- English translation
As fickle as the winds of Amshir, changing from one hour to the next.
- Literal wording
Like the winds of Amshir: every hour in a [different] state.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying compares a person to Amshir, a month of the Coptic calendar known for gusty, unpredictable weather, when winds rise and fall from one day to the next. The colloquial word here means winds, not scents. Someone described this way cannot be counted on to keep the same mood, attitude, or stance for long.
It can also describe conditions rather than character: affairs, fortunes, or a household's situation that keep swinging back and forth. Context decides which reading applies. In either case the point is instability. Whatever holds now may reverse shortly, so any calm or agreement is treated as temporary rather than settled.
- When it is used
Use it of someone whose moods, opinions, or behavior keep shifting without warning, or of circumstances that won't stay steady. It is usually a mild complaint or a wry remark rather than a harsh insult.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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