ProverbHub
Arabic · Arabic scriptProverb: Verified

«اِلرَّاجِلْ زَيِّ الْجَزَّارْ مَا يْحِبِّشْ إِلَّا السِّمِينَهْ»

Meanings

Each meaning is reviewed on its own.

Meaning: Verified
English translation

A man is just like a butcher: the plump ones are the only ones he wants.

Literal wording

The man is like the butcher: he does not love anything except the fat one.

Meaning and lesson

The saying praises a full, well-fleshed figure. A man choosing a wife is said to favor a heavy, sturdy woman, just as a butcher picks the fattest sheep, so both settle on the same choice. It reflects a traditional body ideal valuing fullness, not a universal standard of attractiveness.

The humor lies in matching preferences with different motives: the husband wants a robust partner, while the butcher wants good meat. The comparison playfully endorses plumpness, though likening women to livestock chosen for meat can read as demeaning today.

When it is used

Fits as a folk remark praising plumpness, such as in talk about traditional marriage preferences or beauty ideals. Since it likens wives to animals for slaughter, explain it as a historical view rather than offer it as a compliment.

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