ఇంటికి ఒక వెంట్రుకయితే ఇల్లాలికి ఒక కంబళి

intiki oka ventrukayite illaliki oka kambali

Translation

If it is one hair for the house, it is a blanket for the housewife.

Meaning

This proverb describes a situation where an individual exaggerates a tiny contribution or a small loss to claim a much larger personal benefit or compensation. It is used to mock people who make mountains out of molehills or try to profit excessively from a minor event.

Related Phrases

One flower for every house, one garland for the God.

This expression emphasizes the power of collective effort and unity. It suggests that while an individual's contribution might seem small or insignificant (like a single flower), when everyone contributes together, it results in something grand and magnificent (like a beautiful garland for God). It is used to encourage community participation or teamwork.

Like pulling a hair out of butter

This expression is used to describe a task or process that is performed with extreme ease, smoothness, or without any resistance. It is often used when someone handles a difficult situation effortlessly or when a resolution is reached very cleanly.

Like saying 'I found them! Hairs in a woolen blanket.'

This proverb is used to mock someone who claims to have made a great discovery or solved a complex mystery, when in reality, what they found was obvious, inevitable, or insignificant. Since a woolen blanket (kambali) is naturally made of fibers/hair, 'finding' hair in it is not an achievement at all.

An employee has no single village; a beggar has no single house.

This proverb highlights that certain roles require constant movement and lack a permanent attachment to one place. An employee must travel or relocate wherever their job demands, and a beggar must move from house to house to survive. It is used to describe situations where a person cannot stay in one fixed location due to the nature of their work or life circumstances.

A handful of rice for the house, but ten 'putlus' for the housewife.

This proverb is used to describe a person who behaves very stingily when it comes to family or household needs but is extremely extravagant and spends lavishly on their own personal desires or luxuries. It highlights the hypocrisy of neglecting responsibilities while indulging oneself.

Like taking a hair out of butter.

This expression is used to describe a task that is performed with extreme ease, smoothness, and without any resistance or obstacles. It can also refer to resolving a delicate situation very tactfully and cleanly.

Said of a very easy business. How easily a hair gets into butter ! (Gorman.)*

Like picking hairs while eating in a woolly blanket

This expression describes a situation where someone is engaged in a task that is inherently prone to a specific problem, yet they complain or try to fix it meticulously while still being in that environment. It refers to the absurdity of expecting perfection or cleanliness in a setting that is naturally messy or unsuitable for the task at hand.

Like removing a hair from butter

This expression is used to describe a task performed with extreme ease, smoothness, and without causing any disturbance or damage. It signifies a delicate operation executed so perfectly that the surroundings remain unaffected, often used to describe resolving a complex issue effortlessly.

Like tying a hair to the sky

This expression is used to describe an impossible or extremely difficult task that requires extraordinary precision or is practically unattainable. It often refers to attempting something that has no solid foundation or trying to achieve a goal through highly improbable means.

If you tie a hair to a mountain, the mountain will come or the hair only go. The possibility of great gain with the risk of little loss.

This expression is used to describe a high-reward, low-risk situation. It encourages taking a chance where the potential gain is massive and the potential loss is negligible or insignificant.