Yallah, join The National's Saeed Saeed as he takes a deep dive into the cultural gems and quirks of the Arab world and its diaspora ...
It's the emoji sign of our times: slow down.
Apple is introducing the pinched fingers emoji later this year, and while it's viewed as a universal sign to slow down (Italians love it), it's a multifarious gesture in the Arab world that can be used in many ways, including to tell people to be quiet or to calm down. A popular use is to suggest to another motorist that they should give way.
We even have our own phrase to accompany it, a vibrant slang term, shway shway.
If you're hanging around Arabic speakers engaged in passionate conversation, you will have heard this term and seen its corresponding physical gesture used liberally.
What does shway shway actually mean?
Shway is a colloquial term derived from the Arabic root word shwaya, which means a little bit.
The addition of another shway is purely for emphasis.
Broad and inclusive, the term can be used to address young and old (modify your tone and be respectful to elders). It can help get across the need for emotions ranging from calm to concentration.
Here are six ways shway shway is used in everyday life
1. As the Arabic version of 'take a chill pill'
For moderators of heated office meetings, security guards and concerned loved ones, the term and pinched salute can be an effective rage diffuser.
But don’t only utter it once. Using a soothing tone, say it repeatedly like a mantra until the angry subject regains their sense, and civility is restored.
2. To concentrate
If you have ever moved house using an Arab moving crew, nearly every second word you will hear is shway shway.
When someone is carrying your antique mahogany desk to the truck, their constant muttering of shway shway is as much a message to themselves as to their colleagues to slow down and concentrate on the task at hand.
3. At the table
If someone tells you to shway shway while you're reaching for that umpteenth serving of biryani, then you've either had more than your fill or you are eating way too fast.
I have personally experienced this many times, especially in my teenage years, at the first iftar meal of Ramadan. Absolutely ravenous, I would attack my mother’s lavish spread with such relish that she would shout, "Boy, shway shway." It never worked, though. My nights would often end uncomfortably with endless hiccups and belches.
4. A parental aid
There will be a time in a child’s life when they will think shway shway is their second name, such is the frequency with which parents use the term. It's employed both lovingly and in anger, often when the child wanders unexpectedly down hallways or shopping aisles.
Repetition is key here.
5. To find a bargain
A more modern way of using shway shway is to bargain. At the Madinat Zayed Gold Centre, my auntie exclaimed "shway shway" when the seller quoted an unacceptable price.
As my bargain-loving relative would later tell me, the actual price wasn't the problem. It was the seller's speed to get to his "final price" that was the issue, because it robbed my auntie of the long and unwieldy bargaining negotiations she loves.
In this context, shway shway means to enjoy the journey of bargaining, rather than the destination.
6. When shway shway is not effective
This is a Dh100-or-so lesson I will give you for free. In April last year, I ventured out of my favourite Khalidiya coffee shop to discover a Mawaqif officer rightfully serving me a parking ticket.
“Come on my brother,” I pleaded. "Shway shway, it’s Ramadan.”
He was not impressed.
Really, I should not have listened to the term for once, and hurried back to my car earlier, before the ticket ran out.
The biogs
Name: Zinah Madi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and links
Nationality: Syrian
Family: Married, Mother of Tala, 18, Sharif, 14, Kareem, 2
Favourite Quote: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”
Name: Razan Nabulsi
Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and Links
Nationality: Jordanian
Family: Married, Mother of Yahya, 3.5
Favourite Quote: A Chinese proverb that says: “Be not afraid of moving slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”
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“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Fixtures
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Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
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Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
