آخر المعروف ينضرب بالكفوف
Akher el maarouf yenderib bel kofouf
Translation: In return for a favour, he was slapped in the face.
Meaning: No good deed goes unpunished. This proverb is outdated, although it is brief and nicely rhymed. The language is modern and easy to understand, so you can still use it to impress friends. Say someone asks you to buy something and then complains because it was the wrong colour, shape, or brand – this is when you use it.
Source: Egyptian Proverbs, (Al-Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing, 1986) by Ahmed Taymour Pasha
Translated by: Nabil Shawkat
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