زیر آب کسی را زدن (Zir-e āb-e kasi rā zadan)
Meaning: To secretly sabotage or betray someone behind their back.
Language: Persian
Literally: To hit someone under the water
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The treachery happens unseen beneath the surface, where no one can witness the blow — a classic Persian image of backstabbing.
More idioms — Daily Life
- Tong kosong nyaring bunyinya — Those who know the least often talk the most.
- Besar pasak daripada tiang — To spend more than you earn.
- Buah tangan — A souvenir or gift brought back for others from a trip.
- Filer à l'anglaise — To leave discreetly without saying goodbye.
- Se mettre sur son trente-et-un — To dress up in your very best clothes.
- Tomber dans le panneau — To fall for a trick or scam.
More Persian idioms
- نمکگیر شدن (namakgir shodan) — To feel bound by gratitude after sharing someone's food or hospitality.
- خر بیار و باقالی بار کن (khar biyār o bāqālī bār kon) — Utter chaos; an endless, overwhelming mess.
- نوشدارو بعد از مرگ سهراب (Nushdaroo ba'd az marg-e Sohraab) — A solution that arrives uselessly too late.
- آب از سرش گذشته (âb az sarash gozashte) — It is already too late to save the situation.
- گربه را دم حجله کشتن (gorbe rā dam-e hejle koshtan) — To assert authority firmly from the very start.
- مرغ همسایه غاز است (morgh-e hamsāye ghāz ast) — The grass is always greener next door.
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