కాటిలో పండినవీ కాకులు తిన్నవీ ఒకటే

katilo pandinavi kakulu tinnavi okate

Translation

Grains grown in a graveyard and those eaten by crows are the same.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe something that is completely useless or has gone to waste. Just as one cannot consume crops grown in a cemetery (due to cultural taboos) or food already pecked at by crows, it refers to resources or efforts that have no value or benefit to anyone.

Related Phrases

The one who falls into a whirlpool and the one who falls into a moat are both the same.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where two different paths or choices lead to the same unfortunate result. It suggests that whether a problem is caused by nature (whirlpool) or man-made (moat), the consequence of being trapped or ruined remains identical.

The one who listens to his wife and the one who falls in a forest are the same.

This proverb is traditionally used to caution men against being overly influenced or swayed by their wife's advice, suggesting that it leads to being lost or helpless, similar to being stranded in a wilderness. It is often used in a humorous or cautionary context regarding domestic decision-making.

The pumpkins have become rotten, the mustard plants have spread. Said when the base and wicked rise in power and the great and good disappear.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where great or powerful entities have fallen or perished, while small, insignificant, or weak entities are thriving or taking over. It highlights the irony of time or circumstances where the mighty fail and the lowly flourish.

Like saying crows carried away the heavy pounding-rods.

This expression is used to describe someone who mindlessly believes or repeats absurd, impossible stories without applying any common sense. It mocks gullibility or the act of making a ridiculous claim just because someone else said so.

Diets may be different, but hunger is the same

This expression highlights that while people may have different lifestyles, social statuses, or preferences (diets), their fundamental human needs and basic nature (hunger) remain identical. It is used to emphasize human equality or commonality behind superficial differences.

When someone asked, 'Is this all the intelligence you have?', he replied, 'The rest is arriving on carrying poles.'

This expression is used to describe someone who is exceptionally foolish or slow-witted, yet remains oblivious to their lack of common sense. It mocks a person who thinks they have plenty of wisdom yet to be revealed, even though their current actions prove they lack even basic judgment. It is used to satirize arrogance combined with stupidity.

The crows ate up the fruit which grew in the forest. Property common to all.

This proverb refers to things that are produced or earned in an improper, unholy, or wasted manner, which ultimately go to waste or are consumed by undeserving people. It is used to describe efforts that yield no benefit to the rightful person or are squandered due to bad circumstances.

* Dli irati lances pedes habent, 14

People are like crows

This expression is used to convey that people will always find something to gossip about or criticize, regardless of what one does. Just as crows caw incessantly, society often engages in relentless talk or judgment. It is used to advise someone to ignore public opinion or gossip.

Where the sun cannot see, the poet can.

This proverb highlights the boundless imagination of a poet. While sunlight can reach almost everywhere physically, a poet's intuition and creativity can explore the depths of human emotions and abstract concepts that are beyond the reach of physical light.

A fruit ripened after being plucked. Said of a precocious youth.

This expression is used to describe someone who shows maturity, wisdom, or behaviors far beyond their actual age, often used in the context of a child acting like an adult or being 'precocious'. It can also imply someone who has gained experience or 'ripened' prematurely.