«اِلْمِخَبِّيَّهْ تِكْسَرِ الْمِحْرَاتْ»

Picture a plow cutting through a field: what wrecks it is not the soil in plain view but something buried out of sight, most naturally a stone lodged in the earth. Open obstacles can be steered around; a concealed one meets the blade with no warning at all.

Turned toward people, the proverb holds that the worst damage comes from what a person keeps covered, such as ill will or a corrupt disposition masked by an agreeable manner. Open hostility can be met and answered, while hidden intent strikes before anyone thinks to brace for it.

Suited to warning someone about an acquaintance whose pleasant exterior may conceal bad intentions, or to reflecting afterward on a setback that came from an unsuspected quarter rather than from any visible threat.