గంజిలోకి ఉప్పులేదు మావా అంటే పాలల్లోకి పంచదార తెమ్మన్నాట్టు.

ganjiloki uppuledu mava ante palalloki panchadara temmannattu.

Translation

When someone says there is no salt for the gruel, it is like asking them to bring sugar for the milk.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone makes an even more expensive or demanding request when they are already informed that basic necessities cannot be met. It highlights the lack of common sense or the audacity of asking for luxuries when the bare minimum is unavailable.

Related Phrases

If you pull the vine, the entire thicket moves.

This expression is used to describe a situation where a single action or a small clue leads to the discovery of a much larger, interconnected issue or a hidden network of events. It is similar to the English idiom 'pulling a thread' or 'opening a can of worms'.

If there is no salt for the gruel, there is sugar for the milk, it seems.

This proverb describes a situation where basic necessities are lacking, yet there are demands or expectations for luxuries. It is used to mock people who cannot afford the bare minimum but aspire for high-end comforts, or to highlight extreme irony in one's financial or social state.

When addressed affectionately as brother-in-law, he invited her to bed.

This proverb describes a situation where someone takes undue advantage of friendliness or intimacy. It is used when a person mistakes a polite or affectionate gesture for a weakness and responds with an inappropriate or overstepping demand. It highlights the behavior of individuals who lack boundaries and exploit a relationship's closeness.

The fruit slipped, and fell into the milk.

This expression is used to describe a situation where something good happens unexpectedly or a fortunate event occurs that makes a situation even better. It is similar to the English idiom 'The icing on the cake' or 'A stroke of luck.'

Happy go lucky.

There is no substance in that, strain the rice water. Equivalent to the English "there's nothing in him" or "there's nothing in it."

This expression is used to describe a situation or an object that is completely devoid of value, substance, or truth. Since 'ganji' (gruel/congee) is essentially the water strained from rice, trying to 'strain' it further is a futile task that yields nothing. It highlights an exercise in futility or something that is worthless.

Like sugar dropped into milk.

This expression is used to describe a situation where two things or people blend together perfectly, harmoniously, or indistinguishably. It is often used to describe a great friendship, a perfect match, or a seamless integration of something.

His business has come into the niche.

This expression is used to indicate that someone's time is up, or they have reached the end of their rope. It often implies that someone's mischievous deeds or a specific phase of their life/work is coming to an end, or that they are finally caught or cornered.

He is on his last legs.

There isn't even salt for the gruel, but they want sugar for the milk.

This proverb is used to describe someone who lacks basic necessities but still makes demands for luxuries or high-end items. It highlights a mismatch between one's actual financial situation and their expensive tastes or unrealistic desires.

To a person suffering from excess bile, sugar tastes bitter.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone's own bias, negative mindset, or illness prevents them from appreciating something good or truthful. Just as a physical illness can distort one's sense of taste, a mental or emotional prejudice can make a person perceive a good thing as bad.

Throwing the food from one's hand into the lake, then licking the hand and drinking the lake water.

This expression describes a person who foolishly discards a valuable resource or opportunity already in their possession, only to later struggle and settle for meager leftovers or inferior alternatives. It is used to mock short-sightedness and the lack of appreciation for what one already has.