«قُفْطَانُه وْجِبِّتُهْ تِغْنِي عَنْ خُضَارُه وِلَحْمِتُهْ»

A wife uses this line to stand up for a husband who dresses handsomely, in a caftan beneath an outer jubba, yet spends sparingly on the home. His full, respectable attire, she suggests, makes up for the cooked vegetables and meat he fails to provide for the household's meals, so outsiders should not fault him.

The defense carries an admission inside it. By naming what is missing from the cooking pot, the speaker concedes his stinginess, yet her stance is loyal rather than mocking: she chooses to value his good appearance and the standing it lends the family over a well-stocked table.

Put this in the mouth of a wife shielding a husband who looks prosperous but spends little on the household table. She offers his respectable dress as a fair trade for thin meals, turning a likely complaint into a loyal excuse.