You can't ride a camel bent over
Meaning: Some things cannot be concealed
Originated in: 🇮🇷 Iran
Original quote:
شتر سواری دولا دولا نمی شود
(Persian)
This saying calls attention to the fact that some things cannot be done secretly. No matter how much you try to hide such things, they will still be obvious to those around you.
The best example is a pregnancy. You can cover it up for a while, but by the third trimester, your belly generally gives away the baby inside you no matter what you do. Cosmetic surgery or injuries are often just as apparent. You can deny they happened, but anyone can tell just by looking at you.
It can also be used more subtly and almost hyperbolically. One might say you can’t ride a camel bent over to one obviously infatuated but who denies it. Even though there’s no hard physical evidence, the way one acts can make it apparent to those around who know how smitten people behave around the opposite sex.
The saying itself is a rather silly and straightforward example of the saying. You can’t disguise the fact that you are riding a camel. You can bend over as far as you want and try to conceal your face and body, but the giant camel under you rather gives that fact away. You can’t hide the camel by any means of contorting your body. It’s always going to be plainly visible.