«طَوِّلِ الْغِيبَهْ وِجْهْ بِالْخِيبَهْ»

The saying mocks a person whose long delay ends in nothing. Here وجه is a colloquial form of 'came', not the noun 'face'. A lengthy absence raises hopes of real accomplishment, so returning without results feels doubly disappointing: time was lost, and the expected gain never arrived.

More broadly, it warns that duration is not achievement. Effort measured only by how long one is gone proves nothing. The colloquial endings of الغيبه and الخيبه, standing for the feminine ة, keep the rhyme pairing absence with failure, making the reproach easy to remember and quick to deliver.

Said about someone who took a long time on an errand, mission, or trip and came back empty-handed. It can tease, scold, or voice exasperation, and is often spoken by those who waited and expected results.