Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Arabic term or phrase:
ضرب أخماسا بأسداس
English translation:
Cannot make heads or tails of something
Arabic term
ضرب أخماسا بأسداس
Nov 22, 2007 08:06: Noha Kamal, PhD. changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/610274">meo2009 (X)'s</a> old entry - "ضرب أخماسا بأسداس "" to ""Cannot make heads or tails of something""
Proposed translations
Quality stands out...
Native in: Arabic
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, French to Arabic, and 1 more.
Cannot make heads or tails of something
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Mohsin Alabdali
11 mins
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Samya Salem (X)
22 mins
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Hasan Abu Khalil
38 mins
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Amira El-Wattar
1 hr
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Assem Mazloum
:
8 hrs
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New Zealand
قاضي صلح و مترجم ومستشار - صالح أيوب
Native in: Arabic 
, English
Works in: Arabic to English, English to Arabic
overcalculating
Your Message Will Be Delivered Online
Native in: Arabic 
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English
Be at sixes and sevens
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Note added at 8 mins (2007-11-18 18:28:04 GMT)
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This is a British expression and not a literal translation
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Abdallah Ali
1 hr
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Amira Abdallah
3 hrs
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Saleh Dardeer
: Yes, this is the best way for translating idioms; well done & Good Luck
6 hrs
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Assem Mazloum
:
8 hrs
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WE do the best for the least
Native in: Arabic
Works in: Arabic to English, English to Arabic, French to Arabic
Puzzling up and down
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Note added at 18 mins (2007-11-18 18:38:11 GMT)
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I know lalla You will be puzzling in choice all are good translators
:)
Accurate than correct
Native in: Arabic
Works in: Arabic to English, English to Arabic
Go off at a tangent
Egypt
The best in IT ... and in Automotive
Native in: Arabic , English
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, English, and 1 more.
he wrang his hands
Here is a good example from Ahmed Matar's poem "Abbas":
(http://www.adab.com/modules.php?name=Sh3er&doWhat=shqas&qid=...
قلب عباس القرطاس
ضرب الأخماس بأسداس
From the Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms:(http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=hands*20 0&di...
"Until recently, the problem has been a subject for much hand-wringing and little else."
At a quandery
Discussion