మా ఇంట్లో తిని, మీ ఇంట్లో చేయి కడుక్కోమన్నట్లు

ma intlo tini, mi intlo cheyi kadukkomannatlu

Translation

Like saying eat at our house, but wash your hand at yours

Meaning

This expression describes a person who is extremely stingy or miserly. It refers to someone who is willing to take or consume resources from others but is unwilling to provide even the smallest hospitality (like a little water to wash hands) in return, or someone who avoids any responsibility or cost after enjoying a benefit.

Related Phrases

Kicking [a man ] when out of doors and falling at his feet in the house. Disgracing him in public and cringing to him in private.

This expression describes a hypocritical or manipulative behavior where someone insults or harms a person in public (or treats them poorly elsewhere) and then tries to act humble or seek forgiveness in private. It refers to a person who tries to cover up their public misdeeds with private apologies or subservience.

Let us have a talk in my house, and dinner in your's. A regular screw. He is no friend that eats his own by himself and mine with me. (Portuguese.)* 'Tis good feasting in other men's houses. (Italiana.)

This proverb describes a hypocritical or selfish person who offers plenty of pleasant conversation and empty hospitality at their own home, but expects others to provide the actual resources or meals. It is used to mock people who are generous with words but stingy with actions, always looking for a free ride while pretending to be friendly.

I'll give you medicine to keep away hunger, give me your cold breakfast. Said by a quack.

This proverb describes a situation involving a hypocrite or a fraud. It refers to someone who claims to have a solution for a problem they haven't even solved for themselves. It is used to mock people who offer expert advice or 'miracle cures' while clearly suffering from the very issue they claim to fix.

In our house for talks, but in your house for the night.

This expression describes someone who talks a lot about hospitality or friendship but is unwilling to bear any actual responsibility or cost. It is used to mock people who enjoy socializing and giving advice at their own place but look for a free meal or a place to stay at someone else's expense when it matters.

In a neglected house, devils take up their abode.

This proverb suggests that when a place or a situation is neglected or left without proper leadership and supervision, evil or undesirable elements will inevitably move in and take control. It is often used to emphasize the importance of oversight and maintenance in both physical properties and social or political institutions.

A stick two yards long in a room one cubit square. A defiant speech in answer to a threat.

This proverb describes a situation where an accessory or a solution is disproportionately larger or more complex than the actual problem or the space it occupies. It is used to mock inefficiency, poor planning, or when something is overly cumbersome for its intended purpose.

He went to hide and entered the house of the village watch- man. To run into the Lion's mouth. To break the Constable's head and take refuge with the Sheriff. (Spanish.)

This expression is used when someone, in an attempt to escape a problem or avoid detection, ends up in a place or situation that is even more dangerous or exactly where they would be caught. It refers to a situation where a person's efforts to seek safety lead them directly into the hands of the authority or the enemy.

* Orem lupo committere. † Eglí dà le pecore in guardia al lupo. ‡ Descalabrar el alguaciti, y accogersse al corregidor. 6 ( 41 )

A staff a cubic long in a house a span wide: An impossibility.

This expression is used to describe a situation where a solution or an object is too large or disproportionate for the space or context it is intended for. It highlights awkwardness, poor planning, or something being out of scale, such as a large piece of furniture in a tiny room.

Like a grandfather groping for the children in a house where there are none.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where subordinates or children behave uncontrollably or misbehave in the absence of an authority figure or supervisor. It is equivalent to the English expression 'When the cat is away, the mice will play.'

As a dog enters into a house with an open door. Applied to property not watched.

This expression describes someone who enters a place or involves themselves in a matter without permission, hesitation, or respect for boundaries. It is used when an uninvited person takes advantage of a lack of supervision or security to intrude where they don't belong.