What it means
شتر دیدی، ندیدی (shotor didi, nadidi) literally means “you saw a camel, you didn’t.” Iranians say it as a quick request: pretend you didn’t see, keep your mouth shut.
How to use it
- شتر دیدی ندیدی (shotor didi nadidi) “You saw a camel, you didn’t”
- به کسی نگو، شتر دیدی ندیدی (be kasi nagu, shotor didi nadidi) “Don’t tell anyone, you saw nothing”
- شتر دیدی؟ ندیدی (shotor didi? nadidi) “Saw a camel? No you didn’t”
The literal meaning
A camel is the largest animal in any Iranian landscape, impossible to miss. The joke of the proverb is that even something this huge can be “unseen” if everyone agrees to play along.
The figurative meaning
Be discreet. Whatever you witnessed, lock it away. The bigger and more obvious the thing, the more delicious the conspiracy of silence.
When you’d say it
An older sister catches her younger brother sneaking ice cream before dinner and, with a wink, says it to him in exchange for not telling their mother.
Cultural note
This is one of the most playful proverbs in everyday Tehrani speech. It comes up in family WhatsApp groups, between coworkers covering for each other’s late arrivals, and between siblings keeping minor secrets from parents. The tone is conspiratorial and warm, not threatening; it’s the sound of small kindnesses traded between people who trust each other.
References
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