- English translation
They asked her, "Are you really going to marry into a big household?" She replied, "With my tongue still mine, who could ever get the better of me?"
- Literal wording
They said: "You are going to get married in a family house?" She said: "My tongue is going to stay with me, and I will be overcome?"
- Meaning and lesson
A bride is asked whether she is about to marry into a household of her husband's numerous relatives, where she will be outnumbered and ruled by her in-laws. She brushes the danger aside with a rhetorical question: so long as she keeps her sharp tongue, how could any crowd of relatives get the upper hand?
The saying is applied to people known for a biting, quarrelsome manner of speaking, who count on verbal aggression to hold their ground against any number of opponents. It points to insolence in speech and should not be read as praise of eloquence, wit or persuasive skill.
- When it is used
Use it about someone who trusts a cutting tongue to carry them through a crowded or hostile situation, or who boasts that words alone will let them face many opponents. Because it highlights brashness, saying it about someone can sound critical rather than admiring.
- Register
- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: They asked her, "Are you really going to marry into a big household?" She replied, "With my tongue still mine, who could ever get the better of me?"