- English translation
He's like the water-seller's jug, always dripping.
- Literal wording
Like the jug of the market water-seller: forever seeping.
- Meaning and lesson
The proverb paints a talker as a water vendor's jug: because that vessel is always kept full for selling, moisture is forever beading and dripping from its sides. The talker likewise never stops leaking words, as though speech simply seeps out of him on its own.
In use, the saying labels someone as a chatterbox or babbler whose flow of talk is constant and unstoppable. The emphasis falls on relentless, almost involuntary prattle rather than on lying or spreading secrets, and the tone is usually one of amused or weary disapproval.
- When it is used
Say it lightly or critically about someone who talks without pause, letting words trickle out whether or not anyone wants them. It suits teasing among friends or grumbling about a chatterbox, but the mocking comparison can sound like a put-down when aimed at the listener directly.
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- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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