. Al-Asma'i said: It means he took a lioness (with a short 'u' sound on the 'b'). Ibn al-A'rabi said: He took seven, meaning seven in number. He said: He specified seven because it is the most common word they use in their speech, as in their saying: seven heavens, seven earths, and seven days. Ibn al-Kalbi said: Seven is a man who takes very hard. He is used as a proverb, and he is Seven ibn Awf ibn Tha'labah ibn Salamah ibn Tha'l ibn Amr ibn al-Ghawth.
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The closest English equivalents in meaning are:
He grabbed him with an iron grip.
He seized him fiercely.
Like a lion pouncing on its prey.
This is close to Al-Asma'i's interpretation regarding the lioness.
He came down on him like a ton of bricks.
Said of someone who attacked or punished severely.
To get a grip on someone.
If the intention is to gain a firm grip, but this is less eloquent than the Arabic proverb.
The closest literary form of the proverb is:
He seized him like a beast seizing its prey.
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