కొరివితో తల గోక్కున్నట్లు.

korivito tala gokkunnatlu.

Translation

Scratching the head with the burning torch.

Meaning

Doing something dangerous. One should avoid taking to dangerous paths to solve one’s problems, as they may lead to more troubles.

Related Phrases

Like scratching one's head with a firebrand. Applied to the use of bad agents.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone knowingly invites trouble or performs an action that is bound to result in self-harm or disaster. It refers to someone who is so foolish or reckless that they use a burning stick to scratch their head, leading to inevitable injury.

Like scratching one's head with a flaming brand.

This proverb is used to describe an act of extreme foolishness where someone invites unnecessary trouble or brings disaster upon themselves by their own reckless actions. It refers to a situation where a simple problem is addressed using a dangerous method that results in self-destruction.

The one who has an itch is the one who scratches.

This expression is used to imply that the person who is most affected by a problem or has a personal need/interest is the one who must take action. It is often used to suggest that if someone is bothered by a situation, they should be the one to deal with it themselves rather than expecting others to do it.

Even with strength the size of a mountain, there is no one to perform the final rites.

This proverb highlights a tragic situation where a person might have achieved great power, wealth, or physical strength during their lifetime, yet lacks a family member or a son to perform their funeral rites (specifically lighting the funeral pyre). It is used to describe the irony of being powerful in life but helpless and lonely in death.

To buy is like a torch: to sell a wilderness.

This has reference to the price one gets and one has to pay while buying and selling. Neither buying nor selling is profitable to the needy.

Getting on the roof [ of a thatched house ] and whirling a firebrand.

This expression is used to describe a person's foolish or self-destructive behavior that brings harm or ruin to their own family or reputation. Just as waving a firebrand while standing on a thatched roof will inevitably set the house on fire, this phrase refers to actions that are blatantly dangerous and guarantee self-inflicted disaster.

A firebrand under the head

This expression refers to a constant, self-inflicted danger or a situation where one harbors something extremely risky or harmful. It is often used to describe keeping an untrustworthy person close or maintaining a habit that will eventually lead to one's own destruction.

A brand under one's head.

This expression refers to a constant, self-inflicted danger or a source of perpetual anxiety that one keeps close by. It is used to describe a situation where a person maintains a relationship or makes a choice that poses a continuous threat to their own peace or safety, much like sleeping with a burning torch beneath one's head.

A dangerous companion.

Like stepping on one's own shadow.

This expression describes a futile or impossible task. Just as it is impossible for a person to actually step on the head of their own shadow (as the shadow moves with them), it refers to actions that are self-defeating, redundant, or trying to achieve something that is inherently unachievable due to one's own nature or presence.

Even if one has a family as large as the hairs on their head, there is no one to perform the final rites.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where a person has many relatives or followers, yet none of them are reliable or willing to help during a critical time or in their final moments. It emphasizes the difference between quantity and quality of relationships.