«زَيِّ الْخُنْفُسْ يِتْكَعْبِلْ فِي الْمِشَاقْ»

The image is of a beetle whose legs catch in a tangle of thin, loose flax strands. Something so flimsy should be no obstacle, yet the creature cannot free itself or keep walking, and ends up helplessly stuck where it stands.

Applied to people, the saying mocks someone who becomes confused, flustered, or paralyzed by the slightest difficulty. It stresses the gap between how minor the problem is and how completely the person loses composure or the ability to carry on.

Say it about someone who gets flustered, stuck, or unable to proceed over a trivial hitch, such as a small question or minor delay. Its tone is lightly mocking, so applied to someone facing a genuinely serious obstacle it can sound dismissive.