An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are the 26 most common Arabic idioms, ranked by how often you will actually meet them, each with its literal translation, real meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Arabic idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, على قدم وساق literally means "on foot and shin" but is used to mean going ahead busily and at full pace. This free page ranks the 26 most common Arabic idioms by how often you meet them, each with its literal translation, meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation.
All 26 idioms, most common first.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of November 2026.
على قدم وساق
Literally on foot and shin
Means going ahead busily and at full pace
English idiom in full swing
Example تجري الاستعدادات للمؤتمر على قدم وساق.
Preparations for the conference are in full swing.
Note A favourite of news reports, usually after تجري or تسير (is under way).
بين ليلة وضحاها
Literally between a night and its morning
Means suddenly, in a very short time
English idiom overnight
Example تحول من موظف بسيط إلى مليونير بين ليلة وضحاها.
He went from an ordinary employee to a millionaire overnight.
Note Often negated to say a big change takes time: لا يحدث ذلك بين ليلة وضحاها.
ضرب عصفورين بحجر واحد
Literally he hit two sparrows with one stone
Means to reach two goals with a single action
English idiom to kill two birds with one stone
Example ذهبت إلى المدينة لزيارة أمي ولتجديد جواز سفري، فضربت عصفورين بحجر واحد.
I went to the city to visit my mother and renew my passport, so I killed two birds with one stone.
رأسا على عقب
Literally head over heel
Means completely reversed or thrown into disorder
English idiom upside down
Example قلب الخبر حياته رأسا على عقب.
The news turned his life upside down.
Note Nearly always follows قلب (to turn over) or انقلب (to be turned over).
في الصميم
Literally in the core
Means exactly on point, right at the heart of the matter
English idiom spot on
Example كلامك في الصميم، وهذه هي المشكلة الحقيقية.
What you said is spot on, and that is the real problem.
Note After a verb of hurting it means to the core: جرحته الكلمة في الصميم (the word cut him to the core).
حبر على ورق
Literally ink on paper
Means an agreement or rule that exists only in writing and is never applied
English idiom a dead letter
Example بقيت الاتفاقية حبرا على ورق، ولم يتغير شيء على الأرض.
The agreement remained a dead letter, and nothing changed on the ground.
في مهب الريح
Literally where the wind blows
Means exposed to risk and likely to be lost
English idiom hanging in the balance
Example أصبح مستقبل مئات العمال في مهب الريح بعد إغلاق المصنع.
The future of hundreds of workers is hanging in the balance after the factory closed.
حفظ ماء الوجه
Literally keeping the water of the face
Means to protect one's dignity and avoid public embarrassment
English idiom to save face
Example قدم استقالته ليحفظ ماء وجهه قبل نشر التقرير.
He resigned to save face before the report came out.
Note The opposite is أراق ماء وجهه (he spilled the water of his face), to lose one's dignity, often by begging.
على أحر من الجمر
Literally on something hotter than embers
Means waiting with great impatience
English idiom on pins and needles
Example ننتظر نتائج الامتحان على أحر من الجمر.
We are waiting for the exam results on pins and needles.
Note Almost always comes after a form of انتظر (to wait).
في لمح البصر
Literally in the glance of the eye
Means in an instant, extremely fast
English idiom in the blink of an eye
Example اختفى اللص في لمح البصر.
The thief vanished in the blink of an eye.
Note Also heard as كلمح البصر (like a glance of the eye).
بيت القصيد
Literally the line of the ode
Means the main point, what everything else leads up to
English idiom the crux of the matter
Example وهنا بيت القصيد: من سيدفع التكاليف؟
And here is the crux of the matter: who will pay the costs?
Note بيت usually means house, but here it is a line of verse: the key line of a poem, the one that carries its main idea.
وضع النقاط على الحروف
Literally to put the dots on the letters
Means to state things plainly and leave no room for doubt
English idiom to spell it out
Example أريد أن أضع النقاط على الحروف: لن نقبل أي تأخير بعد اليوم.
Let me spell it out: we will not accept any more delays after today.
Note Arabic letters such as ب, ت and ث differ only by their dots, so an undotted word can be read several ways.
ذر الرماد في العيون
Literally sprinkling ash in the eyes
Means a show put on to mislead people and hide the real situation
English idiom to throw dust in someone's eyes
Example هذه الإصلاحات مجرد ذر للرماد في العيون.
These reforms are just dust thrown in people's eyes.
يصطاد في الماء العكر
Literally he fishes in muddy water
Means to exploit a confused or tense situation for one's own gain
English idiom to fish in troubled waters
Example هناك من يحاول الاصطياد في الماء العكر واستغلال الخلاف بين الطرفين.
Some people are trying to fish in troubled waters and exploit the dispute between the two sides.
القشة التي قصمت ظهر البعير
Literally the straw that broke the camel's back
Means the last small problem that makes a situation unbearable
English idiom the straw that broke the camel's back
Example كان تأخر الراتب القشة التي قصمت ظهر البعير، فاستقال في اليوم نفسه.
The late salary was the straw that broke the camel's back, and he resigned the same day.
مسك الختام
Literally the musk of the ending
Means the best part, kept for the very end
English idiom the grand finale
Example وكان مسك الختام حفلا موسيقيا في الهواء الطلق.
The grand finale was an open-air concert.
Note It goes back to the Quranic phrase ختامه مسك (its seal is musk) and is a set phrase in speeches and event programmes.
شمر عن ساعديه
Literally he bared his forearms
Means to get down to hard, serious work
English idiom to roll up one's sleeves
Example شمر المتطوعون عن سواعدهم لتنظيف الحي بعد العاصفة.
The volunteers rolled up their sleeves to clean up the neighbourhood after the storm.
Note A longer form is شمر عن ساعد الجد (he bared the forearm of seriousness).
عاد بخفي حنين
Literally he came back with Hunayn's shoes
Means to come back with nothing after a failed attempt
English idiom to come back empty-handed
Example ذهب ليطالب بحقه فعاد بخفي حنين.
He went to claim what he was owed and came back empty-handed.
Note From an old tale: a man left his camel to pick up a pair of shoes dropped on the road by Hunayn the cobbler, Hunayn took the camel, and the man went home with only the shoes.
لا ناقة لي فيها ولا جمل
Literally I have neither a she-camel nor a camel in it
Means it is none of my business and I have no stake in it
English idiom I have no dog in this fight
Example لا تسألني عن خلافهما، فلا ناقة لي فيها ولا جمل.
Do not ask me about their quarrel. I have no dog in that fight.
Note Attributed to a tribal chief who refused to join the pre-Islamic War of Basus, a war that began over a slain she-camel.
بلغ السيل الزبى
Literally the flood has reached the hilltop pits
Means things have gone too far and patience has run out
English idiom enough is enough
Example بعد شهور من الوعود الكاذبة بلغ السيل الزبى، وقرر السكان الاحتجاج.
After months of false promises, enough was enough, and the residents decided to protest.
Note الزبى are pits dug on high ground to trap lions, so a flood that reaches them has risen as high as it can.
سبق السيف العذل
Literally the sword came before the blame
Means it is too late, the harm is done and regret will not undo it
English idiom the damage is done
Example حاول أن يعتذر، ولكن سبق السيف العذل.
He tried to apologise, but the damage was done.
Note A classical proverb, much more common in writing than in conversation.
الوقت كالسيف إن لم تقطعه قطعك
Literally time is like a sword, if you do not cut it, it cuts you
Means time has to be used well, or it is lost at your expense
English idiom time waits for no man
Example ابدأ دراستك الآن، فالوقت كالسيف إن لم تقطعه قطعك.
Start studying now. Time waits for no man.
Note Taught in schools across the Arab world. People often quote only the first half, الوقت كالسيف.
الصبر مفتاح الفرج
Literally patience is the key to relief
Means if you wait patiently, hard times will come to an end
English idiom good things come to those who wait
Example لا تيأس من البحث عن عمل، فالصبر مفتاح الفرج.
Do not give up looking for work. Good things come to those who wait.
يد واحدة لا تصفق
Literally one hand does not clap
Means no one can achieve much alone, success needs cooperation
Example نحتاج إلى مساعدة الجميع في هذا المشروع، فيد واحدة لا تصفق.
We need everyone's help with this project, because one hand cannot clap.
القرش الأبيض ينفع في اليوم الأسود
Literally the white piastre is useful on the black day
Means money put aside in good times helps in hard times
English idiom save for a rainy day
Example لا تنفق راتبك كله، فالقرش الأبيض ينفع في اليوم الأسود.
Do not spend your whole salary. Save something for a rainy day.
Note The white piastre stands for money saved in good times, and the black day for a time of hardship.
كالمستجير من الرمضاء بالنار
Literally like one who flees the scorching sand into the fire
Means escaping one trouble only to land in a worse one
English idiom out of the frying pan into the fire
Example ترك عمله هربا من مديره القاسي، لكنه انتقل إلى شركة أسوأ، فكان كالمستجير من الرمضاء بالنار.
He quit his job to get away from his harsh boss but moved to an even worse company, out of the frying pan into the fire.
Note It is the second half of an old line of verse that begins المستجير بعمرو عند كربته (one who turns to Amr for help in his distress).
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: على قدم وساق comes out as "on foot and shin", which makes no sense until you know it means going ahead busily and at full pace.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Arabic sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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The most common Arabic idioms, ranked by everyday frequency, start with على قدم وساق, بين ليلة وضحاها, ضرب عصفورين بحجر واحد, رأسا على عقب, في الصميم. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This page lists 26 of them with meanings and example sentences.
Literally "on foot and shin". It means going ahead busily and at full pace. The closest English idiom is "in full swing". Example: تجري الاستعدادات للمؤتمر على قدم وساق. ("Preparations for the conference are in full swing.")
Literally "between a night and its morning". It means suddenly, in a very short time. The closest English idiom is "overnight". Example: تحول من موظف بسيط إلى مليونير بين ليلة وضحاها. ("He went from an ordinary employee to a millionaire overnight.")
Literally "he hit two sparrows with one stone". It means to reach two goals with a single action. The closest English idiom is "to kill two birds with one stone". Example: ذهبت إلى المدينة لزيارة أمي ولتجديد جواز سفري، فضربت عصفورين بحجر واحد. ("I went to the city to visit my mother and renew my passport, so I killed two birds with one stone.")
Literally "head over heel". It means completely reversed or thrown into disorder. The closest English idiom is "upside down". Example: قلب الخبر حياته رأسا على عقب. ("The news turned his life upside down.")
Literally "in the core". It means exactly on point, right at the heart of the matter. The closest English idiom is "spot on". Example: كلامك في الصميم، وهذه هي المشكلة الحقيقية. ("What you said is spot on, and that is the real problem.")
Literally "ink on paper". It means an agreement or rule that exists only in writing and is never applied. The closest English idiom is "a dead letter". Example: بقيت الاتفاقية حبرا على ورق، ولم يتغير شيء على الأرض. ("The agreement remained a dead letter, and nothing changed on the ground.")
Literally "where the wind blows". It means exposed to risk and likely to be lost. The closest English idiom is "hanging in the balance". Example: أصبح مستقبل مئات العمال في مهب الريح بعد إغلاق المصنع. ("The future of hundreds of workers is hanging in the balance after the factory closed.")
Literally "keeping the water of the face". It means to protect one's dignity and avoid public embarrassment. The closest English idiom is "to save face". Example: قدم استقالته ليحفظ ماء وجهه قبل نشر التقرير. ("He resigned to save face before the report came out.")
The Arabic equivalent is "على قدم وساق", literally "on foot and shin". Example: تجري الاستعدادات للمؤتمر على قدم وساق. ("Preparations for the conference are in full swing.")
In Arabic, an idiom is called تعبير اصطلاحي, and a proverb is مثل. A تعبير اصطلاحي is a fixed phrase whose meaning cannot be worked out from its words, while a مثل is a complete traditional saying that sums up a lesson, often in words that go back many centuries.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. على قدم وساق translates literally as "on foot and shin", yet it means going ahead busily and at full pace. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Arabic with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.