కుక్కకు జరికుచ్చులు కట్టినట్లు.

kukkaku jarikuchchulu kattinatlu.

Translation

Like tying golden tassels to a dog.

Meaning

This expression is used to describe a situation where something beautiful, valuable, or sophisticated is given to someone who cannot appreciate its worth or is completely unsuitable for it. It highlights the mismatch between an elegant ornament and an unworthy recipient, often used to mock unnecessary or tasteless ornamentation.

Related Phrases

Like tying heavy wooden blocks to the necks of straying cattle.

This expression is used when someone is restricted or strictly monitored because of their past misbehavior or tendency to escape responsibilities. Just as heavy blocks (gudikattalu) prevent cattle from running away or jumping fences, this refers to imposing necessary constraints on a person who cannot be trusted to act disciplined on their own.

Like tying leaf plates back onto the tree

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone attempts to fix or undo something that is already broken, finished, or irreversibly changed in a way that is unnatural or futile. It refers to the impossible task of making a cut leaf part of the living tree again.

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.

When the dog that ate the food ran away, breaking the leg of the dog that was just watching.

This expression is used to describe a situation where an innocent person is punished for the mistakes or crimes committed by someone else who escaped. It highlights unfair treatment or misplaced anger.

Like tying a silk tassel to a broomstick.

This proverb describes a situation where something cheap, ugly, or low-quality is decorated with something expensive and elegant. It is used to mock a mismatch in status or quality, often referring to an unattractive person wearing expensive jewelry or an unworthy person being given high honors.

A stick is an obstacle for a biting dog.

This proverb suggests that for every threat or nuisance, there is a specific deterrent or solution. Just as a stick can keep a biting dog at bay, certain measures can be taken to prevent or manage troublesome people or situations.

A silk tassel to a broom.

This expression is used to describe an absurd or mismatched combination where something very beautiful, expensive, or high-quality is wasted on or attached to something lowly, ugly, or insignificant. It highlights the incongruity and pointlessness of such an arrangement.

The grand appearance of a worthless person. A leaden sword in an ivory scabbard.

Like a monk with a crowbar building a house for his mother.

This expression is used to describe someone attempting a task they are completely unqualified for, or using the wrong tools for a job. A 'Jangam' (wandering monk) is supposed to be detached from worldly possessions and lacks masonry skills; him trying to build a house with a crowbar signifies a clumsy, ill-conceived effort that is destined to fail or be highly inefficient.

For a widow with sagging breasts, a lover with sagging testicles.

This proverb is used to describe a pair or a match where both parties are equally flawed, aged, or past their prime. It implies that people often find partners or associates who are at a similar level of disadvantage or condition as themselves. It is used in a derogatory or mocking sense to point out that 'like meets like' in suboptimal situations.

A decorative saddle for a dog ride?

This proverb is used to criticize someone who spends excessively on unnecessary or inappropriate luxuries for a trivial or unworthy task. It highlights the mismatch between an inferior subject and a grand ornament.