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The Mukhtar's Dictionary · page 5

Doz bara
What does "ala doz bara" mean in Syrian Arabic?

Episode date: Length: 1 min 28 s Page published: · Last checked:

In Syrian markets some people pay cash and some buy on credit. Between the two lives an old phrase that came with the Ottomans and stayed with traders: "doz bara". Page five of the Mukhtar's Dictionary looks at where it comes from.

The short answer

"Doz bara" (also written "doz para") is a Syrian phrase of Turkish origin. It means paying the full amount, without missing even one para. "Doz" (Turkish düz) means straight or exact, and the para was the smallest Ottoman silver coin. Traders say "ala doz bara" when a price is paid in full, with no discount.

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What does doz bara mean?

In Syrian Arabic "doz bara" means the bill is exact, down to the last para. A seller would ask for his money in full and not accept even one para less. Some traders still say "ala doz bara" with this meaning.

Where does the phrase come from?

It is Turkish and made of two words. Düz means straight or exact, and para was the smallest silver coin used in Ottoman times. Together they mean: the account is right to the smallest coin.

How is it used in the market today?

Older traders still use it. It means paying the full price, usually in cash, with no discount and no instalments.

"I want to pay the full value, with no discount."A trader in the episode, explaining the phrase

Is anything still worth paying doz bara for?

That was the Mukhtar's question to traders. Their answer: it depends on the goods. Some rare, good goods are worth the full price; much of what is on display is not worth what is asked.

Questions people ask

What does doz bara mean?

It means paying the full amount, without missing even one para (the smallest Ottoman coin).

What does ala doz bara mean?

Traders say it when a price is paid in full, usually in cash, with no discount or instalments.

Is doz bara Turkish?

Yes. Düz means straight or exact, and para was the smallest Ottoman silver coin.

What was a para?

A small silver coin of the Ottoman Empire and the smallest unit of account, so it came to stand for the smallest possible amount.

We ask sellers in the market and record every price with its date, in US dollars and new Syrian pounds. How we work

The Mukhtar Al Souq team: produced by (the show on his site) · written by Ahmad Nahas, Mazen Shbib, Ranim Shabani and Dania Halbouni · edited by Abdulrahman Al-Nassar and Abdulrahman Mulla · graphics by Wael Fayyad