దివిటీ ముందు దీపం పెట్టినట్లు.
diviti mundu dipam pettinatlu.
Like placing a small oil lamp before a flaming torch.
This expression is used to describe a situation where something small, insignificant, or inferior is compared to or placed in front of something vastly superior and brilliant. It highlights how the smaller object's light is completely overshadowed and made redundant by the larger one's brilliance.
Related Phrases
తిరిపం పెట్టే అమ్మను మగనితోపాటు పెట్టమన్నట్లు
tiripam pette ammanu maganitopatu pettamannatlu
Like asking the woman giving alms to give it for her husband too.
This expression is used to describe a person who, upon receiving a favor or charity, becomes greedy and asks for even more without any gratitude or sense of proportion. It highlights the behavior of taking undue advantage of someone's kindness or asking for double when one is already in a position of receiving help.
సగం పెట్టి మేనత్త అన్నట్లు.
sagam petti menatta annatlu.
Like giving only half and calling oneself a paternal aunt.
This proverb describes someone who does a half-hearted or incomplete favor but demands the full respect or status associated with a close relative or a great benefactor. It is used to mock people who are stingy or perform duties poorly yet expect high praise and recognition for their supposed 'generosity'.
దివిటీ కింద దీపం
diviti kinda dipam
A lamp under a torch. One insignificant before the other.
This expression is used to describe a situation where a smaller or less significant thing is overshadowed or ignored in the presence of something much larger or brighter. It can also refer to someone who provides light or guidance to others but remains in darkness or unrecognized themselves, similar to the English idiom 'The cobbler's children go barefoot.'
దీపం ఉండగానే ఇల్లు చక్కబెట్టుకోవాలి
dipam undagane illu chakkabettukovali
A torch lighted from a lamp. Said of a great man sprung from a humble family.
This is a popular Telugu proverb (sameta) equivalent to 'Make hay while the sun shines'. It advises people to make use of opportunities while they are available and to complete tasks while the favorable conditions last.
అన్నం పెట్టినవారింటికి కన్నము పెట్టినట్లు
annam pettinavarintiki kannamu pettinatlu
Like breaking into the house of the person who fed you.
This expression describes extreme ingratitude or betrayal. It refers to a person who harms their benefactor or someone who has helped them in their time of need. It is used to condemn the act of biting the hand that feeds you.
దీపంతో వెలిగించిన దివిటీ పెద్దదైనట్లు
dipanto veliginchina diviti peddadainatlu
Like a torch lit from a small lamp becoming greater than the lamp itself.
This expression is used to describe a situation where a student, protégé, or child surpasses their teacher, mentor, or parent in fame, skill, or status. Even though the source (the lamp) was small, the outcome (the torch) is much more powerful and bright.
పుంజం పెట్టినది బట్ట, లంచం పెట్టినది మాట.
punjam pettinadi batta, lancham pettinadi mata.
That is a cloth into which Punjam has been put, that is the word into which a bribe has been put. A Punjam is a skein of 60 threads ; the word is here used to signify the proper quantity of thread required for good cloth. The only way of obtaining a good recommendation is to purchase it with a bribe.
This proverb highlights that just as the quality of a cloth depends on the thread count (punjam), the outcome of a conversation or legal matter can be manipulated by bribery. It suggests that truth or promises can be twisted if someone is paid off, implying that a person's word might only hold value because of a bribe rather than integrity.
లంచం పెట్టినది మాట, పుంజం పెట్టినది బట్ట.
lancham pettinadi mata, punjam pettinadi batta.
A bribe buys a word, and a skein of yarn makes a cloth.
This proverb highlights the efficacy of incentives. Just as a certain amount of yarn is required to weave a fabric, a bribe or a small favor is often used to get someone to speak in one's favor or to get a task done. It is used to describe how things are influenced by external motivations or materials.
దివిటీ క్రింద దీపం
diviti krinda dipam
A lamp under a torch
This expression is used to describe a situation where a smaller, less significant thing or person is overshadowed or made redundant by something much larger or superior. It can also refer to something being unnoticeable or unnecessary in the presence of a much greater light or talent.
గాలిలో దీపం పెట్టి దేవుడా నీ మహిమన్నట్లు
galilo dipam petti devuda ni mahimannatlu
Like placing a lamp in the wind and saying, 'O God, it is your miracle.'
This proverb describes a situation where someone acts recklessly or fails to take basic precautions, and then expects a divine or miraculous intervention to save them. It is used to criticize people who do not take responsibility for their actions and instead leave everything to fate or luck.