దుర్మార్గముకు తండ్రి బద్దకము.

This expression is used to highlight hereditary traits, behaviors, or similarities between a father and his son. It implies that the son is naturally expected to behave exactly like his father, whether in a positive sense (excellence, skill) or a negative one (stubbornness, bad habits).

Like father, like son. Such a father, such a son. (Portuguese.)* He is his father's son. (Latin.)†

This expression emphasizes the supreme importance of parents in one's life. It highlights that a mother provides spiritual and emotional guidance like a deity, while a father provides the material support and security necessary for life.

This proverb is used to describe a situation or task that is impossible to perform because the essential information is missing. Since a prostitute's son may not know his biological father, he cannot perform the specific ritual ('Taddinam'). It refers to futile efforts or tasks that lack a logical starting point.

This expression is used to describe an act that is fundamentally hypocritical, logically inconsistent, or performed by someone who has no legitimate right or genuine respect for the tradition they are following. It refers to doing something just for outward appearance while the very identity or situation of the person contradicts the act itself.

This proverb suggests that after a mother's passing, the father's attention and affection might diminish or shift, especially if he remarries, making him distant like a secondary relative rather than a primary nurturer. It highlights the unique, irreplaceable role of a mother in a child's upbringing.

This is a sarcastic expression or proverb used to mock someone who tries to establish a non-existent or irrelevant relationship between two people. It highlights that the connection being mentioned is so obvious or general (like both being men) that it isn't a real relationship at all. It is used to dismiss someone's attempt to claim kinship or closeness where none exists.

This expression refers to the traditional socio-legal concept in Telugu culture where paternal relatives are considered 'Dayadulu' (agnates). It implies that while they are family, they are also potential competitors or rivals for ancestral property and inheritance, often used to describe the complex, sometimes strained relationship between paternal cousins or kin.

This rhetorical question is used to imply that a son naturally inherits the qualities, character, or reputation of his father. It is typically used when someone displays a trait (either good or bad) that is very similar to their father's known behavior, essentially meaning 'Like father, like son'.

This is a blunt rhetorical question used to describe a situation where there is no clear ownership, responsibility, or origin. It is often applied to projects, tasks, or issues where no one is willing to take accountability or where the source is impossible to determine.

This expression suggests that idle behavior or laziness is the root cause of evil deeds or bad character. When someone is unoccupied or lacks discipline, they are more likely to turn toward negative paths. It is the Telugu equivalent of the English proverb 'An idle brain is the devil's workshop.'

Idleness is the root of all evil. Idleness is hunger's mother, and of theft it is first brother. (Dutch.)*