• الريحة ولا العدم (AKA 44)

The smell is better than nothing.

 

• طنجرة ولقت غطاها (AKA 53)

A pot that found its cover.

(Said of two people who are very similar, who understand each other, and who get along well).

– طنجرة   = pot

– لَقَى  = to find (note: in the present tesnse لاقَى، يلاقي  is used)

– غَطا، ج غُطي  = cover, lid

– غَطَّى، يْغَطّي  = to cover (up)

 

• زاد الطين بَلُّه (AKA 58)

He made the mud muddier.

(Said about omeone who makes a problem more complex.)

– زاد، يزيد  = to add; to be extra; to increase (intransitive)

– زيادة  = surplus; extra, too much

– طين  = clay

– بَلّ، يبِلّ  = to moisten, to wet

– مبلول  = wet, moist

– انبَلّ، ينبَلّ  = to get wet

 

• إلي بدُق ع الباب بسمع الجواب (AKA 61)

The one who knocks on the door hears the answer.

(Meaning the one who starts something will receive the appropriate consequences.)

– إلي  = Fuṣḥā الذي

– دَقّ، يْدُقّ  = to knock, to bang; (Lebanese/Syrian: to ring, to call up)

– دَقْدَق  = to knock (repeatedly), to hammer 

– دَقيق  = fine, delicate; precise

 

• بُوكُل من عَرَق جبينه  (AKA 71)

He eats from the sweat of his forehead.

(He works hard and does not depend on others)

– أَكَل، ياكُل / يوكُل  (akala, yākul / yōkul) = to eat

– عَرَق  = to sweat

– عِرِق / يِعرَق  = to sweat

– جبين  = forehead

– جَبان  = coward

– جُبُ  = cowardice

– جِبنة  = cheese

 

• برَقْبَته خَمِس أولاد (AKA 71)

He has five children around his neck.

(He supports and is responsible for a big family.)

– رَقَبات or رقبة ج رقاب  = neck

– رقابة  = supervision, censorship

– راقب، يراقِب  = to observe, supervise

 

• هو بالع راديو (AKA 73)

He swallowed a radio.

(He is extremely talkative.)

– بَلَع، يِبلَع  = to swallow

– بَلّوعَة  = sewer

 

• بَصَلْته محروقه (AKA 73)

His onion is burnt.

(He is always in a hurry.)

– بَصَل  = onion (collective noun)

– بَصَلِة  = one/an onion

– محروق  = burned

– حَرَق، يحْرُق  = to burn

– حَريق  = fire

– اْنحَرَق، يِنِحرِق  = to get burned

 

• وَدّيه ع البَحَر بِنَشْفه (AKA 75)

Take him to the sea – he will dry it.

(He is clumsy or believed to be jinxed.)

– ودّى، يودّي  = to bring, to take

– ع  = Fuṣḥā  على (meaning “to”, when in Fuṣḥā usually إلى  would be used)

– نشّف، ينشّف  = to dry (both transitive and intransitive), to dry up

– نِشِف، ينشَف  = to become try

– نَاشِف  = dry

–  بِنَشْفه (binashfo) = Fuṣḥā ينشفه  (yanashshifuhu) – note: 1. it is not “byinashfo” as you might expect (like in “byit‘allim”) because after the first consonant after the “b” there is a vowel. If that’s the case the “y” is omitted (in most dialects). 2. it is not “binashshifo” because the syllable structure is as follows: “bi-nash-shi-fo”. Since the i in -shi- is in an “open” syllable (meaning there is no consonant at the end) it is dropped so that you get “bi-nash(sh)fo”

 

• بخاف من خَياله (AKA 77)

He fears his own shadow.

–  خَيال  = shadow; fantasy, imagination

– خايل، يخَايِل  = to be see-through

– تْخَيَّل، يِتخَيَّل  = to imagine

 

• لِعِب الفار بِعِبّه (AKA 77)

The mouse played in his chest.

(He is making plans that he has not told anyone yet.)

– فار  = Fuṣḥā فأر  (most hamzas are elided in ‘āmmiyya)

–  عِبّ  = breast pocket, bosom

 

• عَظْمه ذَهَب (AKA 78)

His bones are gold.

(He is rich and lives a luxurious lifestyle.)

– عَضمِة / عضم، ج اِعضَام  = bone

 

• يوم عسل ويوم بصل (AKA 93)

One day (life gives you) honey, one day onions.

– يوم  = note the pronunciation “yōm” instead of Fuṣḥā “yawm”

 

• إلي بخاف من الله لا تخاف منه (AKA 94)

The one who fears God, don’t fear him.

 

• كثر الشد بيرخي (AKA 95)

Lots of tightening up makes it loose.

(Meaning if you are too strict or harsh, you invite rebellion and opposition)

– شَدّ، يْشِدّ  = to tighten, fasten; to pull; to be strict, tough

– شَدّة  = cards

– شِدّة  = strength, force, severity

– شَديد  = severe, strict, harsh

– شدّد، يشدّد  = to be strict; to emphasize

– رَخَّى، يْرَخّي = to loosen, to relax

– رَخُو  = soft, loose, runny 

– ارتَخَى، يِرتِخي  = to relax, become loose

– اْسْتَرَخَّى  = to slacken

 

• ياريت طلبنا مليون دينار (AKA 99)

I wish we requested for a million dinar!

(Said when you mention someone and he appears.)

– ياريت  = I wish (from Fuṣḥā يا ليت )

 

• إذا ما خرْبت ما بتعمر (AKA 99)

If not destroyed, it will not be rebuilt.

– خِرِب، يِخرَب  = to be destroyed, ruined

– خَرَب، يِخرِب  = to destroy

 

• يا طُخّه يا إكسر مُخّه

Either shoot him/it or crush his/its brain.

(There is no other way to deal with the issue)

– طَخّ، ج يطُخّ  = to shoot

 

 

Source:

AKA = Ahmad Kamal Azban. Diwan Baladna – The Unprecedented Spoken Arabic Dictionary. 2010