- English translation
Woman, all you got out of it was a longer hem trailing in the dirt behind you.
- Literal wording
Nothing was added to you, O woman, except the thing that drags along behind.
- Meaning and lesson
The image is of a woman whose only gain is extra length on the back of her garment, a train that sweeps the ground and adds weight without improving how she lives. The supposed addition is useless and, worse, a nuisance.
Applied to people, the saying targets someone who obtains something that leaves their real situation unchanged and meets none of their actual needs. Worse, the gain brings extra burden or disorder, so the person ends up more encumbered than before.
- When it is used
Use it about someone whose new acquisition, title, or windfall brings no real benefit and only creates added trouble. Although the wording addresses a woman, the comment applies to anyone in this situation.
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- Colloquial Arabic
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Woman, all you got out of it was a longer hem trailing in the dirt behind you.