- English translation
As if our luck weren't bad enough, they've put the one-eyed camel at the head of the line.
- Literal wording
From the scantness of luck, they made the one-eyed one the lead.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying laments that leadership has gone to someone unfit for it. The key word names the camel at the front of a caravan line, and by extension a chief, not a tie or shackle. Putting a half-blind animal in that spot dooms everyone behind it, so the image stands for misplaced authority.
The opening phrase blames poor luck rather than open malice, framing the choice as one more misfortune in a string of them.
- When it is used
Use it as a rueful or sarcastic remark when a group is stuck with an incapable person in charge, framed as bad fortune. It fits complaint, not formal criticism. Because the one-eyed image draws on a physical impairment, applying it to a person can sound mocking or hurtful.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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