تفو عليك (Tfu aleik)

/tfu ʕæˈleɪk/exclamation, insult

What does تفو عليك (Tfu aleik) mean? تفو عليك (Tfu aleik) is a Arabic strong that translates to “I spit on you / you disgust me” in English.

I spit on you

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"I spit on you / you disgust me"

The verbal act of spitting on someone — 'tfu' is the onomatopoeia for spitting (like English 'ptooey'). Physical spitting at someone is one of the gravest insults in Arab culture; the verbal form carries much of that weight without the legal consequences of the physical act. It's pure, distilled contempt expressed in two syllables plus a direction.

تفو عليك، كيف بتحكي هيك عن أهلك! (Tfu aleik, keif btihki heik 'an ahlak! - I spit on you, how can you talk that way about your family!) — Expressing moral revulsion.