అప్ప ఆర్జాటము, బావ బడాయిలేగాని ఆకలివేస్తే అన్నం మెతుకు లేదు

appa arjatamu, bava badayilegani akaliveste annam metuku ledu

Translation

The sister's show and the brother-in-law's boasting, but not a grain of rice when hungry.

Meaning

This expression is used to describe a situation where people make a grand display of wealth or status, but lack the basic means to provide actual help or sustenance when needed. It critiques those who maintain a false facade of prosperity while failing to fulfill fundamental needs.

Related Phrases

Is all this pomp and show just for this small celebration?

This expression is used to criticize someone who is making an excessive or disproportionate fuss over a very minor achievement, small event, or mediocre result. It highlights the gap between the grand preparations and the underwhelming outcome.

A man's life is a bowl full of grains; a woman's life is a grain in the gruel.

This traditional proverb reflects historical gender roles and social hierarchies. It suggests that a man's life or contribution is seen as substantial and central (a bowl full of food), while a woman's life is often perceived as supplementary or less significant (a single grain in liquid). It is used to describe the disparity in how society values the lives and roles of men and women.

When addressed affectionately as brother-in-law, he invited her to bed.

This proverb describes a situation where someone takes undue advantage of friendliness or intimacy. It is used when a person mistakes a polite or affectionate gesture for a weakness and responds with an inappropriate or overstepping demand. It highlights the behavior of individuals who lack boundaries and exploit a relationship's closeness.

Call me brother-in-law any where but at the Brinjal garden. Unwillingness to acknowledge relationship when it would cost anything.

This proverb highlights the importance of context and boundaries. While a relationship might be informal and friendly (calling someone 'Bava'), using that intimacy in a place where it could lead to suspicion or theft (like a garden where one might steal produce) is unwise. It warns that certain behaviors, though generally acceptable, are inappropriate in specific sensitive situations.

The sister is anxious, but there are no signs of the brother-in-law surviving.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where one person puts in a lot of effort or shows great concern, but the outcome is destined to fail or the situation is beyond repair. It highlights the futility of effort when the core problem is unsolvable.

The word cannot be broken

This expression is used to describe a person who is exceptionally firm and committed to their promises. It characterizes someone who values their word above all else and will never go back on a commitment or oath they have made.

O my friend alligator! If this root had been my leg you would have treated it in the same way, would you not? An alligator enticed a man into the water with fair promises. But after- wards caught him by the leg. The man in turn deceived the alligator by a ruse and escaped.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where one experiences a significant loss but finds a small, somewhat ironic consolation in the fact that it wasn't a total disaster. It is often used to mock someone who tries to stay positive or save face after a major setback by focusing on a trivial survival detail.

The boasting of a man without money is the boasting of an incompetent man.

This expression is used to mock someone who brags or talks big despite lacking the financial means or the actual capability to back up their claims. It suggests that empty boasting by someone without resources is meaningless and ineffective.

Call me brother-in-law anywhere, but do not call me brother-in-law in the brinjal garden

This proverb highlights hypocrisy or situational convenience. It refers to someone who wants to maintain a relationship or friendship in public but refuses to acknowledge it when there is work to be done or when their personal interests (like guarding a harvest) are at stake. It is used to describe people who are friendly only when it doesn't cost them anything.

The sister's anxiety is in vain; the brother-in-law will not survive.

This proverb describes a situation where despite someone's intense efforts, concern, or desire to save something, the outcome is already inevitable or the situation is beyond repair. It is used to point out that some efforts are futile because the core problem is terminal or unfixable.