Meaning
To speak in a confused, disjointed, or irrelevant manner, making no clear point.
Cultural Background
In Persian literature, 'weaving' is often a metaphor for creating poetry. However, this specific idiom turns that positive metaphor on its head to describe 'bad' weaving of words. The phrase was historically used to mock the Sophists who used complex but empty rhetoric to win debates in the courts of kings. You will often see this idiom in newspaper headlines to criticize political speeches that avoid addressing economic realities. In Tehran, the phrase is often shortened in very casual speech to just 'آسمان ریسمان نکن' (Don't sky-rope).
Use it sarcastically
You can say 'عجب آسمان و ریسمانی بافتی!' (What a sky and rope you wove!) to sarcastically admire a creative lie.
Don't use with elders
It can be seen as calling them a liar, which is very rude in Persian culture.
Meaning
To speak in a confused, disjointed, or irrelevant manner, making no clear point.
Use it sarcastically
You can say 'عجب آسمان و ریسمانی بافتی!' (What a sky and rope you wove!) to sarcastically admire a creative lie.
Don't use with elders
It can be seen as calling them a liar, which is very rude in Persian culture.
The 'Be Ham' part
Always include 'be ham' to sound more native. It emphasizes the 'tangled' nature of the nonsense.
Ta'arof connection
If someone is giving you too much Ta'arof (polite formalities) and not getting to the point, you can use this gently to ask for the truth.
Test Yourself
Fill in the missing words to complete the idiom.
وقتی از او پرسیدم چرا دیر کردی، شروع کرد به _______ و _______ به هم بافتن.
The correct idiom is 'Asman o Risman be ham baftan'.
Which situation best fits the use of this idiom?
In which case would you say 'Asman o Risman nabaf'?
The idiom is used for illogical excuses or rambling.
Complete the dialogue with the correct form of the idiom.
سارا: چرا دیشب نیامدی؟ نیما: راستش... ماشینم خراب شد، بعد باران آمد، بعد کلیدم را گم کردم... سارا: نیما، باز داری ________________؟
The second person singular present continuous is needed here.
Match the Persian idiom to its English equivalent.
Match the following:
The idiom matches the English idea of making up far-fetched stories.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Logic vs. Sky-and-Rope
Practice Bank
4 exercisesوقتی از او پرسیدم چرا دیر کردی، شروع کرد به _______ و _______ به هم بافتن.
The correct idiom is 'Asman o Risman be ham baftan'.
In which case would you say 'Asman o Risman nabaf'?
The idiom is used for illogical excuses or rambling.
سارا: چرا دیشب نیامدی؟ نیما: راستش... ماشینم خراب شد، بعد باران آمد، بعد کلیدم را گم کردم... سارا: نیما، باز داری ________________؟
The second person singular present continuous is needed here.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
The idiom matches the English idea of making up far-fetched stories.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsIt's not a swear word, but it is confrontational. It's like saying 'You're full of it' or 'Stop lying.'
Yes, it's very common in journalism and informal essays, but avoid it in strictly academic papers.
'Chert o Pert' is just 'nonsense.' 'Asman o Risman' implies a *story* or a *connection* of unrelated things.
Yes, it's a regular verb. You conjugate it according to the subject and tense.
Sometimes people just say 'آسمان ریسمان نکن' in very casual speech.
Yes! If the movie makes no sense and jumps around, you can say the director wove sky and rope.
Because they are the most unrelated things imaginable—one is infinite and high, the other is small and earthly.
Yes, it is well-understood in Afghanistan (Dari) and Tajikistan, though local variations might exist.
Only if you want to get fired! It's too informal and accusatory for a boss.
The present continuous ('داری میبافی') and the past simple ('بافت') are most common.
Related Phrases
چرت و پرت گفتن
synonymTo talk nonsense
از این شاخه به آن شاخه پریدن
similarTo jump from branch to branch
حرف حسابی زدن
contrastTo speak sense / to say something logical
صغری کبری چیدن
similarTo lay out premises (logic)
خالی بستن
similarTo lie / to bluff
