చవి ఎరిగిన కుక్క చావగొట్టినా పోదు

chavi erigina kukka chavagottina podu

Translation

A dog that has tasted (something delicious) will not leave even if beaten to death.

Meaning

This proverb describes a situation where someone who has experienced a particular pleasure, benefit, or profit will persist in seeking it despite facing hardships, punishments, or obstacles. It is often used to refer to people with stubborn habits or those who keep returning to a place where they found success or enjoyment.

Related Phrases

A dog used to being fed waited at the riverbank.

This proverb is used to describe a person who, having once enjoyed a benefit or easy gain at a certain place or from a certain task, keeps returning there or waiting expectantly for it to happen again. It highlights the tendency of people (or animals) to become habitual or persistent when they anticipate a reward based on past experience.

Like beating a dead snake to death

This expression is used to describe an act of repetitive or redundant effort. It refers to someone who keeps attacking or criticizing a person or a situation that is already defeated or resolved, essentially wasting energy on something that no longer poses a threat or needs further action.

He neither dies nor gives up the mat.

This expression refers to a person who is neither performing a task nor stepping aside to let someone else do it. It is used to describe a stubborn or obstructive person who occupies a position or resource without being productive, effectively blocking progress for everyone else.

Death does not come even if the writing (fate) is pierced.

This expression is used to describe someone who is incredibly lucky or has survived a life-threatening situation against all odds. It implies that unless it is one's destined time to die, no amount of danger or misfortune can end their life.

The sin of killing a dog cannot be expiated even by building a temple.

This expression is used to emphasize that certain misdeeds or cruel acts are so grave that no amount of subsequent good deeds, charity, or religious penance can atone for them. It highlights that the consequences of a fundamental wrong cannot be easily erased by superficial acts of virtue.

He would neither die nor give up his bed.

This expression is used to describe a situation or a person that is stuck in a state of limbo, causing prolonged distress or inconvenience to others. It refers to a problem that doesn't get resolved but continues to linger, or a person who occupies a position without being productive, preventing others from taking over.

When the dog which had eaten [ the food ] ran off, he caught hold of another dog and broke its leg. Making the innocent suffer for the guilty.

This proverb describes a situation where the actual culprit escapes, and an innocent person who happens to be nearby is punished for the crime. It is used to highlight injustice or a lapse in judgement where the wrong person is held accountable for someone else's mistake.

The sin committed knowingly must be lost/redeemed through intentional suffering.

This proverb suggests that when a person commits a mistake or a sin with full awareness (premeditated), they must face its consequences or undergo a specific form of penance to clear it. It is used to emphasize that one cannot escape the accountability of deliberate actions and must endure the resulting hardship to find resolution.

A dog that has tasted something delicious will not leave even if beaten to death.

This proverb is used to describe a person who has experienced a certain pleasure, profit, or benefit and refuses to give it up or leave the source, despite facing hardships, insults, or punishments. It highlights how difficult it is to break a habit or detach someone from a lucrative situation once they have experienced its taste.

A dog attached [to his master] will not leave him though he be beaten [almost] to death.

This proverb describes a person who has experienced a certain benefit, habit, or pleasure and refuses to give it up despite facing harsh consequences, insults, or punishment. It is often used to refer to someone who repeatedly returns to a place or situation where they once found profit or enjoyment, regardless of the risks involved.