- English translation
You won't always land in something sweet.
- Literal wording
Not all the falls are zalabiya.
- Meaning and lesson
The saying warns that one lucky turn does not set a pattern. Someone who has stumbled into something delightful should not expect every later situation to prove as pleasant as a plate of zalabiya, the lattice-shaped fried-dough sweet soaked in syrup.
It targets the overconfidence that good fortune can breed. The situations and matters a person lands in vary widely, and some will be bitter, so the speaker urges realistic expectations and continued care instead of complacency after a pleasant surprise.
- When it is used
Use it to rein in someone growing careless after an easy win, or to temper your own optimism before a new venture. Its colloquial wording suits informal, good-humored warnings among friends or family, where the food image softens the caution.
- Register
- colloquial
Cite or copy proverb
How this record reached us: Editorially sourced.
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