కుమ్మరి ఆవములో ఇత్తడి ముంత దొరుకునా?

This proverb is used to describe a person who approaches someone for help or with a specific purpose but hesitates to speak their mind or hides their true intentions due to shyness, false pride, or unnecessary secrecy. It highlights the irony of wanting something while being too secretive to ask for it.

This expression is used to signify that windfalls, special treats, or exceptional circumstances do not happen every day. It reminds one that lucky breaks are rare and one must rely on regular effort rather than expecting extraordinary benefits to be constant.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone approaches another person for help or a favor but is too hesitant, shy, or secretive to state their actual need. It highlights the irony of intending to ask for something while concealing the very tool or reason needed to receive it.

Poverty and pride.

This proverb is used to illustrate that things can only be found where they naturally belong. One should not expect to find something precious or different (like brass) in a place meant for something common or specific (like a clay kiln). It is often used to suggest that a person's nature or the quality of a product depends on its origin.

This proverb is used to describe a futile search or an impossible expectation. Just as it is illogical to look for a metal (copper) pot in a place where only clay pots are made (potter's kiln), it is used when someone is looking for something in the wrong place or expecting a quality from someone who does not possess it.

This expression is used to describe someone who is extremely busy, constantly moving around, or deeply involved in hard labor, much like the tireless burrowing activity of a mole cricket (kummara purugu). It often refers to someone who is preoccupied with many tasks at once.

This expression is used to describe two people or things that are a perfect match for each other, especially in a sarcastic or negative sense. It implies that for every odd or flawed person, there is a similarly matched partner or counterpart. It is often used to describe couples who share the same eccentricities or negative traits, similar to the English idiom 'every pot has its lid.'

This proverb describes a person who remains unaffected or untainted despite being in a corrupt, messy, or negative environment. Just as a dung beetle or mole cricket lives in the mud/dirt but stays clean, it refers to an individual's integrity or detachment from worldly impurities.

This proverb emphasizes the interdependence of community members. It suggests that when the overall community or the people around us prosper, even the less fortunate or those at the bottom of the ladder will receive some benefit or basic sustenance. It is used to highlight that collective prosperity benefits everyone.

This expression refers to a small action that causes a disproportionately large amount of damage or chaos. A grey nicker bean (gachakaya) has a hard shell that explodes with a loud bang when heated; if thrown into a potter's kiln, it can cause all the delicate earthenware inside to crack or shatter. It is used to describe a person who enters a peaceful situation and creates total ruin with a single word or deed.