ధర్మపురిలో దొంగిలించబోతూ, ధార్వాడనుండి వంగి పోయాడట

dharmapurilo dongilinchabotu, dharvadanundi vangi poyadata

Translation

While planning to steal in Dharmapuri, he supposedly started crawling all the way from Dharwad.

Meaning

This expression is used to mock someone who over-prepares to an absurd degree or starts taking unnecessary precautions far too early and far away from the actual task. It highlights excessive or misplaced caution that becomes comical.

Related Phrases

When one went to do a righteous deed, a misfortune wrapped around them.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone tries to do a good deed or help others, but instead of receiving gratitude or success, they end up getting into trouble or facing negative consequences themselves.

What was found on the road was spent on charity

This expression is used to describe money or resources that were acquired easily (without effort) and were subsequently lost or spent just as easily. It conveys the idea of 'Easy come, easy go'—implying that one doesn't feel much regret over losing something they didn't work hard to earn.

When asked 'Where does it rain?', the reply was 'In the land where charity and righteousness exist'.

This proverb suggests that natural blessings and prosperity occur where people are generous and virtuous. It is used to highlight the belief that the well-being of a society is a direct result of the collective goodness and charitable nature of its people.

When a boy was born by the virtue of a dancer, the anklets were found by the virtue of a silver-smith.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where one person's hard work or merit results in a success, but another person tries to take the credit for the associated benefits or accessories. It highlights the irony of misplaced gratitude or credit-seeking.

When one went to do a good deed, bad fate/karma coiled around them.

This expression is used when someone tries to help others or do something virtuous, but ends up facing unexpected trouble or negative consequences as a result of their kindness. It is similar to the English saying, 'No good deed goes unpunished.'

[ The thief] going to rob in Dharmapuri went crouching from Dharwāḍa ( Dharwar ).

This expression is used to describe someone who takes excessive, unnecessary, or absurdly early precautions that make no sense given the distance or context. It mocks people who exhibit extreme over-cautiousness or start acting suspiciously long before they reach their destination or the scene of action.

Like eating a brinjal by bending and a cucumber by peeking.

This expression is used to describe someone who performs actions with excessive or unnecessary stealth, secrecy, or exaggeration for simple, everyday tasks. It mocks people who behave as if they are doing something forbidden or highly significant when they are actually doing something mundane.

Just because the days are good, stealing all day long.

This proverb is used to criticize someone who exploits a favorable situation or a person's kindness to an extreme, irrational, or greedy degree. It suggests that one should not misuse opportunities or luck, as overdoing something wrong just because you haven't been caught yet will eventually lead to trouble.

Like trying to escape one thing and getting stuck with another.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone tries to avoid a problem or a minor inconvenience, but in doing so, accidentally lands themselves in a bigger trouble or a different mess. It is similar to the English idiom 'Out of the frying pan and into the fire.'

Will the person who stole a brinjal not come for a coconut?

This proverb suggests that a person who commits a small crime or dishonesty will eventually move on to bigger ones. It is used to imply that character is defined by the act of stealing itself, not the value of the object stolen. If someone can justify small wrongdoings, they are capable of larger ones as well.