దొంగ చేతికి తాళాలిచ్చినట్టు

donga chetiki talalichchinattu

Translation

Like giving the keys to a thief

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where a person mistakenly entrusts a valuable object or a sensitive responsibility to someone who is likely to misuse it or take advantage of it. It highlights the foolishness of putting a wrong or untrustworthy person in charge.

Related Phrases

Like placing peeled plantain in one's hand.

This expression is used to describe something that is explained or presented so clearly and simply that it requires no effort to understand. It is often used in the context of a teacher explaining a difficult concept or someone making a complex task very easy for another person.

Applied to any thing made perfectly easy.

Like giving the keys to a thief

This proverb describes a situation where a responsibility or a valuable asset is entrusted to someone who is most likely to abuse or steal it. It is used when a person makes a foolish decision by trusting an untrustworthy individual, effectively creating an opportunity for their own loss.

Like fruits growing on the palm of one's hand.

This expression is used to describe something that is impossible or highly unlikely to happen. Just as it is biologically impossible for fruit to grow directly from a human palm, it refers to unrealistic claims or deceptive promises that defy logic and reality.

The thief's hand that was kept began to shake when the dark night of the new moon came. The time it had been accustomed to steal.

This proverb refers to the psychological burden or inherent nature of a wrongdoer. Just as criminals in folklore were believed to become restless or get caught during the dark night of Amavasya, this expression is used to say that no matter how well someone hides their crimes or bad intentions, their true nature or guilt will eventually expose them when the right circumstances arise.

A thief is a companion to another thief

This expression is used to describe how people with similar bad habits, questionable characters, or dishonest intentions tend to support and protect each other. It is equivalent to the English proverb 'Birds of a feather flock together' or 'Honor among thieves', often used in a negative context to highlight collusion between wrongdoers.

Like waking the master, and giving the thief a stick. To hold with the hare, and hunt with the hounds.

This proverb describes a person who pretends to help but actually creates a dangerous situation or aids the enemy. It is used to refer to someone's double-dealing or treacherous behavior where they appear to alert the victim while simultaneously empowering the perpetrator.

Like giving a vessel to a bad man named Venkayya.

This proverb describes a situation where an unreliable or irresponsible person is given a task or an object, which they will inevitably ruin or lose. It is used when someone entrusts something valuable to a person known for their carelessness or bad character, leading to a predictable failure.

Like giving a reward to the person who cut off the head.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone foolishly rewards or empowers the very person who is causing them harm or destruction. It highlights the irony and stupidity of helping one's own enemy or benefactor of one's downfall.

Only a thief knows the secrets of another thief

This proverb implies that people of the same kind, especially those involved in deceptive or specific activities, understand each other's tactics and mindsets better than outsiders. It is used to suggest that it takes one to know one.

Waking up the homeowner and handing a stick to the thief.

This proverb describes a double-crossing or hypocritical action where someone pretends to help but actually aids the enemy. It is used when a person's actions are self-defeating or when someone causes a conflict and then equips one side to cause more harm.