Mona Helal Jul 27, 2012:

Dareth, it might help if you put a bit more text in, maybe?

Dareth Pray (asker) Jul 26, 2012:

I'm not inclined to translate this literally because this would sound like nonsense. It's not something a native speaker of English would ever say, plus, drinking things doesn't destroy you (except for acid or something like that!). So it's not logical and doesn't connect with the discussion. Earlier in the forum they were discussing whether or not something he said was true, and one reader posted this phrase in response. Going off Yasser El Helw's interpretation, I'm considering something like, "Maybe they roofied him/drugged him and now he's all messed up." The project that I'm working on encourages the use of brackets to indicate literal meanings and their equivalent expressions in English. I think I'll be going this route. Any other suggestions on equivalent English expressions?

Mona Helal Jul 26, 2012:

I'm not sure why everyone is reading too much into this? translate as it is. There's no mention here of him being seduced or anty thing of the sort. The direct translation is that he drank something yellow. If there is something metaphoric I can't see in this short sentence.

Yasser El Helw Jul 26, 2012:

It would be instructive if you tell us how you solve it in English :-)

Yasser El Helw Jul 26, 2012:

The usual context is that a girl who is seduced into unlawful sex says (rightly or wrongly) that her partner gave her something yellow to drink (7aga asfara). The implication is that she (or Mubarak) was obliged out of being naive!