«الرَّيِّس فِي حْسَابْ وِالنَّوْتِي فِي حْسَابْ»

The saying pictures a boat where the captain, here the vessel's master rather than a political chief or generic boss, and the deckhand each keep a private mental tally, not a money ledger, of what should happen next. Though both stand on the same vessel, neither has grasped what the other is actually aiming for.

Applied to people, it describes two parties whose opinions or intentions diverge while they remain ignorant of each other's purpose. The point is less open disagreement than mutual misunderstanding: each assumes a shared course, yet their plans quietly pull in different directions.

Fits moments when two people meant to cooperate, such as partners, a manager and a worker, or spouses, turn out to be pursuing different aims, each unaware of the other's plan. It is a wry, observational comment on miscommunication more than a harsh rebuke.