Tag Archives: saying

“I stopped sleeping on your lap”… “You saved me from your farts.” – Arabic Saying and Comeback

Nationality: Jordanian
Age: 41
Occupation: Accounting Manager
Residence: Yorba Linda
Performance Date: 5/3/2021
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English, French

Context:

She learned it from her grandma in Jordan, when she was around 7 or 8. The first time she heard it was when her grandma asked her if she wanted to sleep over, to which she said that she had to go home. Her grandma then said “Rayahtni min fsak” (“You saved me from your farts”).

Text:

Original Script: بطلت انام بحضنك… ريحتني من فساك

Transliteration: Battalt anam bi hodnak… Rayahtni min fsak

Translation: I stopped sleeping on your lap… You saved me from your farts

Thoughts:

I found this saying-response pair really funny, since not many people think of how often children fart while sitting on an adult’s lap. The first part (“Battalt anam bi hodnak”) sounds like it could be swapped out with any declaration of independence that would make the other person upset. The second part (“Rayahtni min fsak”) is a witty response to the declaration that essentially means “You were a burden to me.” The humor of the response makes it easier for the message to get across without sounding rude, since independence can be a touchy subject in a culture where families are tight-knit.

“Your mother-in-law loves you” – Arabic Saying

Nationality: Jordanian
Age: 51
Occupation: Small Business Owner
Residence: Long Beach
Performance Date: 5/3/2021
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English, French

Context:

He “heard it from almost everyone [he] knew when [he] was a kid” in Jordan. You would say this “to someone who is lucky enough to show up just in time to share the food of the people he’s visiting.”

Text:

Original Script: حماتك بتحبّك

Transliteration: Hamatak but-hibbak

Translation: Your mother-in-law loves you

Thoughts:

I did not understand the saying until I realized that the only way for it to make sense was if Arab mothers-in-law rarely like their children-in-law. I find this quite odd, since it goes against the general tendency of Arab families to be tight-knit. After that realization, I was able to connect the saying and its meaning. Generally, Arab families like to eat together, and tend to prepare more than enough food, so if someone is lucky enough to visit someone as they are eating, they are likely to have some with the family. The comparison is that the luck of someone that shows up coincidentally at mealtime is as lucky as one who is loved by their mother-in-law.

“Wipe it on my beard” – Arabic Saying

Nationality: Jordanian
Age: 51
Occupation: Small Business Owner
Residence: Long Beach
Performance Date: 5/3/2021
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English, French

Context:

He heard it a few times when he was a teenager in Jordan. According to him, someone trying to “break up the fight or reconcile the parties” would use this saying to calm the people down.

Text:

Original Script: امسحها بلحيتي

Transliteration: Imsa-ha bi lihiti

Translation: Wipe it on my beard

Thoughts:

This saying intrigues me because it does not sound like anything meaningful at first, but it starts making some sense when given some thought. The mediator, by telling the two people/groups to “wipe it on [his] beard,” is saying to leave their grievance there with him. When you wipe dirt from your hand onto another surface, the dirt is no longer on your hand, and it stays on the wall. The fact that there is saying for this shows that Arabs, like many people, commonly act as mediators.

“Is there a worm in your butt?” – Arabic Saying

Nationality: Jordanian
Age: 41
Occupation: Accounting Manager
Residence: Yorba Linda
Performance Date: 5/3/2021
Primary Language: Arabic
Language: English, French

Context:

She heard it a lot in her childhood from her aunts when she was in Jordan. If someone is restless, and can’t sit still, they would ask that person, “Fi doodeh bi teezak?”

Text:

Original Script: في دودة بطيزك؟

Transliteration: Fi doodeh b-teezak?

Literal Translation: Is there worm in your butt?

Smooth Translation: Is there a worm in your butt?

Thoughts:

This was a saying I heard when I was a kid, and I still find it funny to this day; it has the listener imagine someone unable to sit still because of the discomfort of having a worm in their butt. Because that situation would be considered abnormal, and it is being compared to a person who can’t sit still, the saying implies that Arabs see it abnormal for someone to not sit still and rest.

NO SLOW FRIENDS ON A POWDER DAY

Nationality: American
Age: 52
Occupation: Sales representative and finisher for wood-flooring company
Residence: Vail, CO
Performance Date: April 18, 2021
Primary Language: English

MAIN PIECE: 

Informant: So one thing is like… “No slow friends on a powder day.” Which is just a way to say that you’re like picky with who you ski with when there’s powder, you know? Like you don’t wanna have to be responsible for someone slow on a powder day. You don’t wanna miss out on the fresh tracks. 

INFORMANT’S RELATIONSHIP TO THE PIECE:

Informant: It’s the weirdest thing but, other than your mom, I don’t need to ski with anyone else. ‘Cause I like to go at my tempo which is probably more than other people want to do, you know? Like I’m… You let the monkey out of the cage on a powder day.

Interviewer: Why powder days specifically?

Informant: It’s just… It’s like the ultimate… For me it’s a huge part of why I live in the mountains and what I look forward to. I have certain areas nailed and I know exactly where I’m going and it’s just a little hidden area of paradise that, you know, ninety percent of people don’t know about. And you’re skiing it on a good powder day and it’s just amazing… The sensation of skiing untracked powder is one of the biggest lifts for me.

REFLECTION:

Being from a ski town, I can attest to the fact that, amongst avid skiers, there is a deep enthusiasm for powder days. People will wake up incredibly early––before the mountain has even opened––so they can be first in line at the chairlift and ski “first tracks” or “freshies” (areas that haven’t been skied yet, and so are still covered in fresh snow). Going alone or with a group that skis at your pace ensures you have a better shot at getting to those areas before anyone else skis them up, disrupting the powder. Proverbs are ways to pass on wisdom and give advice. This proverb is a way to advise others not to ski with someone slow, as they will then have to wait for that person and risk missing out on untracked snow. Proverbs also make it easier to say harsh things. If someone wants to ski with you on a powder day, you can use this proverb to express that you’d like to ski alone.