ProverbHub
Arabic · Arabic scriptProverb: Verified

«مَا يْكُبِّ الْمُلُوخِيَّه إلَّا الزَّبَادِي العُوجْ»

Meanings

Each meaning is reviewed on its own.

Meaning: Verified
English translation

Only a warped bowl lets the mulukhiyya spill.

Literal wording

Nothing spills the mulukhiyya but the crooked bowls.

Meaning and lesson

The image is a kitchen mishap. Mulukhiyya is a thin, soupy dish that stays put in a sound, level bowl, so if it spills out, the fault lies with a misshapen vessel. The damage comes from the container's defect, not from the food itself.

Applied to people, the saying blames harm on those who are ignorant or morally bent. Their actions spoil things because of what they are. The point concerns character, not clumsiness or bad luck: bad results are expected from bad sources, and someone upright would not have caused the loss.

When it is used

Use it when trouble or a ruined outcome is traced to someone known for crooked conduct or foolishness. It works as a pointed, informal remark of blame, placing responsibility on the person's flawed nature rather than on chance.

Region
Egypt
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Colloquial
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