«اِلْبَاطِلْ مَالُوشْ رِجْلِينْ»

Untruth is personified here as a body without limbs, stranded in place. Anything resting on deception, the image implies, lacks the basic equipment for getting anywhere, so a lie cannot be expected to carry a claim or a scheme very far.

Spoken as a verdict on dishonesty, the line grants that a lie may be told yet denies it any power to advance by itself. It sets the emptiness of deceit against any hope that deceit will gain real headway.

Use it figuratively when speaking of falsehood as unable to go forward or make its way. The expression is especially apt where the image of walking or movement gives emphasis to the point.