కన్ను ఉండగా కంటిపాపను కొన్నట్లు

kannu undaga kantipapanu konnatlu

Translation

Buying a pupil while having an eye

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe an act of extreme foolishness or redundant effort, where one spends money or resources to acquire something they already possess as a natural part of themselves. It highlights the irony of trying to purchase the essence of what one already has.

Related Phrases

Like buying bread from someone who already has the flour.

This expression describes a situation where a transaction or deal is made with someone who possesses all the necessary resources, making the outcome guaranteed and effortless. It is used to indicate a secure and reliable way of getting something done without complications.

As if bringing the very ropes used to tie oneself up.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone inadvertently creates their own troubles or provides the means for their own downfall. It is similar to the English idiom 'digging one's own grave' or 'handing someone a stick to beat you with'.

There will be one who can kick the head of the one who kicks the top of a palm tree.

There are always people who are of superior abilities. One should try for the best in life, but after achieving a good position in life, one should not feel that one is at the top of the world; there are still higher peaks to reach.

Like selling one's wife to buy a camel.

This proverb describes a situation where someone makes a foolish or short-sighted trade, sacrificing something of immense value and necessity for something of lesser utility or something they cannot manage. It signifies a complete lack of judgment and a poor sense of priorities.

Even if the sky breaks or an eye is lost, you will not stop doing it.

This expression is used to describe an extremely stubborn person or someone who is persistent to a fault. It suggests that regardless of major disasters or personal injury, the individual refuses to change their course of action or stop a specific behavior.

One eye is a flower eye, the other eye is a fruit eye.

This expression is used to describe partiality or double standards shown by a person. It refers to a situation where someone treats one person or side with kindness and favor (the soft flower) while treating another with harshness or severity (the hard unripe fruit).

Like hitting soil on a fox's mouth.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone's plans or expectations are completely ruined or blocked at the very last moment, often resulting in great disappointment. It is similar to the English idiom 'to take the bread out of someone's mouth'.

Like an eye opening on the sole of the foot

This expression is used to describe something occurring in a highly inconvenient, awkward, or impossible location. It signifies a situation that causes great discomfort or irritation, making it difficult to function normally, much like how an eye on the sole of one's foot would make walking impossible.

One eye is no eye, one son is no son.

This proverb suggests that relying on a single resource or individual is risky. Just as losing one's only eye leads to total blindness, depending on an only child (or a single point of failure) leaves one vulnerable. It is used to emphasize the importance of backups, security, or having multiple supports in life.

When asked if there is jaggery, answering that there is ginger.

This expression describes an irrelevant or out-of-context response. It is used when someone provides an answer that has nothing to do with the question asked, or when there is a total lack of communication/understanding between two people.