They said: It is a piece of rock placed next to two other stones, upon which the cooking pot rests. This is said of someone who inflicts a great calamity, and also of someone who leaves no evil untouched, because the three stones of the three stones are each the size of a person's head. So, if he strikes him with the third, he has reached the end. This is what al-Azhari said. Al-Badi' al-Hamadhani said: "I have a body like one of the three stones... and a liver like the third of the three stones."
He means the piece of rock.
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The closest English equivalent to this proverb is:
The last straw.
Meaning: The final, devastating blow.
Another expression very close to conveying the meaning of a great calamity is:
A crushing blow.
Or:
Hit with the worst calamity.
Because the phrase "the third of the three stones" signifies the ultimate in severity and hardship, there is also:
When it rains, it pours.
Meaning: When misfortunes come, they come all at once.
It can also be expressed as:
The final and greatest disaster.
This is closer to the original meaning of the Arabic proverb.
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ولي جسم كواحدة المثاني ... له كبد كثالثة الأثافي.
يريد القطعة من الجبل
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