Literal translation
When you have oil, fry
Meaning
one must make the most of opportunities
Explanation
This proverb advises seizing a favourable opportunity right away, before it passes while one waits for a better moment that might never come. The image comes from the kitchen: having oil is the necessary condition for frying, and it would be absurd to wait when the means are precisely at hand, since the oil itself might later run out. It is used whenever a resource, a skill or a favourable circumstance presents itself and ought to be put to use immediately, before it disappears or the moment slips away. The context rightly links it to the saying about striking while the iron is hot, both proverbs resting on the same logic of a fleeting moment that must be seized with whatever means are available at the time. The register is sententious and common, a practical piece of peasant common sense, passed down as something obvious that needs no lengthy justification.