కట్టెలు తేరా తిమ్మా అంటే కడుపు నొస్తదే అమ్మా అన్నట్టు

kattelu tera timma ante kadupu nostade amma annattu

Translation

When asked to fetch firewood, Timma says his stomach hurts.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a person who makes silly or lazy excuses to avoid doing work. It highlights the tendency of people to suddenly claim illness or problems the moment a task is assigned to them.

Related Phrases

" Where are you going to Madam Fate?" asked one " I'll follow you, go on" she replied. The evil results of mixing with bad company.

This proverb is used to describe the inescapability of destiny or bad luck. It suggests that no matter where a person goes to escape their troubles or misfortune, their fate follows them closely. It is often used when someone tries to change their circumstances but encounters the same problems elsewhere.

When asked 'Thimma, go get a begging bowl', he replied 'Oh mother, please don't say it like that'.

This proverb is used to describe a person who is extremely lazy or over-sensitive to the point of being impractical. Even when faced with the dire necessity of begging for survival, the person cares more about the bluntness of the wording than the reality of their situation. It mocks people who are overly fastidious or choosy when they are actually in a desperate state.

When one says 'In the house, Narayannamma', the other says 'Go, Govinda'

This expression is used to describe a situation where there is a total lack of coordination or communication between two people. When one person says something, the other gives a completely irrelevant or opposite response, leading to a situation where nothing gets accomplished due to the disconnect.

When the daughter-in-law said 'Mother-in-law, I will give birth to sons', the mother-in-law replied 'Would I ever say no to that, dear?'

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone offers to do something that is universally beneficial or obviously desirable. It highlights that no one would object to a proposal that brings only positive results or fulfills a common goal. It is often used sarcastically when someone states an obvious intention to do something good as if they are asking for permission.

When asked, 'Where are you going, O widow?', she replied, 'I am coming along with you, let us go.'

This proverb is used to describe a situation where an unwanted or persistent problem (or person) follows you no matter where you go or how you try to avoid it. It signifies an inescapable nuisance or a misfortune that sticks to a person regardless of their efforts to escape it.

“It is your fate, my daughter” [said a mother ] “My hus- band is a monkey” [replied the daughter.]” The allusion is to a bad match. Finding things even worse than anticipated.

This proverb is used to describe a person who is overly pessimistic or takes a fatalistic attitude to an extreme. It illustrates a situation where someone resigns themselves so completely to 'destiny' or 'fate' that they stop trying to improve their situation or accept a terrible outcome without any resistance, often used sarcastically to mock someone's lack of initiative or their habit of blaming everything on bad luck.

Like saying 'I was invited to Thimmanna's feast'

This expression is used to describe a person who behaves with excessive entitlement or self-importance at an event just because they were invited. It highlights the irony of someone acting like they are the guest of honor or the owner of the place when they are just one of many invitees.

When said 'It is your destiny, daughter', she replied 'Then the husband will be a monkey, mother'.

This expression describes a person who has become completely cynical or fatalistic. It is used when someone stops putting in effort or caring about consequences because they believe their bad luck or 'destiny' is inevitable, often leading to a self-fulfilling prophecy of making poor choices.

When called 'Bran Grandfather', responding with 'Broken-grain Grandmother'

This expression describes a situation where one person retorts with a similarly petty or derogatory remark in response to an insult. It signifies tit-for-tat behavior or a mutual exchange of worthless or sarcastic comments between two people who are equally matched in their cynicism or circumstances.

When asked 'Where are you going, widow?', she replied 'I am coming with you, come on'.

This proverb describes a situation where an unwanted or problematic person/problem attaches themselves to you no matter where you go or what you do. It is used to express frustration when one cannot get rid of a nuisance or a streak of bad luck that follows them everywhere.