# Quand on parle du chien, on lui prépare le gourdin



## apollinaire

Hello 

Apologies - I don't actually speak Arabic but I 'm translating a novel from French that has lots of Arabic/Algerian references and I don't understand any of them.

Is this by any chance an Arabic proverb and, if so, what does it mean?

Quand on parle du chien, on lui prepare le gourdin

literally - When you talk about the dog, you get the club (ie bludgeon) ready

Thanks!


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## yasmeena

Hello,

Yes, this is an Arabic proverb. It is said when someone you've just mentioned or have been talking about shows up (ie. when you mention someone's name, he/she shows up).


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## Josh_

What is the proverb in Arabic, out of curiosity?


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## xebonyx

How is it expressed in Arabic, something like this: إذا قلت اسم غيرك يهظر ?

EDIT: Josh and I were thinking the same thing...didn't see his post)


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## yasmeena

There are many versions of this proverb. I can think of three right now :

أذكر الديب وهيّء\حضّر\جهّز القضيب

ذكرنا القط قام نط

أذكر الجحش بيطحش طحش (this version isn't quite nice)


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## xebonyx

Nice. Thanks Yasmeena.


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## cherine

I think it's like "speak of the devil and he comes running" or something like that, no?

In Egyptian Arabic, we say:
جبنا سيرة القط، جه ينط
gebna sert' el-oTT/siret el-oTT, ge ynoTT 
= We mentioned the cat, it came jumping/running.


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## apollinaire

Yes, in English we just usually say "Speak of the Devil..."

thanks everyone


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## Arrius

The full saying in English is_ Speak of the Devil and smell his breath_ (which presumably stinks of sulphur). The French say: _On parle du loup et on en voit la queue _(One talks of the wolf and sees his tail).


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## Josh_

Yes, there are other proverbs that express this same idea, but what I meant by my last post was what is the Arabic for this particular version:

"Quand on parle du chien, on lui prepare le gourdin"
 "When you talk about the dog, you get the club (i.e. bludgeon) ready."

...which Apollinaire seemed to think might have been (taken directly) from Arabic.  I take it is:

"أذكر الديب وهيّء\حضّر\جهّز القضيب"


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## Xence

apollinaire said:


> I 'm translating a novel from French that has lots of Arabic/Algerian references and I don't understand any of them.
> 
> Is this by any chance an Arabic proverb and, if so, what does it mean?
> 
> Quand on parle du chien, on lui prepare le gourdin


As far as I am concerned, I am not aware of such a proverb in Algerian culture. What Yasmeena has mentioned is probably a Lebanese (or Levantine) proverb.
However, in the same line of cherine's proverb, we have this one:
اذكر الصيد يهدف
_Speak of the lion, it pops up !_



			
				Arrius said:
			
		

> The French say: _On parle du loup et on en voit la queue _(One talks of the wolf and sees his tail).


In fact, the correct version is:
_Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue_. [_Talk of the wolf and its tail appears.]_


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## zooz

yasmeena said:


> There are many versions of this proverb. I can think of three right now :
> 
> أذكر الديب وهيّء\حضّر\جهّز القضيب
> 
> ذكرنا القط قام نط
> 
> أذكر الجحش بيطحش طحش (this version isn't quite nice)



That's spot on yasmeena 

I'm even surprised that you know the third one . And yes, it's not really nice to say it.


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## djara

In Tunisia, in the same context, we use a totally different expression: 
ما تموت كان على عكاز maa tmuut kaan 3la 3ukkaaz
Literally, you will only die on a walking stick; i.e of old age.


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## Andrew___

yasmeena said:


> There are many versions of this proverb. I can think of three right now :
> ذكرنا القط قام نط



May I ask what a نط is?

Thanks.


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## clevermizo

Andrew___ said:


> May I ask what a نط is?
> 
> Thanks.



It's the verb to jump.


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## Andrew___

Hello Yasmeena,

I didn't understand what these words mean:
أذكر الديب وهيّء\حضّر\جهّز القضيب

"Mention the __ and the fetch the penis" 

It really confused me.

Thanks,
Andrew


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## clevermizo

Andrew___ said:


> Hello Yasmeena,
> 
> I didn't understand what these words mean:
> أذكر الديب وهيّء\حضّر\جهّز القضيب
> 
> "Mention the __ and the fetch the penis"
> 
> It really confused me.
> 
> Thanks,
> Andrew


 
قضيب is a word for stick/staff. I honestly didn't know that it also meant phallus, but I guess it makes sense by analogy.


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## Andrew___

Thanks Clevermizo.  May I ask what الديب is?  This also confused me.

Cheers,
Andrew


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## clevermizo

Andrew___ said:


> Thanks Clevermizo.  May I ask what الديب is?  This also confused me.
> 
> Cheers,
> Andrew



It's colloquial for الذئب.


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## Andrew___

Oh I see. So it means "Mention the wolf and fetch the stick" (because the wolf is about to come!).  Thanks Clever.

Is أذكر pronounced "udhkur" here? Thanks.


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