- English translation
Well done for nothing, Ashur!
- Literal wording
Ṭuẓẓ, O ʿĀshūr!
- Meaning and lesson
The saying mocks a person for doing something useless. The opening interjection works like a sarcastic cheer: mock praise saying the deed amounted to nothing. A plain rendering such as 'bravo' loses this scorn unless the ironic tone is made clear.
In practice it deflates someone who expects credit for a hollow achievement. Naming ʿĀshūr, an ordinary personal name, gives the jeer a personal target, turning a general dismissal into pointed ridicule of whoever made the fruitless effort.
- When it is used
Aimed at someone who proudly presents an effort or result that achieves nothing. It is a scornful jab suited to open mockery rather than polite criticism. ʿĀshūr is just a personal name standing in for whoever is being ridiculed, not a known figure or event.
- Register
- sarcastic, derisive
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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