బెదిరించి బెదిరించి బెల్లపు కుండకు తూటు పొడిచిందట

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone makes a lot of promises or creates great anticipation over a long period, only to deliver something very small or basic that would have been expected anyway. It highlights the mismatch between the hype created and the eventual meager result.

Strong men are not frightened by empty threats by the unworthy. We should develop necessary courage and should not be scared by the trivial.

This proverb describes a situation where someone committing a major crime or mistake tries to intimidate or act superior towards someone doing something trivial or harmless. It highlights the hypocrisy of a big offender trying to find fault in a minor act to cover their own tracks or assert false authority.

This proverb describes someone who makes empty threats or creates a big fuss without any actual courage or intelligence, but eventually ends up causing damage to something valuable (like a pot of jaggery) out of sheer clumsiness or frustration. It is used to mock people who act tough but only manage to ruin their own interests or perform counter-productive actions.

This expression describes a person who causes harm to a charitable or public service that benefits everyone. It refers to a person who, instead of being grateful for a free water station (chalivendram/chalipandiri) meant for thirsty travelers, maliciously damages the pots. It is used to characterize acts of senseless vandalism or mean-spirited sabotage against common good.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone makes a huge scene, uses intimidation, or creates a lot of hype, only to deliver a very mild, disappointing, or underwhelming result. It highlights the anticlimactic gap between a fierce threat and a harmless outcome.

This proverb describes a situation where someone tries to make a threat or a 'sacrifice' that they are physically incapable of doing anyway. Since a person with handicapped or paralyzed hands cannot pick up tiny sesame seeds to eat them, threatening to 'boycott' eating them is meaningless and laughable. It is used to mock someone making empty threats or pretending to abstain from something they can't have in the first place.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where an experienced or brave person is unfazed by empty threats or shallow warnings. Just as a rabbit that lives in the wild is accustomed to the natural sound of dry leaves and won't run away in fear, a person of substance or experience cannot be intimidated by loud but hollow words.

This proverb describes a situation where someone attempts to intimidate a powerful or stubborn opponent using weak, ineffective, or indirect methods. Just as a cat isn't truly frightened by the sound of a winnowing basket being struck, the person being targeted is unlikely to be moved by such empty threats or superficial actions.

This expression describes acts of senseless mischief or malice that harm the public good without any benefit to the perpetrator. A 'Chali-pandiri' is a traditional shed where free drinking water is offered to travelers; destroying these pots represents an especially mean-spirited act of sabotage against a selfless service.