అడుక్కొని తినేవాడు పెరుగన్నము కోరినట్లు

adukkoni tinevadu perugannamu korinatlu

Translation

Like a beggar asking for curd rice.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a person who is in a desperate or dependent situation but still makes high demands or shows excessive fussiness. It refers to someone who lacks the basic means to survive yet expects luxuries or specific preferences that are beyond their current status.

Related Phrases

Like a pilgrim visiting the house of a beggar.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone who is already in a miserable or poor condition is visited by someone else who is equally or even more destitute, looking for help. It highlights the irony of seeking assistance from someone who has nothing to give.

For those who live by begging, there are sixty villages.

This proverb suggests that for a person with no pride, attachments, or fixed responsibilities, the whole world is their home. It is often used to describe people who are resourceful or nomadic, implying that they can find sustenance or a way to survive anywhere because they are not tied down to a single place or status.

It is better to be a slave to a rich man than to be the wife of a beggar.

This expression suggests that security and basic comforts provided by a wealthy household are preferable to the extreme hardships and instability of poverty. It is used to describe a pragmatic choice where one prioritizes material survival over status or perceived freedom in destitute conditions.

For the woman who lives by begging, a man who wanders around is the only destiny.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where two people who are equally poor or incompetent end up together. It implies that a person in a miserable condition can only find support or a companion who is in a similarly destitute or struggling state. It is often used to remark on the pairing of two unsuitable or resource-poor entities.

Behind the person who gathers and eats, followed the person who scrapes and eats.

This expression is used to describe a situation where a person who is already poor or struggling is burdened by someone even worse off. It highlights the irony of a needy person being followed by someone seeking help from them, despite having nothing to give.

One who eats once a day is a Yogi, one who eats twice a day is a Bhogi, one who eats thrice a day is a Rogi

This traditional Telugu proverb highlights the health benefits of moderation in eating. It suggests that eating once a day leads to spiritual and physical discipline (Yogi), eating twice a day is for those enjoying a worldly life (Bhogi), while eating three or more times a day leads to sickness or a diseased state (Rogi).

When the man who ate sheep went, a man who ate buffa- los came. Parting with one rascal and getting a greater scoundrel in his place.

This expression is used to describe a situation where an existing problem or a bad person is replaced by something or someone even worse. It highlights that instead of finding relief, one has ended up with a more difficult or greedy person/situation.

If the one who eats meat leaves, the one who eats bones will come.

This proverb is used to warn that if a bad person or a difficult situation is replaced, the successor might be even worse or more exploitative. It highlights the fear that the 'new' might be more desperate or damaging than the 'old'.

A man who sets fire to the whole heap and begins to eat parched grain. The work of a fool.

This expression describes a person who causes a massive loss to someone else or to society for a very small, trivial personal gain. It highlights extreme selfishness and a lack of proportion.

Buying a Taddinam. Bringing difficulties upon one's own head.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone voluntarily invites trouble or creates a headache for themselves by their own actions or choices. It is similar to the English expression 'to go looking for trouble' or 'asking for it.'

* Alterâ manu scabunt, altera ferunt.