Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Arabic term or phrase:
ما بيعونا سمك بالبحر
English translation:
They took us for fools
Added to glossary by
Fuad Yahya
Feb 21, 2006 15:11
18 yrs ago
Arabic term
ما بيعونا سمك بالبحر
Arabic to English
Social Sciences
Government / Politics
وقال إنُّه العراق لُه علاقة بالقاعدة، هذا كذب ، بكذب ، بكذب ، بكذب ما بيعونا سمك بالبحر
I am looking for an English idiom.Thanks
I am looking for an English idiom.Thanks
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+3
2 hrs
Selected
They took us for fools
First off, the word ما in this expression does not denote negation.
Second, the speaker is not accurate in his choice of expressions.
I believe he means, they lied to us, taking us for a bunch of fools (only a fool would buy fish that has not been caught yet).
Second, the speaker is not accurate in his choice of expressions.
I believe he means, they lied to us, taking us for a bunch of fools (only a fool would buy fish that has not been caught yet).
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you"
1 hr
Iman Khaireddine
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in Arabic
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
Connecting Cultures
Native in: Arabic 
Works in: English to Arabic, French to Arabic, Arabic to English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
75
It is pure delusion
or "they should stop deluding us"!
1 hr
Zeinab Asfour
Jordan
Jordan
Native in Arabic
&
English
Jordan
Dead On Dealines....
Native in: English 
, Arabic
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, Arabic
Related KudoZ points
:
19
Sold us what they do not own,Sell us what the Held sway Over!
This is the meaning of this idiom!
But I can't seem to find an equivalent Idiom!
Hold sway Over يمللك، يستولي على
But I can't seem to find an equivalent Idiom!
Hold sway Over يمللك، يستولي على
+1
8 hrs
Sam Berner
Australia
Australia
Native in Arabic
&
English
Specializes in field
Australia
Craftsmanship, ideas, expert knowledge
Native in: Arabic (Variants: Egyptian, Palestinian, Lebanese, Sudanese, Standard-Arabian (MSA), Syrian) , English (Variants: British, Australian, US)
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English
Related KudoZ points
:
36
They took us down the garden path
You wanted an idom. To take someone down the garden path is to mislead them, and this is what your context implies. Fuad's is perfectly correct, but not very idiomatic.
Something went wrong...