«زَيِّ الدُّخَّانْ يُخْرُجْ مَا يِرْجَعْ»

The saying likens a person to smoke drifting out through an opening: once it escapes, it is gone for good. It describes someone whose regular pattern is to slip away from a place or gathering and simply not come back; the smoke image concerns escape without return, not the fleeting nature of life or wealth.

The tone is one of wry complaint or resignation. Whoever uses it suggests there is no point waiting for this person's return, because vanishing without a trace is simply how they behave.

Say this of someone who habitually disappears from wherever they are expected to be, such as a guest, worker, or relative who wanders off and never reappears. It targets a repeated pattern, not a single departure, and is mildly critical, fitting informal talk.