మాదాకవళమమ్మా అంటే, మా యింటాయన నీకు కనిపించలేదా అన్నదట.

madakavalamamma ante, ma yintayana niku kanipinchaleda annadata.

Translation

When asked for a handful of food (alms), she replied, 'Didn't you see my husband?'

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone gives an irrelevant or evasive answer to a simple request to avoid helping. It mocks the behavior of someone making excuses by pointing to another person (usually a spouse or authority figure) as the reason for their inability or refusal to act.

Related Phrases

When the father-in-law said 'The patch is not visible, son-in-law', the son-in-law replied 'The furnace is not visible, father-in-law'.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where two people are equally matched in their cunning, wit, or flaws. It illustrates a 'tit-for-tat' scenario where one person tries to point out a subtle mistake or hide something, only for the other person to point out an even bigger or equally relevant issue. It signifies that one cannot easily fool someone who is just as smart or experienced as they are.

Shall we have that word said ? O father-in-law! When a Kômaṭi was dying and the word "Nârâyana" had to be pro- nounced in his ears, all his relations tried to shirk this disagreeable duty. The allusion in the proverb is to a proposal made by one of them that the task should be imposed upon the oldest man present.

This is a popular idiom or sarcastic expression used to highlight a situation where someone is inviting criticism or stating the obvious in a way that would make others talk negatively. It is often used to question if one should proceed with an action that will inevitably lead to a predictable, often shameful, reputation or consequence.

When asked why he was wearing copper earrings, he replied that the other person didn't even have those.

This expression describes a person who tries to hide their own inferiority or low-quality choices by pointing out that others have nothing at all. It is used to mock someone who is overly proud of something insignificant or cheap, or someone who uses others' lack of resources to justify their own poor standards.

" Where are you going to Madam Fate?" asked one " I'll follow you, go on" she replied. The evil results of mixing with bad company.

This proverb is used to describe the inescapability of destiny or bad luck. It suggests that no matter where a person goes to escape their troubles or misfortune, their fate follows them closely. It is often used when someone tries to change their circumstances but encounters the same problems elsewhere.

When told 'Salutations to Sita and Rama', she asked 'Did my husband not come across you?'

This proverb describes a person who is so self-centered or ignorant that they interpret everything, even a general prayer or greeting, in the context of their own narrow personal life. It is used to mock someone who lacks general awareness and relates every conversation back to their own private matters.

When someone said they couldn't see the Arundhati star, another asked if they could see their six thousand debt instead.

This proverb is used to describe a person who is overly preoccupied with their own troubles or financial burdens. While others are looking at something auspicious or subtle (like the Arundhati star during a wedding), this person can only focus on their overwhelming problems. It mocks the tendency of some people to bring up their personal grievances or debts in completely unrelated or positive situations.

Even if he turned a Varaha coin into three-quarters of its value, it is enough for me that my husband became a cattle trader, she said.

This proverb is used to mock someone who takes pride in their status or title despite suffering a significant financial loss or performing poorly in their job. It highlights a foolish sense of satisfaction with one's position or prestige over practical success and common sense.

When asked 'Daughter-in-law, how long will your enjoyment last?', she replied 'Until my mother-in-law returns from the workers' colony.'

This proverb is used to describe a temporary sense of freedom or authority. It refers to a situation where someone enjoys power or pleasure only because their superior or person in charge is momentarily absent, and they know the fun will end the moment that authority figure returns.

When asked 'Where are you going, widow?', she replied 'I am coming with you, come on'.

This proverb describes a situation where an unwanted or problematic person/problem attaches themselves to you no matter where you go or what you do. It is used to express frustration when one cannot get rid of a nuisance or a streak of bad luck that follows them everywhere.

When one woman said only her husband could read what he wrote, another replied that even her husband couldn't read what he himself wrote.

This is a humorous Telugu proverb used to describe extremely illegible or bad handwriting. It mocks a situation where a person's writing is so poor that not even the author can decipher it later. It is used in contexts where someone tries to show off their unique skill or work, only to be outdone by someone else's even more chaotic or incompetent version.