Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Arabic term or phrase:
باتت اللقمة قريب
English translation:
We almost achieved our goal
Added to glossary by
Sami Khamou
Nov 7, 2004 14:52
19 yrs ago
Arabic term
Also an editor and writer; Georgetown MA
Native in: English 
Works in: Arabic to English, English
باتت اللقمة قريب
Arabic to English
Other
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
i know what this literally means...but i'm looking for an English saying that will be a good equivalent. the context is:
بسبب هذه الفوضى، ضاعت العديد من الملفات والمعاملات، وضاعت معها جهود أسابيع وأشهر من العمل حتى "باتت اللقمة قريبة من الفم"
بسبب هذه الفوضى، ضاعت العديد من الملفات والمعاملات، وضاعت معها جهود أسابيع وأشهر من العمل حتى "باتت اللقمة قريبة من الفم"
Proposed translations
+1
2 hrs
Sami Khamou
Native in Arabic
Accurate service & fast delivery
Native in: Arabic 
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English
Related KudoZ points
:
12
Arabic term (edited):
���� ������ ����
Selected
We almost achieved our goal
Literally this means "The morsel was close to the mouth".
Therefore it should mean "We were on the brink of achieving our goal" or "we almost achieved our goal" or "we almost found what we were looking for" but we didn't because of the chaos.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "many thanks!"
1 hr
Yasser El Helw
Egypt
Egypt
Native in Arabic
&
English
Egypt
NATIVE SPEAKER OF MEDICINE
Native in: Arabic , English
Works in: Arabic to English, English to Arabic, Spanish to English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
Arabic term (edited):
���� ������ ����
It put a knot in our throat
Good-luck
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Note added at 1 hr 52 mins (2004-11-07 16:45:25 GMT)
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Mom of 8th grader: Let school field trips continue
... I can\'t begin to tell you how we felt as we walked, read and felt the statues and
the thousands of names carved in stone. It put a knot in our throat. ...
www.thecitizennews.com/main/ archive-000614/opinion/ltr-05.html - 13k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages
IMDb user comments for Yi ge dou bu neng shao (1999)
... her student. Her struggle is so deep that we feel a knot in our throat
as we watch her go through a number of ordeals. She doesn ...
www.imdb.com/title/tt0209189/usercomments-29 - 60k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 52 mins (2004-11-07 16:45:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Mom of 8th grader: Let school field trips continue
... I can\'t begin to tell you how we felt as we walked, read and felt the statues and
the thousands of names carved in stone. It put a knot in our throat. ...
www.thecitizennews.com/main/ archive-000614/opinion/ltr-05.html - 13k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages
IMDb user comments for Yi ge dou bu neng shao (1999)
... her student. Her struggle is so deep that we feel a knot in our throat
as we watch her go through a number of ordeals. She doesn ...
www.imdb.com/title/tt0209189/usercomments-29 - 60k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages
6 hrs
Arabic term (edited):
���� ������ ����
The Food that is in the Mouth is not yet in the Belly
The Food that is in the Mouth is not yet in the Belly (Kikuyu proverb). Both the Arabic proverb and this one from Kikuyu give the meaning that you are almost there but ...
Does it help? Hope so.
Does it help? Hope so.
6 hrs
Arabic term (edited):
���� ������ ����
The Food that is in the Mouth is not yet in the Belly
The Food that is in the Mouth is not yet in the Belly (Kikuyu proverb). Both the Arabic proverb and this one from Kikuyu give the meaning that you are almost there but ...
Does it help? Hope so.
Does it help? Hope so.
2 days 19 hrs
Randa Farhat
Lebanon
Lebanon
Native in Arabic
Lebanon
Science, UN agencies, NGOs, Corporations
Native in: Arabic (Variant: Standard-Arabian (MSA))
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, Arabic
Related KudoZ points
:
28
Arabic term (edited):
��� ���� ������ ����� �� ����
ripe for the picking
1) ... just when the crop was ripe for the picking
OR
2) ... just when we were about to snatch the catch
OR
2) ... just when we were about to snatch the catch
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