Explore Arabic traditional proverbsReviewed 2026-09-27
Sense: Verified- English translation
In a bleak year, even the woman once overlooked can put on airs.
- Literal wording
Act pampered, you bent woman, in the black year.
- Meaning and lesson
When better alternatives have disappeared, someone previously passed over may gain the power to make demands.
- When it is used
A sharp, mocking remark about someone whose new sense of importance depends on a shortage of alternatives.
- Register
- Colloquial and derisive
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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