కోమటి ఇల్లు కాలినట్టు
komati illu kalinattu
Like the burning of a Kômaṭi's house. A heavy loss.
This expression is used to describe a situation where someone experiences a significant loss or problem but chooses to remain silent or suffers in secret without crying out for help, usually to avoid revealing their hidden wealth or secrets. It implies a quiet or concealed catastrophe.
Related Phrases
కోమటి విశ్వాసము
komati vishvasamu
The faith of a Kômaṭi. Faithlessness.
This expression refers to a double-edged or unreliable trust. It is used to describe a situation where someone's loyalty or commitment is solely dependent on their own profit or benefit, suggesting that their allegiance may shift as soon as the circumstances are no longer advantageous to them.
కాలు కాలిన పిల్లి, నోరు కాలిన కుక్క
kalu kalina pilli, noru kalina kukka
A cat with a burnt leg and a dog with a burnt mouth.
This expression describes someone who is extremely restless, impatient, or constantly wandering from one place to another without purpose. Just as a cat with a burnt paw cannot stay still and a dog with a burnt mouth keeps whining or moving in distress, it refers to a person in a state of agitation or aimless agitation.
కోమటి నిజము
komati nijamu
A Kômaṭi's truth.
This expression refers to a 'truth' that is ambiguous, non-committal, or deceptive. It is used to describe a situation where someone gives a diplomatic or evasive answer that seems honest but hides the actual facts to avoid trouble or profit-seeking, much like the stereotypical cleverness attributed to traditional traders.
కోమటి సాక్ష్యం
komati sakshyam
A merchant's testimony
This expression is used to describe a statement or evidence that is intentionally vague, non-committal, or deceptive. Just as a merchant might avoid taking a firm side to protect their business interests, 'Komati Sakshyam' refers to a testimony where the speaker avoids giving a direct answer or tries to please both parties without revealing the truth.
వేణ్నీళ్లకు ఇల్లు కాలుతుందా?
vennillaku illu kalutunda?
Can your house be burnt down with hot water?
This proverb is used to imply that small or insignificant actions cannot cause major damage, or that mild threats/anger cannot destroy strong foundations. It suggests that just because water is hot, it doesn't possess the destructive power of fire.
Applied to lenient or ineffective measures.
కోమటి సాక్ష్యము
komati sakshyamu
A Kômaṭi's evidence. A story is told of a Kômaṭi who, when asked to identify a horse about which a Mussalman and Hindu were quarrelling, said the forepart of it looked like the Mussalman's horse and the hindpart like the Hindu's.
This expression refers to a statement or testimony that is ambiguous, non-committal, or clever enough to avoid taking a definitive side. It is used to describe a situation where someone speaks in a way that protects their own interests while technically answering a question, often leaving the listener in confusion.
ఇంటి వెనకాలకు వెళ్లి ఇల్లు ముందుకు తెచ్చినట్టు
inti venakalaku velli illu munduku techchinattu
He brought the house forward by going behind it. Said jokingly of a man who professed to have improved the family prospects.
This expression is used to describe a situation where someone performs a task in a needlessly complicated, roundabout, or illogical manner. It refers to wasting effort on an impossible or unnecessarily difficult way of doing something that should be simple.
ఇల్లు కాలినా ఇల్లాలు చచ్చినా గొల్లు మానదు.
illu kalina illalu chachchina gollu manadu.
If the house be burnt or the goodwife die, there will cer- tainly be lamentations.
This expression is used to describe a person who is habitually prone to complaining or creating a ruckus regardless of the circumstances. It suggests that for some people, misery or noisy behavior is a constant trait that doesn't change even in the face of significant disasters or personal loss.
కండ్లు చెరిపిన దేవుడు మతి యిచ్చినట్టు
kandlu cheripina devudu mati yichchinattu
The God who destroyed the eyes, gave understanding. When God deprives a man of sight, He increases his intellectual powers.
This expression is used when someone suffers a physical or material loss but gains intelligence, maturity, or common sense in return. It refers to a situation where a disadvantage is compensated by a different, often mental or spiritual, advantage.
తిన్న యిల్లు గుద్దలించేవేమిరా అంటే, తినని యిల్లు నేనేమి యెరుగుదును అన్నాడట
tinna yillu guddalinchevemira ante, tinani yillu nenemi yerugudunu annadata
When asked, "Why are you digging [for treasure] in the house where you have eaten?" he replied, "What do I know of a house where I have not eaten?"
This proverb describes a person who is extremely ungrateful and lacks loyalty. It refers to someone who harms their benefactors or those who helped them, justifying their betrayal with absurd logic. It is used to criticize those who bite the hand that feeds them.
Do good to a knave and pray God he requite thee not. ( Danish. )*