IdiomDaily Life
Persian
Persianزیر آب کسی را زدن (Zir-e āb-e kasi rā zadan)
Meaning: To secretly sabotage or betray someone behind their back.
Literally: To hit someone under the water
Example: “همکارش پیش رئیس زیر آبش را زد.” — His coworker stabbed him in the back with the boss.
English equivalent: A stab in the back
Equivalents in other languages
Italian: calcio dell'asino Literally: Kick of the donkey
English: a stab in the back
Origin: "To hit someone under the water": to undermine them secretly, behind their back. The blow is struck where no one can see it, below the surface. No particular story or first use is documented.
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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