«زَيِّ الْمُنْشَارْ، طَالِعْ وَاكِلْ وِنَازِلْ وَاكِلْ»

The proverb describes a person who takes a personal profit from every step of their work. Like a saw cutting on both the upward and downward stroke, such a person never lets a transaction pass without keeping something for themselves. Here 'eating' means taking a cut or gain, not literal eating.

Its target is the opportunist, especially someone suspected of skimming or embezzling from what they handle. It condemns greed that is both constant and two-sided, and it suggests that no stage of the work is free from this person's private gain.

Use it to criticize someone who exploits a job, deal, or position for personal gain at every stage, especially someone suspected of skimming or embezzling. It is disparaging, not praise for resourcefulness; applied to a named person, it amounts to an accusation of dishonesty.