«عَلِيكْ يَا صْعِيدِي وَلَوْ بَاتْ»

The saying insists that a responsibility does not dissolve because time ran out. Here bāt, literally 'spent the night,' describes unfinished work carrying over to the next day, not the worker sleeping somewhere. If the job is not done by nightfall, it remains yours the next morning; postponing it changes nothing.

It applies to any task that must eventually be carried out. It discourages negligence and foot-dragging: delay only stretches the burden over more days. The address to a Saʿidi reflects the old practice of bringing laborers from Upper Egypt for large works; the figure stands for anyone engaged to finish a job, not for a regional character.

Say it when someone hopes an unfinished duty will lapse at day's end, reminding them it still waits tomorrow. Because naming a Saʿidi can sound like a regional stereotype out of context, use it with care, keeping it to familiar, good-humored speech rather than formal or mixed company.