# انفد بريشك



## TheArabicStudent

A few questions.  What does انفد by itself mean and what does the whole phrase mean?  Is it a popular phrase everywhere or specific to Levantine countries?  Thanks very much for any help!


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## elroy

انفد means "to pass through," "to go through," and, by extension, "to get away" (depending on the context).

انفد بريشك is an expression meaning "get away while you can."  I think the idea is that a bird with feathers can move around easily and can therefore escape a precarious or undesirable situation pretty easily, so if you have "feathers" (i.e. whatever it is that enables you to escape), you may as well do it now, before you "lose your feathers" and are stuck.

I don't know where all the expression is used, but I can tell you that it's very common in Palestinian Arabic.


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## rayloom

Also انفد بجلدك is used to indicate the same meaning.


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## elroy

rayloom said:


> Also انفد بجلدك is used to indicate the same meaning.


 Where is that used?  I don't think I've ever heard it in Palestinian Arabic.


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## rayloom

elroy said:


> Where is that used?  I don't think I've ever heard it in Palestinian Arabic.



I was answering the main question. انفد بجلدك (and all variations of it) is not Palestinian; It's Classical Arabic. And is quite commonly used today as an idiom.


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## rayloom

In Classical Arabic it's انفذ & نفذ


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## Egyptlover

rayloom said:


> Also انفد بجلدك is used to indicate the same meaning.





elroy said:


> Where is that used?  I don't think I've ever heard it in Palestinian Arabic.



It's used in Egyptian Arabic and I think it's also used in Palestinian Arabic of Gaza since I've read it here. I believe it's probably because Gaza is next to Egypt.


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## elroy

rayloom said:


> I was answering the main question. انفد بجلدك (and all variations of it) is not Palestinian; It's Classical Arabic. And is quite commonly used today as an idiom.


  I think you may have misunderstood me.  I wasn't questioning the validity of the expression.  I was just wondering what specific dialects it was used in, because as I said I don't think I've ever heard it in Palestinian Arabic.


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## Mahaodeh

It's used in Iraq, except that it's انفذ.


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## TheArabicStudent

Thanks much.  It seems like a very widespread phrase that everyone will understand.


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## nourkamel

TheArabicStudent said:


> A few questions. What does انفد by itself mean and what does the whole phrase mean? Is it a popular phrase everywhere or specific to Levantine countries? Thanks very much for any help!


 
hi , the true meaning of أنفد بريشك  is: run [escape] as possible as you can .

i don't know if you know frensh but the exact translation in frensh is : sauve qui peut.

i hope it can help


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## Arabus

The meaning in Arabic ("run away with your feathers") does not make sense, because people do not have feathers. In Aramaic however, the meaning becomes very plausible because it is "run away with your head." So I would guess that this expression entered Arabic from Aramaic, and the other forms (like انفد بجلدك) were modeled after it. This is just a theory, I don't have textual evidence, but northern Arabs and Arameans had contact for many centuries and several Arabic expressions are indeed proven to be of Aramaic origin.


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## Mahaodeh

Maybe, but does it "sound" the same? Unless riishak in Aramaic means "your head" then there seems to be no proof either way. I mean, why wouldn't you say that the origin is "your skin" and the other forms be modeled after it? Or why wouldn't "run away with your feathers" have it's own story (similar to على أهلها جنت براقش or ضيّع المشيتين) and "run away with  your skin/head" are just variations?


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## Arabus

_Riish _ܪܝܫ in Aramaic means head.

As for how to decide which etymology is the best, this has to do with your _scientific _sense and experience.


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## rayloom

Actually head in Aramaic is Resh. And the expression انفذ بجلدك is commoner than انفذ بريشك, which might mean that it's older, and that انفذ بريشك was modeled after it.

Furthermore, there is a realization of the sibilant differences when borrowing occurs between 2 Semitic languages. Thus, if it was borrowed as an idiom, it would have been borrowed as انفذ برأسك.


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## Arabus

rayloom said:


> Actually head in Aramaic is Resh. And the expression انفذ بجلدك is commoner than انفذ بريشك, which might mean that it's older, and that انفذ بريشك was modeled after it.
> 
> Furthermore, there is a realization of the sibilant differences when borrowing occurs between 2 Semitic languages. Thus, if it was borrowed as an idiom, it would have been borrowed as انفذ برأسك.


 Well, Aramaic is not a single entity but it is a group of dialects spoken over a large area and for a very long period of time. When I said _"riish _means head in Aramaic," I was referring to the time period and location that correspond to our case.


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## WadiH

The links between Aramaic and North Arabian are a subject that interests me a great deal.  Many people don't realize that North Arabian and Aramaic co-existed in the same areas for many centuries and that many (most?) North Arabian inscriptions were found within the borders of modern Syria.

Still, with this expression, I'm on the fence.   Yes, obviously humans are not birds and thus do not have feathers, but it sounds like ريش is used here metaphorically (in that sense, "escape with your head" doesn't make any more sense than "escape with your feathers").  After all, the Quran says واخفض لهما جناح الذلّ, and we all know humans do not have wings.


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## Interprete

Arabus said:


> _Riish _ܪܝܫ in Aramaic means head.
> 
> As for how to decide which etymology is the best, this has to do with your _scientific _sense and experience.


 Well if all seemingly illogical/far-fetched idiomatic  expressions in Arabic had to be ascribed to older counterparts from other languages, I don't know what would be left... Even in English in some contexts 'fly away' can replace 'escape' when you wax a bit lyrical.


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