«عِيشَكْ يِحْلَى لِي يَا خَالِي، قَالْ: مِنْ سُوءْ بَخْتِي يَا ابْنُ اخْتِي»

The saying mocks praise that serves the person giving it. A nephew tells his maternal uncle how much he enjoys the uncle's bread (عيش here, not "life"). The uncle replies with wry self-pity rather than hostility: it is his bad luck, since a guest who likes the food will keep coming back to eat at his host's expense.

More broadly, it applies to anyone who shows warm affection or heaps admiration on something whose benefit flows back to themselves. It warns that enthusiastic approval can be a polite way of claiming a share, and that the person being praised may end up paying for it.

Use it as a dry remark when someone lavishes compliments on something they personally gain from, such as a host's table, a friend's car, or a colleague's generosity. It hints that the speaker sees through the flattery. It suits light teasing between people who know each other.