నెత్తిన వెన్న పెట్టి రొయ్యల మొలతాడు కట్టినట్లు

nettina venna petti royyala molatadu kattinatlu

Translation

Like placing butter on the head and tying a waistband made of prawns.

Meaning

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone is being extremely foolish or setting themselves up for a loss. Placing butter on the head (which melts in the sun) and using prawns (which are scavenged by crows and dogs) as a waistband implies that the person's assets or efforts will quickly vanish or be snatched away due to poor planning.

Related Phrases

Like beating a shaven head with a cocoanut. As used to be done to a Sannyâsi ( religious mendicant ) by his disciples when he was about to die.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone is being extremely harsh, blunt, or unkind to a vulnerable person. It signifies a lack of empathy or a direct, painful impact on someone who has no protection against the action.

Like lighting smoke because one cannot directly ask someone to leave

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone wants to get rid of a person or end a situation but doesn't want to say it directly. Instead, they create uncomfortable conditions or make things difficult to force the person to leave on their own accord. It is synonymous with 'indirectly forcing someone out'.

Like tying prawns around a cat's neck

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone is entrusted with something they cannot resist consuming or misusing. Just as a cat will immediately eat the prawns tied to its neck, a person placed in a position of temptation will inevitably succumb to it. It signifies a lack of trust or a foolish decision in delegating responsibility.

Like giving cheese to a fever patient or putting butter on a split head.

This expression describes an act that is counterproductive, harmful, or poorly timed. Just as dairy is traditionally avoided during a fever in Ayurveda and butter won't heal a deep head wound, it refers to actions that worsen a situation despite appearing like a gesture of care or help.

Building castles in the air

This expression refers to creating unrealistic plans or daydreams that have no solid foundation. It is used to describe someone who is being impractical or overly idealistic about the future without taking any concrete action.

Whatever one touches/holds, it is as if a ghost has possessed it.

This expression is used to describe someone who goes to extremes or becomes obsessively persistent in whatever task they undertake. It can also refer to someone who consistently encounters bad luck or complications in every endeavor they start, as if it were cursed or jinxed.

When they tied a waist cord of prawns round the cat's loins it went a little way and then ate up the whole. Want of appreciation of honors conferred.

This proverb is used to describe a person who cannot appreciate the value or decorative purpose of a gift because of their inherent nature or greed. It suggests that giving something precious to an unworthy person is futile, as they will only use it to satisfy their basic instincts or immediate desires.

* Der Wald hat Ohren, das Feld hat Augen. † Der Katzen Schers, der Maus Tod. ‡ Starke Manda Spil er kranke Manda Död.

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.

Like breaking a coconut on a bald head

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone is put in a very painful or difficult position, or when a person is exploited or harmed because they are vulnerable or have no protection. It signifies an act that is both cruel and blunt, often catching the person off guard.

Like building a dam after the water has already flowed away

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone takes corrective action or precautions after the damage has already been done and it is too late to be effective. It is similar to the English proverb 'locking the stable door after the horse has bolted'.