniably creative — you can't help but smile at calling someone a boat.
More in Arabic 🇸🇦
View all →شرموطة (Sharmouta)
“bitch / whore / slut”
A highly offensive term for a woman, implying she is a prostitute or extremely promiscuous.
زبي (Zubbi)
“my dick / fuck off / I don't care”
The Arabic word for penis in its possessive form — 'my dick.' Functions identically to 'dick' in English: anatomical term, exclamation of frustration, and dismissal all in one. 'Zubbi feek' (my dick in you) is the standard Levantine escalation. On its own, 'zubbi!' is what you shout when you stub your toe or your team concedes a goal.
كس أمك (Kus ummak)
“motherfucker / fuck you”
Considered one of the most offensive Arabic swear words. It directly attacks a person's mother, which is the ultimate violation of family honor.
كلب ابن كلب (Kalb ibn kalb)
“son of a bitch squared / absolute scum”
Doubling down on the dog insult — you're not just a dog, your father was also a dog. It's the Arabic technique of compounding insults for emphasis: if kalb is bad and ibn el kalb (already in seed) is worse, kalb ibn kalb is the full lineage attack. Your entire family tree is canine. No human was involved at any point.
منيّك (Mnayyak)
“fucker / dickhead / asshole”
From the root 'n-y-k' (to fuck), 'mnayyak' is the active participle — 'one who fucks' — but used as a general-purpose insult meaning 'asshole' or 'fucker.' Despite its sexual etymology, it's used so broadly in Levantine Arabic that it's become almost a generic intensifier. 'El mnayyak dah' (this fucker) can refer to a broken pipe, a bad boss, or a traffic jam.
تلحس طيزي (Telhas teeze)
“kiss my ass”
A vulgar phrase of strong dismissal and disrespect.
عرص (Ars)
“pimp / scumbag / bastard”
An insult implying a man is a pimp, or worse, someone who pimps out his own female relatives (a cuckold with no honor).
ابن المتناكة (Ibn el metnaaka)
“son of a whore / motherfucker”
Your mother has been fucked — not by your father through marriage, but indiscriminately. 'Metnaaka' is the feminine passive participle of 'naak' (to fuck), so it literally means 'a woman who has been fucked.' The insult says your mother's defining characteristic is having been sexually used.