బెల్లం కొట్టిన గుండ్రాయిలా

bellam kottina gundrayila

Translation

Like a round stone used to crush jaggery

Meaning

This expression is used to describe someone who remains absolutely silent, motionless, or unresponsive after being questioned or finding themselves in a difficult situation. Just as a heavy stone used to break blocks of jaggery becomes covered in the sticky substance and remains still, it refers to a person who is 'stunned into silence' or is acting like they have nothing to say.

Related Phrases

Like the oilmonger's stone seat. Of permanent utility.

This expression is used to describe someone or something that stays in one place for a very long time or is constant and unchanging. Historically, oil-pressers (Telakula) sat on a heavy, fixed stone while operating the manual oil press; therefore, the phrase refers to an object or person that remains stuck or permanent in a specific position regardless of external changes.

If you hide the grinding stone will the daughter's marriage be stopped ? A round grinding stone or pestle is used in marriage ceremonies. A trifling hindrance put in a man's way will not divert him from his purpose.

This proverb is used to point out that minor obstacles or petty attempts to sabotage a major event cannot stop the inevitable or something of great significance. In traditional weddings, a grinding stone is used for certain rituals; hiding it might cause a small delay, but it won't cancel the marriage itself. It is a metaphor for how trivial interference cannot hinder progress.

Like hitting someone with a stone who previously hit you with butter.

This proverb is used to describe an act of extreme ingratitude or an unfair, harsh reaction to a kind gesture. It refers to a situation where a person responds to someone's gentleness or favor with cruelty or hostility.

The pot the daughter-in-law broke was a new one; the pot the mother-in-law broke was a patched-up one.

This proverb highlights human hypocrisy and double standards in judging mistakes. It describes a situation where people exaggerate the mistakes of others (the daughter-in-law's mistake is seen as destroying something brand new) while making excuses for their own or their favorites' mistakes (the mother-in-law's broken pot is dismissed as having been old and already broken). It is used to point out unfair bias and blame-shifting.

Do you want a stone roller to break an egg with?

This expression is used to highlight the unnecessary use of excessive force or complex resources for a simple, trivial task. It suggests that one should use proportional effort and that using a 'sledgehammer to crack a nut' is foolish.

Beats from the husband are publicized to the whole village, while beats from a lover are seen as strings of pearls.

This proverb highlights human hypocrisy and selective bias. It describes a situation where a person complains loudly about the small faults of someone they are supposed to be with (like a spouse), but willingly ignores or even finds beauty in the significant abuses of someone they are infatuated with. It is used to mock people who have double standards based on their personal likes and dislikes.

The cloth that tied asafoetida, the stove used for cooking jaggery

This proverb is used to describe a person or a situation that still retains a distinct aura, reputation, or quality of their past glory even after the source of that glory is gone. Just as a cloth smells of asafoetida long after it is removed, or a stove smells of burnt sugar long after cooking, a person's previous status or character remains evident in their behavior.

Service under a man with a plume (official), and sleeping on a stranger's bed.

This proverb highlights the lack of comfort and independence in certain situations. Serving an arrogant or high-ranking official is as restless and insecure as sleeping on someone else's bed, where one can never truly feel at home or relaxed.

Like a stone used to break jaggery

This expression is used to describe someone who remains silent, motionless, or unresponsive when they are expected to speak or act. Just as a stone used to break a block of jaggery stays silent and stuck to the sticky substance, it refers to a person standing still or being 'clueless' and 'speechless' in a specific situation.

When asked if there is jaggery, answering that there is ginger.

This expression describes an irrelevant or out-of-context response. It is used when someone provides an answer that has nothing to do with the question asked, or when there is a total lack of communication/understanding between two people.