గట్టుమీద వానికి గప్పాలెక్కువ

gattumida vaniki gappalekkuva

Translation

The person on the bank talks big.

Meaning

This expression is used to describe a person who stands safely on the sidelines or on the shore and gives excessive advice or boastful suggestions to someone who is actually struggling in a difficult situation (like someone struggling in the water). It highlights how easy it is to criticize or provide solutions when one is not personally facing the risk or hard work.

Related Phrases

Low intelligence, high hunger.

This expression is used to describe a person who lacks common sense or productivity but has excessive demands or needs. It highlights a mismatch between one's capabilities and their consumption or expectations, often used sarcastically to mock laziness or incompetence combined with greed.

Poverty is accompanied by extreme hunger

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone lacks resources but has excessive needs or demands. It highlights the irony of having the least capacity to fulfill requirements while having the greatest desires or appetites. It is often used to comment on how problems seem to multiply for those already in a miserable state.

As rain falls on a male buffalo. Apathetic indifference.

This expression is used to describe a person who is completely indifferent, thick-skinned, or unaffected by criticism, advice, or warnings. Just as a buffalo remains unbothered and stands still even when it rains heavily, it refers to someone who does not change their behavior regardless of the situation or feedback given to them.

Like a crow's nest on a drumstick tree.

This expression refers to something that is extremely fragile, unstable, or easily destroyed. The drumstick tree (Moringa) is known for its brittle branches that break easily, making a nest built on it very insecure. It is used to describe a precarious situation or a weak foundation.

Less than an annual ceremony, more than a monthly ceremony.

This expression is used to describe something that is mediocre, awkward, or in an indeterminate state. It refers to something that doesn't fit into a specific category or standard—being neither significant enough to be considered important (like a 'Taddinam') nor small enough to be ignored (like a 'Masikam'). It often describes a person's height, the scale of an event, or the quality of a piece of work that is neither here nor there.

Poverty has too many words, a funeral ceremony has too many curries.

This proverb is used to criticize people who talk excessively to cover up their lack of substance or resources. Just as a feast of many curries at a funeral ceremony is seen as wasteful or inappropriate, unnecessary talk from a person who cannot provide results is viewed as a sign of incompetence or pretense.

A king who cannot win tells many boasts.

This proverb is used to describe people who lack actual skills or achievements but try to compensate by bragging or telling tall tales. It is similar to the English expression 'Empty vessels make the most noise.'

Why count the injuries of a man who fell from a tree?

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone is already in a state of utter ruin or massive loss, making smaller additional losses or specific details of the damage irrelevant. It suggests that when a catastrophic event occurs, worrying about minor consequences is pointless.

The person on the tree climbed onto the hair.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone who was originally given a small amount of support or a subordinate position begins to dominate, harass, or take undue advantage of their benefactor. It is similar to the English saying 'give them an inch and they'll take a mile.'

The thin cow gives more milk, and the unmilked cow has a larger udder.

This proverb is used to describe people who boast or show off without having any real substance or capability. Just as a cow that isn't milked looks like it has a large udder but yields nothing, or a weak cow is claimed to produce much milk, some people use appearances or tall tales to hide their lack of actual merit or performance.