గాలిని మూటకట్టినా గయ్యాళి నోరు కట్టలేడు

galini mutakattina gayyali noru kattaledu

Translation

Even if one can tie the wind in a bundle, one cannot tie the mouth of a shrewish woman.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe the difficulty of dealing with a quarrelsome or loud-mouthed person (specifically a 'gayyali'). It suggests that controlling the wind—an impossible task—is still easier than stopping such a person from arguing or being verbally abusive.

Related Phrases

A cat with a burnt leg and a dog with a burnt mouth.

This expression describes someone who is extremely restless, impatient, or constantly wandering from one place to another without purpose. Just as a cat with a burnt paw cannot stay still and a dog with a burnt mouth keeps whining or moving in distress, it refers to a person in a state of agitation or aimless agitation.

A shrewish woman and a grey nicker bush are one and the same

This expression compares a quarrelsome or bad-tempered woman to a thorny grey nicker bush (Gachhapoda). Just as the thorny bush is difficult to handle and causes pain or irritation to anyone who touches it, a shrewish person is seen as someone who causes constant friction and discomfort to those around them.

One can bundle up the wind, but one cannot shut the mouth of a shrewish person.

This proverb highlights that while it might be possible to achieve an impossible physical feat like capturing the wind, it is absolutely impossible to stop a quarrelsome or loud-mouthed person from arguing. It is used to describe situations where dealing with an irrational or aggressive person is futile.

Opening the mouth for boiled grains, but closing it for the threshing floor.

This proverb describes a person who is eager and greedy for small, immediate benefits (represented by a handful of boiled snacks/guggillu) but remains silent or fails to act when there is an opportunity for a much larger gain (represented by the entire harvest at the threshing floor/kallam). It is used to mock someone who lacks a sense of proportion or fails to recognize where the real profit lies.

The name is great, but the village is a mound.

Used to describe a situation where someone or something has a grand reputation or a fancy name, but the actual reality is disappointing, poor, or hollow. It is similar to the English expression 'All that glitters is not gold' or 'Big name, no substance'.

No effort was put in then, and no worry is felt now.

This proverb describes a state of total negligence or lack of foresight. It is used to describe a person who did not take action or plan during the appropriate time (the past) and consequently feels no regret or concern about the failure in the present. It often implies a sense of indifference toward one's responsibilities.

Building castles in the air

This expression refers to creating unrealistic plans or daydreams that have no solid foundation. It is used to describe someone who is being impractical or overly idealistic about the future without taking any concrete action.

A silk tassel to a broom.

This expression is used to describe an absurd or mismatched combination where something very beautiful, expensive, or high-quality is wasted on or attached to something lowly, ugly, or insignificant. It highlights the incongruity and pointlessness of such an arrangement.

The grand appearance of a worthless person. A leaden sword in an ivory scabbard.

Tying up water in a bundle. He draws water with a sieve.

This expression is used to describe a futile, impossible, or extremely difficult task. Just as it is impossible to pack or tie water into a bundle with a cloth, this phrase refers to situations where efforts are wasted on something that cannot be contained, managed, or achieved.

Like trying to tie water in a bundle

This expression describes an impossible task or an exercise in futility. It is used to refer to situations where someone tries to control or manage something that is inherently uncontainable, fleeting, or impossible to hold onto, much like the physical impossibility of bundling water in a cloth.