«زَيِّ وْلَادِ الْحِدَّايَهْ لَا يِتَّاكْلُوا وَلَا يِتْلِعِبْ بِيهُمْ»

The saying dismisses a person as worthless in both directions. Young kites, the birds of prey, offer nothing practical, since nobody eats them, and nothing pleasant, since their ugliness makes them poor playthings. The target is likewise neither useful for serious work nor agreeable for leisure or amusement.

The force lies in the double denial: the person fails even the lesser test. Someone may be unproductive yet still charming, or dull yet dependable; this comparison grants neither consolation, leaving the person with no redeeming role at all in either earnest matters or lighthearted ones.

Said of someone judged useless on every front: unfit for serious tasks and no pleasure as company either. It is a blunt, scornful put-down, not a neutral description, so it suits frank criticism rather than polite conversation.