bi l-3aks

When a person says something and you know the opposite to be true, you can raise a triumphant finger and say: bi l-3aks!

Or when you've completely changed your mind about something, you can explain that khadayt fawg ta7at ('lit. I did a U-turn'). And why? Because at first the new neighbours seemed annoying, but bi l-3aks, they're actually pretty nice.

Having a change of heart is the theme of today's short story, which goes as follows:

One day, ju7aa was walking alongside a donkey that was carrying his son on its back. When some people saw them, they mumbled: "6aal3aw everyone at this spoilt boy riding a donkey while his poor old father has to walk!"

When ju7aa got tired of walking, he and his son swapped places. Some other people saw them and muttered: "6aal3aw everyone at that cruel man riding the donkey while his poor little son has to walk!"

Eventually, ju7aa and his son were exhausted as so both of them got on the donkey's back. People saw them and shouted at them: "How dare you both break the back of this poor little donkey with your weight! wallah, how thankless you are, both of you!"

Arabic	Pronounced?	English
طالع!	6aali3!	Watch! (m)
طالعي!	6aal3ay!	Watch! (f)
طالعوا!	6aal3aw!	Watch! (pl)
فوق تحت	fawg ta7at	a U-turn
والله	wa aallah!	I swear!