అంగటివీథిలో అబ్బా అంటే, ఎవరికి పుట్టినావురా కొడకా అన్నట్టు.

angativithilo abba ante, evariki puttinavura kodaka annattu.

Translation

When addressed [by his son] in the bazar as "Father," he replied, "Son! unto whom wert thou born?"

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone makes a general remark or expresses pain/need, and a stranger or bystander responds with an unnecessarily intrusive, mocking, or irrelevant personal question. It highlights the lack of empathy or the absurdity of some people's reactions to others' distress in public.

Notes

Want of natural affection. Selfish indifference.

Related Phrases

There is but one dancing girl in the village; before whom is she to dance ?

This proverb describes a situation where there is a single resource or individual available to serve many people, leading to a conflict of interest or impossibility of satisfying everyone simultaneously. It is used when one person is pulled in many different directions or when limited resources are expected to meet excessive demands.

When the grandfather was asked whether he would like to be married, he said, " Who will give me [ a daughter, ] my boy?"

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone is secretly very eager or desperate for something, but pretends to be hesitant or realistic about the obstacles. It highlights a hidden desire that is immediately revealed when a suggestion is made, often used to mock someone who is overly willing despite their age or circumstances.

The alms received witness to those who gave; those who gave not, truly do not receive. If the charitable become poor, they will not ask for help in vain ; but the uncharitable will obtain nothing.

This proverb highlights that the results of charity or kind deeds are visible through the prosperity and well-being of future generations (descendants). Conversely, those who are miserly or unkind leave no such legacy behind. It is used to emphasize that one's generosity is often reflected in the success of their children or the enduring impact of their legacy.

My blow made even Golconda cry 'Abba' (Ouch)

This expression is used to describe someone who is overly boastful or exaggerates their own strength and achievements. It depicts a person claiming that their single strike or action was so powerful that it resonated through the entire Golconda fort, making it cry out in pain.

Having put his wife to bed in the Bazaar street, he com- plained that the comers and goers stepped over her.

This proverb is used to describe someone who foolishly creates a problematic or vulnerable situation through their own negligence or lack of common sense, and then complains about the natural consequences or the behavior of others resulting from that situation. It highlights the irony of blaming others for a mess one has personally invited.

When told not to live as a resident son-in-law, the son replied he would rather become an ascetic.

This proverb describes a person who chooses an even more undesirable or extreme alternative when advised against a difficult situation. It is used when someone reacts to a suggestion by proposing a solution that is worse or more radical than the original problem.

Who throws [ his property ] into the middle of the street and trusts it there?

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone has been betrayed or abandoned by the very person they placed their full trust in. It highlights the vulnerability of trusting someone blindly and the devastating consequence of being left helpless (in the middle of the street) when that trust is broken.

When the daughter-in-law said, 'Mother-in-law, a barrier has been placed in the sky,' the mother-in-law replied, 'I have the ladle in my hand, dear.'

This proverb is used to describe a competitive relationship or a 'one-upmanship' attitude, particularly between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. It highlights a situation where one person makes an absurd or exaggerated claim, and the other responds with an equally nonsensical or defiant retort just to show they are not outdone or to maintain authority, regardless of logic.

Like selling pots in potters' street.

This proverb is used to describe a redundant or futile action where someone tries to sell or teach something to a group of people who are already experts or have an abundance of that specific thing. It highlights a lack of common sense in choosing the right audience for one's skills or goods.

Whose child are you, that you cry and weep so bitterly ?

This is a sarcastic or critical rhetorical question used to describe someone who is grieving, crying, or worrying excessively over a matter that does not concern them at all. It is used when a person interferes in someone else's problems or takes on unnecessary burdens that aren't their own.