- English translation
My uncle treated me like an enemy: he devoured my fat and my flesh, then came back for whatever I had left.
- Literal wording
My maternal uncle, the uncle of enemies, my uncle ate the fats and the meats, and turned upon what I had.
- Meaning and lesson
The proverb voices a grievance against a maternal uncle who should have been a protector but behaved like a foe. Eating the speaker's fat and flesh is a figure for consuming wealth, not physical harm; read as the uncle then turning back for what little remained, he takes everything the speaker owned, piece by piece.
Its sting comes from the betrayal of kinship. Calling him 'the uncle of enemies' means he gave his own nephew the treatment normally reserved for adversaries. Though it names a maternal uncle, the saying targets any close relative who exploits closeness to seize another's wealth, leaving the victim with nothing.
- When it is used
Use it bitterly or ruefully about a relative, or anyone expected to be protective, who has drained someone's money or property and then taken even the remainder. It suits complaints about inheritance grabs, exploited family trust, or a kinsman who stripped someone bare.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic; rhymed, proverbial speech
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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