- English translation
So where's all that nerve now, big talker? The sword is right here, and so is the man with the score to settle.
- Literal wording
Where is your resolve, O boaster? Here is the sword, and here is the one owed the vengeance.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying mocks an empty boaster whose courage disappears at the decisive moment. Every condition he claimed to need is now in place: the sword is at hand, and the man with a claim to blood vengeance is standing there. His hesitation exposes the earlier talk as hollow, so the line insults as much as it challenges.
The broader point is that boasts are tested by action, not repetition. When the opportunity a talker demanded finally appears, any retreat reveals cowardice or dishonesty. In Arabic, the closing words فشار and التار rhyme, which gives the taunt a sharp, quotable ring.
- When it is used
Aimed at someone who bragged about what they would do, then went quiet or backed away once the chance arrived. It is pointed mockery between people who know each other, and it is likely to sting or provoke if said to someone's face.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic; taunting and sarcastic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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