«اِلْخَبَرِ الْمَشُومْ يِوْصَلْ بِالْعَجَلْ»

The saying holds that ill-omened tidings reach people remarkably fast. Such reports seem to arrive before anyone is prepared, as if misfortune were rushing to be delivered. The stress falls on news that bodes ill, not merely news that is unpleasant.

Another reading places the speed in the listener rather than the news. Because people shrink from hearing bad reports, such tidings feel abrupt and premature, seeming rushed even at an ordinary pace. Whether they truly travel faster is left open.

Fits moments when an ill-boding report arrives sooner than expected, or when people marvel at how quickly a misfortune became known. It works as a wry, resigned remark rather than a formal judgment.