- English translation
He threw the first blow, then started crying, and ran off to complain before anyone else could.
- Literal wording
He struck, and he wept, and he got there first, and he complained.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying describes an aggressor who plays the victim. Having physically struck someone, he bursts into tears and hurries off to lodge a complaint, so that his version reaches listeners first and the person he wronged appears guilty. Though the fixed wording is masculine, it applies to anyone.
Its sting lies in the sequence of four quick actions: attack, weep, race ahead, accuse. It mocks seizing the role of the aggrieved party early, turning sympathy and judgment against the real victim through speed and a show of distress. It is not about false alarms or crying wolf.
- When it is used
Use it to call out someone who caused harm and then rushed to present themselves as the injured party, especially by complaining to others before the real victim can speak. It suits sharp, informal remarks about blame-shifting in quarrels.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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