- English translation
Word went round that Abu Fasada kneads cream with his feet; someone answered, 'Then his heels would show it.'
- Literal wording
They said: Abu Fasada kneads the cream with his feet. He said: it would have shown on his heels.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying punctures a claim by noting that its natural consequences are missing. Abu Fasada is a folk name for a hopping bird with black legs: if it really worked cream with its feet, some trace would show on its heels, yet its legs stay plainly black, so the tale collapses on sight.
More broadly, it targets anyone whose assertions are contradicted by the evidence around them. The reply is sarcastic rather than argumentative: the speaker simply points to the visible facts, which already contradict the boast, and that is enough to expose it.
- When it is used
Say it when someone boasts of a deed or privilege that, if real, would have left obvious traces, yet nothing in their appearance or circumstances backs it up. It works as a dry, mocking rebuttal among people who share the joke.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
Report an issue with this meaning: Word went round that Abu Fasada kneads cream with his feet; someone answered, 'Then his heels would show it.'