«طَبِّلْ لِي وَانَا أَزَمَّرْ لَكْ»

The saying pictures a drummer and a reed-pipe player accompanying each other, and describes a pact of mutual public praise. One person asks the other to sing their praises in public and promises equal acclaim in return. It concerns trading praise to build reputation, not exchanging favors in general.

When applied to others, it usually carries a note of mockery or suspicion. It suggests that the praise being exchanged is staged rather than earned, and that both people mainly want to raise their own reputations. Listeners are invited to discount such flattery.

Use it wryly or critically when two people keep publicly extolling each other so that both gain standing. It suits remarks about colleagues, performers, or public figures caught praising one another in a self-serving loop. It is rarely meant as a compliment.