ఇంటింటికీ మట్టి పొయ్యే

intintiki matti poyye

Translation

Every house has an earthen fire-place.

Meaning

This proverb means that certain problems, weaknesses, or secrets are universal and exist in every household or for every person, regardless of how they appear on the outside. It is used to convey that one is not alone in their struggles and that human nature or domestic issues are the same everywhere.

Notes

Every man has his faults.

Related Phrases

Like tying a knot between the sky and the earth

This expression is used to describe an impossible task, a highly exaggerated statement, or a clever person who can bridge two completely unrelated or extreme things through their talk or actions. It is often used to describe someone who spins tall tales or attempts to reconcile vast differences.

Like sprinkling grains of rice over an empty house. Pôchillu is a superstitious rite in which a man having thrown grains of rice on a neighbour's house, listens for any words he can overhear, and elicits a meaning from them. A profitless proceeding.

This expression refers to a futile or waste of effort where the outcome is negligible or disappears immediately. Just as sprinkling a little water on a bone-dry, parched floor is absorbed instantly without making a lasting difference, it is used when someone's help or investment is too small to solve a massive problem.

When the fire was lighted in the opposite house, he threw water on his own.

This expression describes the irrational and self-destructive nature of extreme jealousy. It refers to someone who is so consumed by envy of another person's success or prosperity that they sabotage their own progress or well-being out of spite or sheer frustration.

An envious man waxes lean with the fatness of his neighbour. Envy is its own torturer. ( Danish ? ) * Wer einen lobt in Praesentia und schimpft in Absentia, den hole die Pestilentia. † Avindayg er sin egen Böddel.

A house already built, a stove already lit.

This expression describes a situation where everything is perfectly prepared and ready for immediate use without any effort from the newcomer. It is often used to describe someone who marries into a well-established, wealthy household where all comforts are already available, or a situation where one steps into a role where all the hard work has already been completed by others.

Every house has an earthen fire-place, my house is still worse off. Acknowledging one's failings.

This proverb is used to convey that everyone has their own set of problems or flaws, and one's own situation is no exception—or perhaps even slightly more complicated. It highlights the universality of human struggles and domestic issues, suggesting that no household is perfectly free from trouble.

For conversation at our house, for a meal at your house.

This proverb is used to describe someone who is very friendly and talkative but avoids being hospitable or sharing food. It refers to a person who is happy to host a conversation but expects others to provide the meal or resources. It highlights a one-sided relationship or stinginess disguised as friendliness.

A house that is already built, and a hearth that is already set up.

This expression refers to entering a situation where everything is already perfectly prepared and ready for use without any effort from the person joining. It is most commonly used in the context of a bride entering a well-established household where she does not have to struggle to set up a new life or home from scratch.

Every house has its secrets, every field has its bunds.

This proverb emphasizes that every family or household has private matters or internal problems that should remain confidential. Just as a 'gattu' (bund/embankment) defines and protects the boundaries of a field, 'guttu' (secrecy/privacy) protects the dignity and reputation of a family.

Smart words at my house, but dinner at your house.

This expression describes a person who talks grandly or boasts about their status at home, yet depends on others for their basic needs or survival. It is used to mock hypocritical people who act superior but are actually freeloaders.

Every house has a brick stove, while our house has a clay stove.

This proverb is used to highlight that despite outward appearances or slight differences, basic problems and human nature are universal. It implies that everyone faces similar struggles and that no one is truly unique in their suffering or circumstances.