They eat and they criticize.
That is, they eat and they criticize. This proverb is used to describe someone who criticizes something that they might benefit from, even though it doesn't deserve the criticism.
AI said
The closest equivalent in English is:
Biting the hand that feeds you.
This is the most common equivalent in terms of meaning.
Another example is:
To eat a man's bread and curse him.
This is closer to the spirit of the old Arabic expression.
A similar, shorter version is:
Complaining while benefiting.
أي يؤكل أكلاً ويذم ذماً. يضرب، لمن يذم شيئاً قد ينتفع به وهو لا يستحق الذم.
