Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Arabic term or phrase:
خلط الحابل بالنابل
English translation:
Separate the wheat from the chaff/Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater
Added to glossary by
Wa'ad Younane
Oct 12, 2007 18:03
17 yrs ago
5 viewers *
Arabic term
Lebanon
we make every word speak your language
Native in: Arabic (Variants: Lebanese, Standard-Arabian (MSA)) 
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, French to Arabic, and 1 more.
خلط الحابل بالنابل
Arabic to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
proverb
There must be an english equivalent of خلط الحابل بالنابل. Can someone please help?
Proposed translations
(English)
References
| apples and oranges |
Alaa Zeineldine
|
Proposed translations
+3
1 hr
Selected
Here: “You have to separate the chaff from the wheat”
Or: Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
I think both might work well in your context.
www.giga-usa.com/quotes/topics/proverbs_t391.htm
throw the baby out with the bath water: to get rid of the good parts as well as the bad parts of something when you are trying to improve it.
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/throw the baby out with ...
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-10-12 19:12:19 GMT)
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I think the first expression fits best actually:
SEPARATE THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF - "Distinguish the wanted from the unwanted, the valuable from the relatively valueless." http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/14/messages/265.htm...
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-10-12 19:14:16 GMT)
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And it's "the wheat from the chaff", not "the chaff from the wheat" as I first suggested!
I think both might work well in your context.
www.giga-usa.com/quotes/topics/proverbs_t391.htm
throw the baby out with the bath water: to get rid of the good parts as well as the bad parts of something when you are trying to improve it.
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/throw the baby out with ...
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-10-12 19:12:19 GMT)
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I think the first expression fits best actually:
SEPARATE THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF - "Distinguish the wanted from the unwanted, the valuable from the relatively valueless." http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/14/messages/265.htm...
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-10-12 19:14:16 GMT)
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And it's "the wheat from the chaff", not "the chaff from the wheat" as I first suggested!
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks a million, that's exactly what I am serching for."
2 mins
Hani Hassaan
Egypt
Egypt
Native in Arabic
Egypt
Quality communicates you with Arab world
Native in: Arabic (Variants: Jordanian, Kuwaiti, Standard-Arabian (MSA), Saudi , Egyptian, Syrian, UAE)
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, German to Arabic
Related KudoZ points
:
6
everything became confused
everything became confused
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Note added at 4 mins (2007-10-12 18:07:16 GMT)
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-everything was in a chaos
-everything got mixed up
-everything was in a mess
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Note added at 4 mins (2007-10-12 18:07:16 GMT)
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-everything was in a chaos
-everything got mixed up
-everything was in a mess
Note from asker:
| Isn't there a proverb in English that is equivalent to our Arabic proverb? |
| thank you |
+3
13 mins
Sami Khamou
Native in Arabic
Specializes in field
Accurate service & fast delivery
Native in: Arabic
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English
Related KudoZ points
:
28
Helter-skelter
Helter-skelter
Topsy-Turvy
إذا كنت تبحث عن المعنى فإجابات الإخوة الأفاضل صحيحة. أما إذا كنت تبحث عن مثل مقابل باللغة الإنجليزية فيمكنك استعمال ما ورد أعلاه
Topsy-Turvy
إذا كنت تبحث عن المعنى فإجابات الإخوة الأفاضل صحيحة. أما إذا كنت تبحث عن مثل مقابل باللغة الإنجليزية فيمكنك استعمال ما ورد أعلاه
Note from asker:
| thank you |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Assem Mazloum
: Absolutely
15 mins
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Thank you profi-assem
|
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| agree |
Noha Kamal, PhD.
1 hr
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Thank you Noha
|
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| agree |
AhmedAMS
1 hr
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Thank you AhmedAMS
|
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| neutral |
younes-01
: I don't see the relevance of helter-skelter with waa'd's phrase ; I checked cambridge and I did not find any connection with خلط الحابل بالناب
2 days 19 hrs
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Thank you Younes. Al-Mawrid gives the meaning clearly.
|
52 mins
Mohamed Salaheldin
Egypt
Egypt
Native in Arabic
Egypt
Quality English-Arabic Translation/Proof
Native in: Arabic
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
disolved into chaos
different designated fighters were mixed up
Note from asker:
| thank you |
1 hr
Sayed Moustafa talawy
Native in Arabic
Specializes in field
WE do the best for the least
Native in: Arabic 
Works in: Arabic to English, English to Arabic, French to Arabic
Related KudoZ points
:
10
Don’t mix that chatter with this matter
here what you mean wa'ad
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-10-12 19:05:48 GMT)
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لا تخلط الحابل بانابل
ولا هذا الموضوع بذلك
ولا هذه بتك
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-10-12 19:05:48 GMT)
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لا تخلط الحابل بانابل
ولا هذا الموضوع بذلك
ولا هذه بتك
Note from asker:
| thank you |
Reference comments
921 days
Alaa Zeineldine
Egypt
Egypt
Native in Arabic
&
English
Egypt
The best in IT ... and in Automotive
Native in: Arabic , English
Works in: English to Arabic, Arabic to English, English, and 1 more.
Reference:
apples and oranges
This refers to mixing or comparing things of different nature. They do not have to be of different quality as is the case with "chaff and wheat. "
Example sentence:
Comparing English to Arabic is like comparing apples to oranges.
Discussion
لسنا تافهين، نحن أصحاب قلم، رجاءً لا تخلط الحابل بالنابل