«اِلْحَرَامِي إِيدُهْ تَاكْلُهْ»

The proverb treats theft as a bodily craving. Its verb literally means 'eat' but here describes itching or tingling, not consumption: a habitual thief feels a restlessness in the hand that does the taking, as if the limb itself pushes him toward the next theft.

More broadly, it observes that ingrained vices tend to reassert themselves. A person long accustomed to wrongdoing is driven by compulsion, so lapses are expected rather than surprising.

Use it when someone with a known record of stealing or a similar misdeed falls back into it, or seems unable to resist the chance. It carries weary or scornful recognition. Applied to a real person, it labels them a thief and is an accusation, not a neutral remark.