«مَا لِكْ مَرْعُوبَهْ؟ قَالِتْ: مِنْ دِيكِ النُّوبَهْ»

The saying depicts a frightened woman who, asked why she is afraid, points to a single earlier incident. It captures how one painful experience can leave a lasting nervousness, so that the mere prospect of a repeat is enough to put a person on guard.

In use, it explains caution that may look excessive to an onlooker but makes sense to the person who was hurt before. The fear is not imagined; it is the residue of something that really happened once, and it now shapes how that person approaches similar situations.

Fits moments when someone flinches, hesitates, or takes extra precautions, and the cause is a bad experience they already lived through. It can explain one's own wariness or gently account for another's nervousness, often with a wry or sympathetic tone.