దోసకాయలు తిన్న కడుపు, దొంగలు పడ్డ ఇల్లు ఒకటే.

dosakayalu tinna kadupu, dongalu padda illu okate.

Translation

A stomach filled with cucumbers and a house robbed by thieves are the same.

Meaning

This proverb highlights that certain efforts or possessions provide no lasting value or substance. Just as a stomach feels full after eating cucumbers but becomes empty very quickly due to their high water content, a house after a robbery is left with nothing. It is used to describe situations that result in emptiness or a lack of substantial benefit despite initial appearances.

Related Phrases

The one who listens to his wife and the one who falls in a forest are the same.

This proverb is traditionally used to caution men against being overly influenced or swayed by their wife's advice, suggesting that it leads to being lost or helpless, similar to being stranded in a wilderness. It is often used in a humorous or cautionary context regarding domestic decision-making.

Whether the daughters-in-law of the house eat or the chickens eat, it will not go to waste.

This proverb suggests that money or resources spent within the family or on its assets are never truly lost. Just as feeding the household's chickens eventually benefits the family (through eggs or meat), food eaten by the family members contributes to the strength and well-being of the household itself. It is used to justify internal expenses that might otherwise seem like a loss.

Like thieves joining together to divide the villages among themselves.

This expression is used to describe a situation where corrupt or wicked people collaborate to share spoils or ill-gotten gains. It highlights a conspiracy where individuals with no integrity cooperate solely for mutual benefit at the expense of others.

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.

Like thieves joining together to divide the villages among themselves.

This expression is used when two or more dishonest people or entities collaborate to share ill-gotten gains or exploit a situation for their own benefit. It describes a situation where 'honor among thieves' exists solely to ensure they can divide the loot without conflict, often at the expense of others.

No matter how much they fight, they are one and the same at the toddy shop.

This expression is used to describe people who may have intense rivalries or disagreements in public or professional life, but secretly reconcile or share common interests behind the scenes. It is often applied to politicians or competitors who pretend to be enemies but are actually collaborators when it comes to personal gain.

Grains grown in a graveyard and those eaten by crows are the same.

This proverb is used to describe something that is completely useless or has gone to waste. Just as one cannot consume crops grown in a cemetery (due to cultural taboos) or food already pecked at by crows, it refers to resources or efforts that have no value or benefit to anyone.

Can a mouth that has eaten tamarinds eat bits of wood?

This proverb describes a fall from grace or a significant decline in one's standard of living. It suggests that someone who was once accustomed to a comfortable or luxurious life (symbolized by tasty tamarinds) finds it difficult or unbearable to settle for a life of extreme poverty or hardship (symbolized by eating dry wood/scraps).

In a granary full of cucumbers, won't there be space for a winnowing-basket full of ends?

This proverb is used to suggest that when dealing with a massive quantity or a large project, a small extra addition or a minor flaw is negligible and easily accommodated. It implies that in the grand scheme of things, small details or slight increments do not make a significant difference.

For a vulture that has eaten a hundred cows, a single gust of wind is enough.

This proverb is used to say that no matter how many sins or crimes one commits without getting caught, one day a single incident or divine intervention will bring about their downfall. It implies that justice eventually catches up with the wicked, and a single blow is sufficient to end a long streak of evil deeds.