ఎండిన మోడుకు ఎక్కడి పూలు తగిలించినట్లు?

endina moduku ekkadi pulu tagilinchinatlu?

Translation

Like hanging flowers on a dried-up dead tree stump.

Meaning

This expression describes a futile or useless act. It refers to situations where one tries to decorate or improve something that is fundamentally lifeless, outdated, or beyond repair, suggesting that the effort is a waste of time and resources.

Related Phrases

Going to graze and getting it stuck around the neck

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone attempts to gain a benefit or enjoy something, but instead ends up getting trapped in a problem or incurring an unwanted responsibility. It is similar to the English concept of 'getting more than one bargained for' in a negative sense.

Like making a monkey drink toddy (palm wine)

This expression is used to describe a situation where a naturally mischievous or restless person becomes even more uncontrollable, chaotic, or hyperactive due to external factors. It is used when someone's existing negative traits are amplified by bad influence or circumstances.

The trouble that befell the iron has now befallen the charcoal.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where an innocent associate or a bystander suffers the same harsh punishment or hardship as the main culprit. Just as charcoal is burnt and exhausted while heating iron in a forge, an innocent person often gets caught up and destroyed in the process of dealing with a problematic person or situation.

Like arguing with a basket.

This expression describes a situation where someone is arguing or talking with a person who doesn't respond or understand, or when an effort is completely futile. Just as arguing with an inanimate basket yields no response or result, it refers to pointless communication with a stubborn or unresponsive person.

Like slapping the mouth of someone who is yawning

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone's small mistake or vulnerability is immediately taken advantage of by another person, or when someone is interrupted at a very awkward moment. It refers to the act of hitting or shutting someone's mouth right when they have it wide open to yawn.

Like a blind shot hitting a bird

This proverb describes a situation where success is achieved by pure luck or accident rather than by skill, effort, or planning. It is used when someone accomplishes a goal unintentionally or through a random occurrence.

Like going to graze and getting it stuck around the neck

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone attempts to gain a benefit or take advantage of something, but instead ends up getting trapped in a problem or creating a new liability for themselves. It is similar to the English concept of 'getting more than one bargained for' in a negative sense.

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.'

Like the vine you were searching for entangling your own foot.

This expression is used when you are searching for someone or something, and unexpectedly, that person or thing appears before you or crosses your path without any effort. It signifies a stroke of luck where a solution presents itself just when you were about to start looking for it.

A wounded foot is always striking against something.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where misfortunes or problems seem to follow a person who is already in trouble. It is similar to the English expression 'misfortunes never come singly' or 'when it rains, it pours.' It highlights how vulnerable points are often the ones that suffer repeated setbacks.