/nəˈθænjəl/
@nathanielbdemiller.bsky.social
Arabophone guinea pig in Colorado with a PhD who works on automatic speech recognition. Translating Arabic proverbs at https://bsky.app/profile/arabicproverbs.bsky.social
Reposted by /nəˈθænjəl/
No. 14
"The mother-in-law obsesses over the daughter-in-law and the daughter-in-law is obsessively resentful."
inna al-ḥamāta ʾuliʿat bi-l-kannah
wa-ʾuliʿat kannatuhā bi-l-ẓinnah
This one is pretty self-explanatory.
"The mother-in-law obsesses over the daughter-in-law and the daughter-in-law is obsessively resentful."
inna al-ḥamāta ʾuliʿat bi-l-kannah
wa-ʾuliʿat kannatuhā bi-l-ẓinnah
This one is pretty self-explanatory.
January 7, 2026 at 4:11 PM
No. 14
"The mother-in-law obsesses over the daughter-in-law and the daughter-in-law is obsessively resentful."
inna al-ḥamāta ʾuliʿat bi-l-kannah
wa-ʾuliʿat kannatuhā bi-l-ẓinnah
This one is pretty self-explanatory.
"The mother-in-law obsesses over the daughter-in-law and the daughter-in-law is obsessively resentful."
inna al-ḥamāta ʾuliʿat bi-l-kannah
wa-ʾuliʿat kannatuhā bi-l-ẓinnah
This one is pretty self-explanatory.
What if I used all the emojis my 🤳 phone suggests? Would I finally sound like a hip Gen-Z? Or just completely ✅ 👍 deranged? 🥰
January 7, 2026 at 1:59 PM
What if I used all the emojis my 🤳 phone suggests? Would I finally sound like a hip Gen-Z? Or just completely ✅ 👍 deranged? 🥰
You don't usually see the verb فلح (f l ḥ, "to split, to plow") used much in Arabic. According to Wiktionary the noun فلاح, fallāḥ (plowman, farmer, fellah) is derived from Aramaic פלחא / ܦܠܚܐ (pallāḥā, “worker; peasant”) and the verb is denominal.
No. 13
"Iron is split by iron."
inna l-ḥadīda bi-l-ḥadīdi yuflaḥ
When confronting a difficulty, one must seek help from something or someone of strength commensurate to the difficulty.
"Iron is split by iron."
inna l-ḥadīda bi-l-ḥadīdi yuflaḥ
When confronting a difficulty, one must seek help from something or someone of strength commensurate to the difficulty.
January 7, 2026 at 4:56 AM
You don't usually see the verb فلح (f l ḥ, "to split, to plow") used much in Arabic. According to Wiktionary the noun فلاح, fallāḥ (plowman, farmer, fellah) is derived from Aramaic פלחא / ܦܠܚܐ (pallāḥā, “worker; peasant”) and the verb is denominal.
In Legacy of Violence Caroline Elkins describes the American policy of anti-British and French imperialism in the early 20th c. During WWII FDR attempted to extract promises from the UK and France to liberate colonies after the war in exchange for US support.
KERNEN: Europeans are talking about it almost being like Vladimir Putin and Ukraine.
JEFF LANDRY: I disagree. When has the United States engaged in imperialism? Never. Europe has engaged in imperialism. The reason the Danish have Greenland is because of imperialism.
JEFF LANDRY: I disagree. When has the United States engaged in imperialism? Never. Europe has engaged in imperialism. The reason the Danish have Greenland is because of imperialism.
January 6, 2026 at 4:18 PM
In Legacy of Violence Caroline Elkins describes the American policy of anti-British and French imperialism in the early 20th c. During WWII FDR attempted to extract promises from the UK and France to liberate colonies after the war in exchange for US support.
Man the grandstanding on this website is so tiresome.
January 6, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Man the grandstanding on this website is so tiresome.
Two lines of poetry by the pre-Islamic ʿAmr ibn Umāma, a Lakhmid royal killed in exile in Yemen, at the time of his death 🐂
I gulped down death without tasting it first;
death comes from above for the coward.
Every man fights as hard as he can;
a bull defends its nose with its horns.
In this usage the word nose, a synecdoche for the face, represents honor.
death comes from above for the coward.
Every man fights as hard as he can;
a bull defends its nose with its horns.
In this usage the word nose, a synecdoche for the face, represents honor.
![من حيث لا مَدْفَعَ له .
قال ابن الكلبي : أولُ مَن قاله عمرو
ابن أمامة في شعر له ، وكانت مُرَادُ قتلته ،
فقال هذا الشعر عند ذلك ، وهو قوله :
لَقَدْ حَسَوْتُ الموت قبل ذَوْقِهِ
إنَّ الجَبَانَ حَتْفُهُ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ
[كُلُّ أَمْرِىءٍ مُقاتِلٌ عَنْ طَوْقِهِ]
وَالثَّوْرُ يَحْمِي أَنْفَهُ بِرَوْقِهِ
يضرب في قلة نفع الحذر من القدر
وقوله « حسوت الموت قبل ذوقه »
الذوق : مقدمة الحسو ؛ فهو يقول : قد
وطَّنت نفسي على الموت ، فكأني بتوطين
القلب عليه كمن لقيه صُراحاً .](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kxqsfira2n4dkzri5c647ocz/bafkreif6655zruaokcdee6byw5uxhtct4ueia25xk7t5cfmy6cifuv7cdq@jpeg)
January 6, 2026 at 6:16 AM
Two lines of poetry by the pre-Islamic ʿAmr ibn Umāma, a Lakhmid royal killed in exile in Yemen, at the time of his death 🐂
mein nächstes Buch
January 6, 2026 at 1:51 AM
mein nächstes Buch
An interesting morphological pattern in Arabic is CuCāCī فُعالي, used exclusively to indicate intensiveness of body parts:
ruʾāsī: large-headed
unāfī: long-nosed
ʿuḍādī: big-armed
sutāhī: having a large anus
uyārī: having a large penis
ruʾāsī: large-headed
unāfī: long-nosed
ʿuḍādī: big-armed
sutāhī: having a large anus
uyārī: having a large penis
"He had a long penis" in classical Arabic — kāna ayruhu ṭawīlan — was a way of saying "he had many male children".
But what if you want to actually talk about a long penis? There is a single word, uyārī, meaning "having a large penis."
But what if you want to actually talk about a long penis? There is a single word, uyārī, meaning "having a large penis."
![أَيْرٌ The membrum virile; penis; veretrum: (TA pl. [of pauc.] أَيُرٌ and آيَارٌ (S, M, K) and [of mult.] أُيُورٌ (S, K) and إِيَرٌ. (L.) — كَانَ أَيْرُهُ طَوِيلًا is a phrase meaning ‡ He had many male children. (T, TA.)
أَيَارِيٌّ Having a large membrum virile, or penis; (T, S, M, K ;) like أَنَافِيٌّ signifying "having a large nose." (T.)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kxqsfira2n4dkzri5c647ocz/bafkreihsy6a744e323brl6w25et57322sfr4ggjdntz6bqt5isknzpsepm@jpeg)
January 5, 2026 at 11:58 PM
An interesting morphological pattern in Arabic is CuCāCī فُعالي, used exclusively to indicate intensiveness of body parts:
ruʾāsī: large-headed
unāfī: long-nosed
ʿuḍādī: big-armed
sutāhī: having a large anus
uyārī: having a large penis
ruʾāsī: large-headed
unāfī: long-nosed
ʿuḍādī: big-armed
sutāhī: having a large anus
uyārī: having a large penis
Reposted by /nəˈθænjəl/
No. 7
🥛
A medieval account of hangriness:
They say some man once alit with a tribe he was angry with. On top of that he was hungry. They poured him some rathīʾa (a mixture of sour and fresh milk) and his anger abated.
🥛
A medieval account of hangriness:
They say some man once alit with a tribe he was angry with. On top of that he was hungry. They poured him some rathīʾa (a mixture of sour and fresh milk) and his anger abated.
January 5, 2026 at 2:37 AM
No. 7
🥛
A medieval account of hangriness:
They say some man once alit with a tribe he was angry with. On top of that he was hungry. They poured him some rathīʾa (a mixture of sour and fresh milk) and his anger abated.
🥛
A medieval account of hangriness:
They say some man once alit with a tribe he was angry with. On top of that he was hungry. They poured him some rathīʾa (a mixture of sour and fresh milk) and his anger abated.
Reposted by /nəˈθænjəl/
An interesting feature about works like al-Maydānī's is cross-references, as here, where he indicates that the complete story will come later under the letter ṣād (the book is organized alphabetically). Some significant planning and architecting thus evidently went into the work.
January 4, 2026 at 5:14 PM
An interesting feature about works like al-Maydānī's is cross-references, as here, where he indicates that the complete story will come later under the letter ṣād (the book is organized alphabetically). Some significant planning and architecting thus evidently went into the work.
It's worth noting that even as an imperialist oil grab this whole Venezuela thing is impracticable and stupid
January 4, 2026 at 7:58 PM
It's worth noting that even as an imperialist oil grab this whole Venezuela thing is impracticable and stupid
4 proverbs down, 4,761 to go.
January 4, 2026 at 2:28 AM
4 proverbs down, 4,761 to go.
Reposted by /nəˈθænjəl/
No. 4
"People with a job to do are forgetful."
inna l-muwaṣṣayna banū sahwān
It is used of someone who fails to complete a task they've been given.
"People with a job to do are forgetful."
inna l-muwaṣṣayna banū sahwān
It is used of someone who fails to complete a task they've been given.
January 3, 2026 at 9:47 PM
No. 4
"People with a job to do are forgetful."
inna l-muwaṣṣayna banū sahwān
It is used of someone who fails to complete a task they've been given.
"People with a job to do are forgetful."
inna l-muwaṣṣayna banū sahwān
It is used of someone who fails to complete a task they've been given.
A possible semantic development:
ḥabiṭa baṭnuhū (his stomach bloated) > ḥabiṭa ʿamaluhū (his act was ineffective/ unrewarded, Quranic) > aḥbaṭa ʿamalahū (causative, he performed an unrewarded action) > aḥbaṭahū (classical/MSA) he frustrated or thwarted it > anā muḥbaṭ (MSA: I am/feel frustrated)
ḥabiṭa baṭnuhū (his stomach bloated) > ḥabiṭa ʿamaluhū (his act was ineffective/ unrewarded, Quranic) > aḥbaṭa ʿamalahū (causative, he performed an unrewarded action) > aḥbaṭahū (classical/MSA) he frustrated or thwarted it > anā muḥbaṭ (MSA: I am/feel frustrated)
This is another camel-related saying of the Prophet.
ḥabaṭ is bloating of a camel's stomach caused by eating too much (particularly nelilotus or clover). It can lead to gastric or intenstinal rupture that can kill the animal.
ḥabaṭ is bloating of a camel's stomach caused by eating too much (particularly nelilotus or clover). It can lead to gastric or intenstinal rupture that can kill the animal.
January 3, 2026 at 4:48 PM
A possible semantic development:
ḥabiṭa baṭnuhū (his stomach bloated) > ḥabiṭa ʿamaluhū (his act was ineffective/ unrewarded, Quranic) > aḥbaṭa ʿamalahū (causative, he performed an unrewarded action) > aḥbaṭahū (classical/MSA) he frustrated or thwarted it > anā muḥbaṭ (MSA: I am/feel frustrated)
ḥabiṭa baṭnuhū (his stomach bloated) > ḥabiṭa ʿamaluhū (his act was ineffective/ unrewarded, Quranic) > aḥbaṭa ʿamalahū (causative, he performed an unrewarded action) > aḥbaṭahū (classical/MSA) he frustrated or thwarted it > anā muḥbaṭ (MSA: I am/feel frustrated)
I know the attack on Venezuela and abduction of Maduro seems awful and illegal but think of it this way. What if someone did that to our head of state? See? Golden rule.
January 3, 2026 at 2:28 PM
I know the attack on Venezuela and abduction of Maduro seems awful and illegal but think of it this way. What if someone did that to our head of state? See? Golden rule.
Broccoli stalk time
January 2, 2026 at 3:18 AM
Broccoli stalk time
Reposted by /nəˈθænjəl/
Eloquence is a kind of magic.
إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرًا
إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرًا
January 2, 2026 at 12:15 AM
Eloquence is a kind of magic.
إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرًا
إِنَّ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ لَسِحْرًا
Inspired by @drvalerieisin.bsky.social I was reading al-Maydānī yesterday and I thought it might be fun to translate it so I've set up an account, @arabicproverbs.bsky.social, where my aim is to do just that.
January 2, 2026 at 12:27 AM
Inspired by @drvalerieisin.bsky.social I was reading al-Maydānī yesterday and I thought it might be fun to translate it so I've set up an account, @arabicproverbs.bsky.social, where my aim is to do just that.
—Happy New Year—
🍾
Tell someone who sees something shocking,
whose age couldn't perplex him more:
What you saw is nothing;
if you live, you'll see
what you haven't seen before.
—Anonymous, qtd in al-Maydānī's (d. 1124) Book of Proverbs
🍾
Tell someone who sees something shocking,
whose age couldn't perplex him more:
What you saw is nothing;
if you live, you'll see
what you haven't seen before.
—Anonymous, qtd in al-Maydānī's (d. 1124) Book of Proverbs
January 1, 2026 at 5:33 AM
—Happy New Year—
🍾
Tell someone who sees something shocking,
whose age couldn't perplex him more:
What you saw is nothing;
if you live, you'll see
what you haven't seen before.
—Anonymous, qtd in al-Maydānī's (d. 1124) Book of Proverbs
🍾
Tell someone who sees something shocking,
whose age couldn't perplex him more:
What you saw is nothing;
if you live, you'll see
what you haven't seen before.
—Anonymous, qtd in al-Maydānī's (d. 1124) Book of Proverbs
This proverb is still used idiomatically in Modern Standard Arabic but it's come to mean "to not budge," "to not move a muscle." Apparently the idiom reanalyzes what was originally a verbal object as adverbial (الحال).
Do I want to make some changes in 2026? Absolutely. Does that mean I want to change everything? Absolutely not. Sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.
Happy New Year to all who are celebrating!
Happy New Year to all who are celebrating!
January 1, 2026 at 5:10 AM
This proverb is still used idiomatically in Modern Standard Arabic but it's come to mean "to not budge," "to not move a muscle." Apparently the idiom reanalyzes what was originally a verbal object as adverbial (الحال).
For some reason I decided to fuck with Google and told it I was born in 1920 when I signed up for Gmail years ago so now it thinks I'm 105 years old. And ready to mingle. I can't account for that part.
![Google ad in my Gmail screenshot
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December 31, 2025 at 10:37 PM
For some reason I decided to fuck with Google and told it I was born in 1920 when I signed up for Gmail years ago so now it thinks I'm 105 years old. And ready to mingle. I can't account for that part.
The guinea pigs were in a guinea pig hotel in Aurora but they're back!
December 31, 2025 at 6:25 PM
The guinea pigs were in a guinea pig hotel in Aurora but they're back!
If Islamophobes knew anything about classical Arabic poetry this would be a great opportunity to claim that the poet will be rewarded with twenty thousand silver taxpayer dirhams.
December 31, 2025 at 1:37 AM
If Islamophobes knew anything about classical Arabic poetry this would be a great opportunity to claim that the poet will be rewarded with twenty thousand silver taxpayer dirhams.
If Jason Bateman were a British boy he'd be Master Bateman.
December 31, 2025 at 1:16 AM
If Jason Bateman were a British boy he'd be Master Bateman.