Glossary entry

Arabic term or phrase:

هو شرب حاجة اصفرة

English translation:

they slipped him something

Added to glossary by Dareth Pray
Jul 26, 2012 00:26
12 yrs ago
Arabic term

هو شرب حاجة اصفرة

Arabic to English Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings From a web forum
This is from an Egyptian web forum discussing Mubarak. This is the sentence:

هو شرب حاجة اصفرة وهى ممتدة المفعول لحد متدمرو خالص

I am editing this document, and the translator has put "he drank a yellow thing." This does not work in English, so I'm trying to decide whether this refers to drugs, medicine, poison, etc. and if so, in what way. Is this expression used more metaphorically or literally? Where does it come from?

Thank you.

Discussion

Mona Helal Jul 27, 2012:
Dareth, it might help if you put a bit more text in, maybe?
Dareth Pray (asker) Jul 26, 2012:
I'm not inclined to translate this literally because this would sound like nonsense. It's not something a native speaker of English would ever say, plus, drinking things doesn't destroy you (except for acid or something like that!). So it's not logical and doesn't connect with the discussion. Earlier in the forum they were discussing whether or not something he said was true, and one reader posted this phrase in response. Going off Yasser El Helw's interpretation, I'm considering something like, "Maybe they roofied him/drugged him and now he's all messed up." The project that I'm working on encourages the use of brackets to indicate literal meanings and their equivalent expressions in English. I think I'll be going this route. Any other suggestions on equivalent English expressions?
Mona Helal Jul 26, 2012:
I'm not sure why everyone is reading too much into this? translate as it is. There's no mention here of him being seduced or anty thing of the sort. The direct translation is that he drank something yellow. If there is something metaphoric I can't see in this short sentence.
Yasser El Helw Jul 26, 2012:
It would be instructive if you tell us how you solve it in English :-)
Yasser El Helw Jul 26, 2012:
The usual context is that a girl who is seduced into unlawful sex says (rightly or wrongly) that her partner gave her something yellow to drink (7aga asfara). The implication is that she (or Mubarak) was obliged out of being naive!

Proposed translations

6 hrs
Selected

given an entrancing potion

Just an idea!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you! Your discussion comment really helped me figure this out. I put your idea into American slang."
42 mins

He drank something yellow

This is what it means:
He drank something yellow, or he drank a yellow substance.

Maybe the sayer doesn't know what this substance is, he's just describing what he sees.

He also adds that this substance will destroy him in the long run.

I'm not sure why you're not satisfied with this meaning?

Maybe you shouldn't read too much into it, and translate it as is.

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5 hrs

He drank yellow juice/liquid

drink: - juice or the like (certianly liquide)

Peer comment(s):

neutral rabbas (X) : Well he certainly couldn't drink anything solid :)
29 mins
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