«زَيِّ الْقُرُودْ يِخَافْ مِنْ خِيَالُهْ»

The saying describes someone so timid and jumpy that even the most ordinary sights alarm them. It draws on a traditional belief that a monkey panics at its own reflection or shadow; such a person likewise recoils from things that pose no threat at all.

It also carries a note of mockery. By likening the fearful person to a monkey, the speaker suggests that this anxiety is foolish and unjustified, a failure to recognize something harmless and familiar.

Use it, often teasingly, about someone who startles easily or panics over harmless things, such as a noise, a shape in the dark, or an imagined danger. Its monkey comparison is mocking, so it suits informal talk among people comfortable with gentle ridicule and may offend if aimed at someone.