What it means
رو دست خوردن (ru dast khordan) literally “to receive (a blow) on top of the hand.” Figuratively, it means to be tricked, conned, outsmarted, or taken advantage of. You walked into someone else’s setup.
How to use it
- رو دست خوردم (ru dast khordam) “I got played””
- از این فروشنده رو دست نخور (az in forushande ru dast nakhor) “Don’t let this seller con you”
- بد رو دست خوردیم (bad ru dast khordim) “We got badly tricked”
The literal meaning
The hand is reaching out, perhaps to grab or to deal a card, and someone slaps it from above. You were caught reaching, your move was anticipated and shut down.
The figurative meaning
Getting outmaneuvered in a deal, falling for a scam, or trusting the wrong person and paying for it. The speaker admits they were the slower one in the exchange.
When you’d say it
You bought a used car and discovered the odometer was rolled back. You tell your brother: بد رو دست خوردم.
Cultural note
Common in bazaar talk, real estate horror stories, and family arguments about who got swindled by whom. It carries less shame than کلاه گذاشتن (kolâh gozâshtan), the speaker is the victim, not the trickster, but it still stings.
References
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