No one calls their own honey sour

Explore Arabic traditional proverbsReviewed 2026-10-28

Meaning: Verified

English translation: No one calls their own honey sour.
Literal wording: Nobody says of his honey: sour.

Meaning and lesson: Owners do not disparage what belongs to them. Just as no keeper of honey would describe his own as sour, a person speaks well of the things in his keeping rather than calling them bad.
The image of honey suggests trade, yet the saying is not confined to merchants. It reaches any possession at all, regardless of whether its holder intends to part with it or to keep it.
When it is used: Apply it when a person speaks favorably of something they own, whether an item offered to a buyer or a belonging they mean to keep, to observe that nobody runs down what is theirs.

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PROVERB (ARABIC)
«مَا حَدِّشْ يُقُولْ عَنْ عَسَلُهْ: حَامِضْ»
Literal translation: Nobody says of his honey: sour.
Natural translation: No one calls their own honey sour.
Meaning: Owners do not disparage what belongs to them. Just as no keeper of honey would describe his own as sour, a person speaks well of the things in his keeping rather than calling them bad.

The image of honey suggests trade, yet the saying is not confined to merchants. It reaches any possession at all, regardless of whether its holder intends to part with it or to keep it.
Used when: Apply it when a person speaks favorably of something they own, whether an item offered to a buyer or a belonging they mean to keep, to observe that nobody runs down what is theirs.

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Review state: Verified
Last reviewed: 2026-10-28
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