«زَيِّ الْكِلَابْ، لَمَّا يْفَتَّحُوا يِنْبَحُوا»

The image rests on newborn puppies, which begin barking almost as soon as they open. The saying does not name what opens; reading it as their eyes follows the traditional explanation. Barking becomes their first act, so the noise seems part of their nature from the start.

Applied to people, the saying targets someone whose foolish, insolent, or coarse and abusive conduct dates back to childhood. It suggests the behavior is deeply rooted, learned so early that it now seems inborn and unlikely to be corrected.

Used critically about someone whose rude, foolish, or abusive behavior seems ingrained since youth, implying a lifelong habit rather than a passing lapse. Because it likens a person to dogs, it is an insult, fitting blunt complaint or gossip, not neutral description or polite conversation.