Egyptian Arabic Idiom #1: Entering A Bathroom Is Not Like Leaving It

Today we are posting our first Egyptian Arabic idiom.

We have done this before on our Instagram, but figured a blog post was a good way to give you extra information.

Let’s get started.

Egyptian Arabic Idiom #1: Entering A Bathroom Is Not Like Leaving It

Closest Equivalent In English: “to be in deep water”

Franco transliteration: Dokhool el 7ammam mesh zai khrougo.

. دخول الحمام مش زي خروجه

The Story Behind The Idiom

Hundreds of years ago in Egypt, a man opened a new public bathhouse.

As a creative way to attract more people, he hung a sign that says “Free Entry”.

Seeing the sign, a large number of men rushed in without thinking. However, when the customers finished their bath and tried to leave, the owner didn’t want to return the customers’ clothes until they paid a fee.

The angry customers argued that the sign stated they could enter for free. The owner replied: It is free to enter, but the fee is for leaving.

Therefore: “Entering the bath is not like leaving it.”

How To Use The Idiom

Egyptians nowadays use this idiom when someone gets involved in a dangerous or troublesome situation.

It’s especially used when the situation is not so easy to get out of. Or when someone gets in a fishy job and wants to leave without consequences.

Example (if somebody is doing an illegal job to make money):

A: You should tell her the truth about this money. : enta lazem t2olha el 7a2e2a 3an el floos de.

.انت لازم تقولها الحقيقة عن الفلوس دي

B: That would be tough, I don’t want to sell this stuff anymore. : da hyb2a sa3b awy, ana mesh 3ayz abee3 el7agat de tani.

.ده هيبقى صعب قوي ، انا مش عايز ابيع الحاجات دي تاني

A: You started that with me, you are in deep water. : enta bada2t elmawdo3 da ma3ia, dkhool el7amam mesh zai khrougo

.انت بدأت الموضوع ده معايا، دخول الحمام مش زي خروجه

Here is an interview from the streets of Cairo asking about the Egyptian idiom.

Difficult without subtitles, but still interesting!

Cultural Insight

The word bathhouse in Egyptian Arabic is el7ammam (الحمام). Even so, Egypt doesn’t really have this type of public bathhouse anymore.

Instead, the word 7ammam is now used to refer to a normal bathroom. 

…

Happy learning,

Cleo Lingo