బెదిరించి బెండకాయ పులుసు పోసినట్లు
bedirinchi bendakaya pulusu posinatlu
Like threatening someone and then serving them okra stew.
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.
Related Phrases
ఓటికుండలో నీరు పోసినట్లు
otikundalo niru posinatlu
Like pouring water into a leaky pot.
This expression is used to describe a situation where effort, resources, or advice are wasted on someone or something that cannot retain them. It signifies a futile or useless action where despite the input, there is no result because the vessel (recipient) is fundamentally flawed.
ఓదెకట్టె దొంగ పరిగ ఏరేవానిని బెదిరించినట్లు
odekatte donga pariga erevanini bedirinchinatlu
Like a thief who stole a bundle of grain scaring away a person picking up leftovers.
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.
ఓటి కుండలో నీళ్ళు పోసినట్టు
oti kundalo nillu posinattu
Like pouring water into a leaky pot
This expression is used to describe a situation where effort or resources are being completely wasted on something that cannot be salvaged or retained. It refers to a futile action where despite continuous input, there is no result or progress because the foundation is fundamentally flawed or broken.
నిప్పులో నెయ్యి పోసినట్లు
nippulo neyyi posinatlu
Like pouring ghee into the fire
This expression is used to describe an action that worsens an already volatile or tense situation. Just as ghee makes a fire blaze more intensely, this phrase refers to 'adding fuel to the fire'—making someone angrier or making a conflict more severe.
బెదిరించి బెదిరించి బెల్లపు కుండకు తూటు పొడిచినదట.
bedirinchi bedirinchi bellapu kundaku tutu podichinadata.
All her threats ended in making a hole in the molasses pot.
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.
కుంటి చేతులవాడు నువ్వులు తినని, బెదిరించినట్లు.
kunti chetulavadu nuvvulu tinani, bedirinchinatlu.
Like a man with handicapped hands threatening that he won't eat sesame seeds.
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.
చింత చచ్చినా పులుపు చావదు
chinta chachchina pulupu chavadu
The tamarind may be dried, but it loses not its acidity. Retaining vigour of mind though weakened in body.
This proverb is used to describe a person who has lost their wealth, status, or power but still retains their old ego, arrogance, or habits. Just as the acidic quality remains in tamarind even after it dries up, some people refuse to change their stubborn nature despite a change in their circumstances.
బ్రహ్మచారి ముదిరినా, బెండకాయ ముదిరినా, లంజ ముదిరినా పనికిరాదు
brahmachari mudirina, bendakaya mudirina, lanja mudirina panikiradu
An aging bachelor, an overripe okra, and an aging prostitute are of no use.
This is a traditional Telugu proverb used to describe things or people that lose their value, utility, or charm once they pass their prime. Just as an overripe okra becomes too fibrous to cook, certain roles or states of being become problematic or ineffective if they persist too long beyond their ideal time.
కుంచంలో కదుళ్ళు పోసినట్లు.
kunchamlo kadullu posinatlu.
Like pouring spindles into a grain measure (kuncham).
This expression is used to describe a situation where people or objects are constantly moving and never settling down in one place. Just as spindles (kadullu) are pointed and thin, they keep shifting and rolling when placed in a container, making it impossible to keep them steady or organized. It is often used to refer to hyperactive children or a restless group of people.
బెదిరించి బెదిరించి బెల్లపు కుండకు తూటు పొడిచిందట
bedirinchi bedirinchi bellapu kundaku tutu podichindata
After making many threats, she finally poked a hole in the jaggery pot.
This expression is used to describe a situation where someone makes a lot of noise, threats, or fuss, but ends up doing something trivial, foolish, or counterproductive. It highlights the disparity between a big buildup and a disappointing or silly outcome.