كان فى جره و خرج بره 

Kan fi garrah we kharag le barrah

Translation: He was in an earthen pot, then went out

Meaning: This jocular saying, still in circulation, summons the unusual image of a person who – almost like a jinni – was incarcerated in a jar, then found his/her way out. One day they didn’t know what’s happening outside their street, and the next day they are chatting with the mayor as if they were old friends, or making a deal with businessmen from the next town. The saying must be used with a generous dollop of jealousy, as if you’re the one who deserved this change of fortune, not this fellow that should have stayed in his “earthen pot”.

Source: Egyptian Proverbs, (Al-Ahram Center for Translation and Publishing, 1986) by Ahmed Taymour Pasha,

Translated by: Nabil Shawkat