గారాబము గారెలకు ఏడిస్తే, వీపు దెబ్బలకు ఏడుస్తోంది

garabamu garelaku ediste, vipu debbalaku edustondi

Translation

You are teazing me and crying for cakes and your back is crying for a whipping. Said by a father.

Meaning

This proverb describes a situation where someone is being overly demanding or spoiled due to excessive affection, while the reality of their situation or their behavior is actually inviting punishment. It is used to caution against over-indulging children or individuals who do not realize that their stubbornness will lead to negative consequences.

Related Phrases

When excessive pampering cried for vadas, the back ended up receiving blows.

This proverb describes a situation where someone who is overly spoiled makes unreasonable demands, only to face harsh consequences or punishment instead. It is used to warn that over-indulgence leads to behavior that eventually invites trouble or discipline.

Rope lashings for infatuation and slipper hits for a coquette.

This proverb suggests that infatuation or reckless passion needs to be restrained with force (like a cattle rope), and a flirtatious person who crosses boundaries needs to be humbled or corrected with harsh treatment. It is used to imply that certain behaviors only stop when met with strict punishment.

While the pampered child cried for anklets, the back cried for blows.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone's excessive demands or spoiled behavior leads to unexpected negative consequences or punishment. It highlights the transition from being over-indulged to being disciplined when one's demands become unreasonable.

One said " Where's the ladle ?" the other said " Where's the stick ?" Two lazy fellows.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone gives an irrelevant, evasive, or overly literal answer to a specific question. It highlights a lack of common sense or a deliberate attempt to avoid addressing the actual point by shifting the focus to the basic material or a different subject altogether.

When the children cried for food, the grandmother cried for a husband. Wishing for something quite unsuitable to one's age.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone is being incredibly selfish or insensitive, focusing on their own inappropriate or secondary desires while others around them are suffering from a basic, urgent crisis.

* Chi l'ha per natura, fin alla fossa dura.

When the belly cried for food, the hair cried for flowers.

This proverb describes a situation where there is a stark contrast between basic needs and superficial desires. It is used when someone asks for luxuries or trivial things while another person is struggling for basic survival or facing a serious crisis.

When the owner cried for the cow [he had lost,] the shoe- maker cried for the hide.

This proverb describes a situation where one person is mourning a great loss while another person is only interested in how they can selfishly profit from that tragedy. It highlights the contrast between genuine grief and cold-hearted opportunism.

It is an ill wind that blows nobody good.

When the father cried for his child, the sexton cried for his money.

This proverb describes a situation where different people have completely different priorities based on their self-interest. While one person is suffering a deep emotional loss (the death of a child), another person involved is only concerned with their own petty material gain or professional fee (the cost of the burial). It is used to highlight human selfishness or the lack of empathy in business transactions during tragic times.

Crows bewail the dead sheep and then eat them.

Like sliding on a palmyra beam, against the grain. The bark of the Palmyra is scaly and rugged. Injuring one's self by perverse conduct.

This expression describes an act that is self-destructive or painfully counterproductive. Just as the bark/surface of a palm tree has sharp, downward-facing scales that would severely injure someone crawling upward against them, this refers to a person who knowingly takes a path or opposes someone in a way that will only result in their own harm.

When the legitimate child cried for bran ( the poorest food ) the illegitimate child asked for an ornament.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone with no legitimate claim or status demands luxuries or expensive items, while those who are actually entitled or in need are struggling for basic necessities. It highlights the audacity of making unreasonable or extravagant demands when the basic needs of others are not being met.

An unreasonable request at an inopportun time.