«مُلُوخِيَّه وْعِيشْ لَيِّنْ يَا خَرَابَكْ يَا مْزَيِّنْ»

Mulukhiyya is a stew that people scoop up with bread, so serving it means a lot of bread gets eaten, and even more when the loaves are soft and fresh. The barber appears for the rhyme, not as a comment on barbers; he stands for any man of modest means with many dependents.

The saying comments on situations where several factors coincide and each one increases the others' cost, so that spending rises sharply. Its cry of 'your ruin' is mock alarm, sympathizing with, or gently teasing, the person of limited means facing an expense he can barely cover.

Say it when two or more tempting or necessary things arrive together and seem certain to drain a tight budget, such as a feast that invites overeating or several expenses at once. Its tone is rueful, teasing sympathy for the person who will pay, not a curse.