- English translation
Let's trade insults today and make up tomorrow.
- Literal wording
Come, let us insult one another, and tomorrow let us reconcile.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying describes a recurring pattern of hostile exchanges followed by reconciliation. It points to someone whose dealings with others repeatedly move from mutual insults to making peace, rather than treating each quarrel as a final break.
The invitation to quarrel expresses that pattern, not advice to start a dispute. The contrast between insults today and reconciliation tomorrow highlights how readily the person returns to friendly relations after an ugly exchange.
- When it is used
Use it when describing someone who habitually trades insults with others and then makes up with them. It fits a repeated pattern of quarrelling and reconciliation, rather than a single disagreement or a general appeal to forgive.
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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