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Arabic · Arabic scriptProverb: Verified

«اِلدِّهْوَانَهْ تْضَيَّعْ مُفْتَاحِ الْخَزَانَهْ»

Meanings

Each meaning is reviewed on its own.

Meaning: Verified
English translation

A rattled woman will mislay the storeroom key.

Literal wording

A woman struck dumbfounded misplaces the key of the storeroom.

Meaning and lesson

The saying pictures a flustered woman who loses the storeroom key. Someone rattled and confused is likely to mislay what she is trusted to keep, so the loss is not surprising.

It also cautions those who hand out responsibility to consider a person's state before entrusting valuables. Trusting something important to someone visibly unsettled invites trouble, though this describes a risk, not a certainty. The image features a woman, but the concern is the disordered state of mind.

When it is used

Use it when someone dazed or distracted is entrusted with valuables or a responsibility they may mishandle. The saying can question the decision to entrust them with it or explain a resulting loss. The woman in the image is incidental; it says nothing about women's competence.

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