Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Arabic term or phrase:
كاكا وكلبوه وتشب بالماي
English translation:
A Kurd, his dog, and dirty water are the same
Added to glossary by
Lamis Maalouf
Mar 16, 2007 07:42
17 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Arabic term
كاكا وكلبوه وتشب بالماي
Arabic to English
Social Sciences
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Iraqi Proverb
This is a proverb used by someone to describe the ruling elite in Iraq, commenting that the same faces can be found in one government after the other, one council after the other. "As we say in Iraq: كاكا وكلبوه وتشب بالماي:"
Proposed translations
(English)
| 5 +1 | A Kurd, his dog, and dirty water are the same |
Lamis Maalouf
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| 4 +1 | Same faces, different masks |
Mohamed Ghazal
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| 5 | Tom, Dick and Harry |
the Train
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Proposed translations
+1
2 days 12 hrs
Lamis Maalouf
United States
United States
Native in Arabic
United States
D.D.S, Education plus experience
Native in: Arabic 
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, Arabic
Related KudoZ points
:
24
Selected
A Kurd, his dog, and dirty water are the same
I suggested a translation and deleted it after I got help from a trustworthy reference in Iraq. This is a racist saying against the Kurds. It is the result of enmity between Arabs and Kurds in Iraq. Its meaning is a Kurd, his dog, and dirty unwanted water are the same.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Mohamed Ghazal
: Outstanding
15 hrs
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Our family lived like ابن بطوطة and one good thing about that is knowing friends everywhere who can help! Thanks Mohamed.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you so much, Lamis, for researching this for me, and for the excellent explanation!"
+1
15 mins
Mohamed Ghazal
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
Native in Arabic
Specializes in field
United Arab Emirates
It's not just a job...
Native in: Arabic (Variant: Egyptian) 
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English
Related KudoZ points
:
20
Same faces, different masks
The same/different (SSDD) rule is being applied now to different contradicting situations, and you can actually make your own:
Try googling "same + different" and you'll see.
Same News, Different Day
Same Brains, Different Languages
Same Place, Different Time
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Note added at 17 mins (2007-03-16 07:59:49 GMT)
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This is merely based on your explanation, as I do not have a clue what any of these "Arabic" words mean. :$
Try googling "same + different" and you'll see.
Same News, Different Day
Same Brains, Different Languages
Same Place, Different Time
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Note added at 17 mins (2007-03-16 07:59:49 GMT)
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This is merely based on your explanation, as I do not have a clue what any of these "Arabic" words mean. :$
Reference:
7 hrs
Tom, Dick and Harry
Names from some kind of old comedy or show that means same (silly or incompetent) people....
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Note added at 7 hrs (2007-03-16 14:53:53 GMT)
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expression, not names... sorry for the mistake...
It's also listed in Wikipedia.
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Note added at 8 hrs (2007-03-16 16:00:26 GMT)
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I googled it and it seems that kaka means the mororn some character like Goha, كلبوه might be a name of a valley/tribe شعب كلبوه يقوم وكشبل ينهض لا يربض= the coward, and وتشب بالماي means that somebody is trying to set fire ablaze by adding water to it=botched it up basically .
It seems it corresponds to an Egyptian proverb
زعيط ومطيط ونطاط الحيط
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Note added at 7 hrs (2007-03-16 14:53:53 GMT)
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expression, not names... sorry for the mistake...
It's also listed in Wikipedia.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2007-03-16 16:00:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
I googled it and it seems that kaka means the mororn some character like Goha, كلبوه might be a name of a valley/tribe شعب كلبوه يقوم وكشبل ينهض لا يربض= the coward, and وتشب بالماي means that somebody is trying to set fire ablaze by adding water to it=botched it up basically .
It seems it corresponds to an Egyptian proverb
زعيط ومطيط ونطاط الحيط
Note from asker:
| Thanks Rehab - I was also thinking it could mean sth like "Tweedledum and Tweedledee", but as I said in my note to Mohamed, I'm trying to understand the Iraqi expression and provide a literal translation if possible, because of the words "as the Iraqi proverb goes..." |
| Thanks Rehab for your effort! I'll wait from confirmation from our Iraqi colleagues! |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Alaa Zeineldine
: The proverbial Tom, Dick, and Harry usually stand for "anyone no matter who they are", similar to the Egyptian كل من هب ودب.
4 hrs
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Thank you very much indeed. Will keep searching, then.
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Discussion