ఎత్తెత్తి అడుగువేస్తే పుల్లాకు మీద పడిందట
ettetti aduguveste pullaku mida padindata
When one walked with high-lifted steps, they ended up stepping on a used leaf plate.
This expression is used to describe a person who puts on a great show of being careful, superior, or sophisticated, yet ends up doing something trivial, foolish, or embarrassing. It highlights the irony of someone's pretense versus their actual outcome.
Related Phrases
ఎల్లి మీద పుల్లి, పుల్లి మీద మల్లి
elli mida pulli, pulli mida malli
Pulli on Elli, and Malli on Pulli
This expression is used to describe a series of events happening one after another in quick succession, or a situation where things are piled up or layered. It often refers to a lineage or a sequence of names/entities that follow a specific order or pattern.
పటమట కొరడు వేస్తే పాడుగుంటన్నీ నిండును
patamata koradu veste paduguntanni nindunu
If a rainbow appears in the west, all the ruined ponds will be filled.
This is a traditional agricultural proverb or 'Gidugu' used to predict heavy rainfall. It suggests that a rainbow appearing in the western sky (usually during the evening) is a sign of an impending storm or heavy downpour that will be sufficient to fill even the most neglected or dried-up pits and ponds.
నాగసముద్రం పిల్ల, నగారుమీద పుల్ల
nagasamudram pilla, nagarumida pulla
A girl from Nagasamudram is like a stick on a drum.
This is a traditional Telugu saying used to describe someone who is very thin or lean. It compares a person's physique to a thin drumstick (pullu) used to play a large drum (nagaru), suggesting they are strikingly slender.
వెల్లకిలా పడుకుని ఉమ్మివేస్తే, అది తన మొహం మీదే పడుతుంది
vellakila padukuni ummiveste, adi tana moham mide padutundi
If you spit when lying on your back it will fall on your face. Who spits against heaven, it falls on his head. ( French. )* He who spits against heaven will have it fall on his face. ( Spanish. )! " Whoso casteth a stone on high casteth it on his own head." Ecclesiasticus xxvii. 25.
This proverb serves as a warning that if you try to defame or insult someone honorable, or if you act maliciously against someone superior, the consequences of your actions will ultimately come back to harm your own reputation.
* Qui crache contre le ciel, il lui tombe sur la tête. † Quien al cielo escupe, en la cara le cae.
అల్లుడికి పేరుపెట్టి పుల్ల విరిచి వేస్తే, ఎగిరి పడిందట.
alludiki perupetti pulla virichi veste, egiri padindata.
When a stick was snapped and thrown while naming it after the son-in-law, it supposedly jumped up.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone is so sensitive or easily offended that even a symbolic or minor gesture is perceived as a major insult. It mocks people who overreact or behave with extreme self-importance, suggesting that even an inanimate object (the stick) named after them would act out or show 'attitude'.
మహామహావాళ్ళు ముదుళ్ళకింద ఉంటే పుల్లాకునాగతేమి అన్నట్లు.
mahamahavallu mudullakinda unte pullakunagatemi annatlu.
When great people are under the feet, what is the fate of a leaf plate?
This proverb is used to describe a situation where even highly influential or powerful people are suffering or being crushed, implying that common people or those of lower status stand no chance at all. It highlights total chaos or a hierarchy of suffering.
అరటాకు మీద ముల్లు పడ్డా ముల్లు మీద అరటాకు పడ్డా, అరటాకుకే ముప్పు
arataku mida mullu padda mullu mida arataku padda, aratakuke muppu
Whether a thorn falls on a banana leaf or a banana leaf falls on a thorn, it is the banana leaf that suffers.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where a vulnerable person is always at a disadvantage when dealing with a powerful or harmful entity, regardless of who initiated the conflict. It implies that the weak must be extra cautious because they will be the ones to get hurt in any encounter with the strong.
పడమర కొట్టేస్తే పాడుగుంటలన్నీ నిండును, తూర్పున వేస్తే తుంగగడ్డ కూడా ఎండిపోవును
padamara kotteste paduguntalanni nindunu, turpuna veste tungagadda kuda endipovunu
If it rains from the west, even ruined pits will fill up; if it rains from the east, even the water-grass roots will dry up.
This is a traditional agricultural proverb related to monsoon patterns in the Telugu regions. It suggests that rainfall coming from the west (Southwest monsoon) is abundant and reliable enough to fill every dry pond, whereas rain clouds from the east (Northeast monsoon) are often insufficient or inconsistent, leading to drought-like conditions where even moisture-loving plants like 'tunga' grass wither away.
పటమట కొట్టువేస్తే పాడిఆవు అంకెవేస్తుంది
patamata kottuveste padiavu ankevestundi
If you strike the western side of the shed, the milch cow bellows.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where one person's actions or words have an immediate, predictable, or indirect effect on another person. It can also refer to people who react prematurely or sensitive individuals who respond even when a remark is not directly aimed at them.
ముల్లొచ్చి అరిటాకుమీద పడ్డా, అరిటాకు వచ్చి ముల్లు మీద పడ్డా, అరిటాకుకే మోసం
mullochchi aritakumida padda, aritaku vachchi mullu mida padda, aritakuke mosam
Whether the thorn falls on the banana leaf, or the banana leaf falls on the thorn, it is the banana leaf that suffers.
This proverb is used to illustrate that in a conflict between a strong entity and a weak one, the weaker party will always be the one to suffer the damage, regardless of who initiated the confrontation. It serves as a warning for the vulnerable to be cautious and avoid unnecessary friction with those who are more powerful or harmful.