మెత్తనాళ్ళు పోయినవి, చెత్తనాళ్ళు వచ్చినవి.

mettanallu poyinavi, chettanallu vachchinavi.

Translation

The soft/gentle days are gone, and the trashy/difficult days have arrived.

Meaning

This expression is used to describe a transition from a period of prosperity, comfort, and easy living to a period of hardship, low quality, or unfavorable conditions. It highlights a decline in the standard or quality of life or circumstances.

Related Phrases

The farmer who went for seed, returned after the harvest.

This expression refers to someone who takes an excessively long time to complete a simple task, returning only when the work is already finished or when the timing is no longer relevant. It is used to mock extreme procrastination or laziness.

Applied to a slow coach.

The days of bedding are gone, the days of straw have come. The reverses of fortune.

This expression is used to describe a transition from a period of prosperity, ease, or high quality to a period of hardship, low quality, or difficult times. It signifies that the 'golden days' are over and one must now deal with inferior or challenging circumstances.

Only if there are seeds, can there be management (authority).

This proverb highlights that one can only exercise authority or manage affairs if they possess the necessary resources or capital. In an agricultural context, it means without seeds to sow, there is no farm to manage; in a broader sense, it implies that financial stability is the foundation of influence and leadership.

A mother-in-law is never soft, and a knife is never soft.

This proverb is used to describe relationships or objects that are inherently sharp or harsh by nature. It suggests that just as a knife's purpose is to cut and it cannot be blunt or soft, a mother-in-law (in traditional contexts) is expected to be strict or demanding, and one should not expect otherwise.

Some days of darkness, some days of moonlight.

This expression is used to describe the inevitable cycles of life. Just as nature transitions between dark nights and bright moonlit nights, human life alternates between periods of hardship and periods of happiness. It serves as a reminder to remain resilient during tough times and humble during good times, as neither state is permanent.

The pumpkins have become rotten, the mustard plants have spread. Said when the base and wicked rise in power and the great and good disappear.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where great or powerful entities have fallen or perished, while small, insignificant, or weak entities are thriving or taking over. It highlights the irony of time or circumstances where the mighty fail and the lowly flourish.

Have you come to eat or to visit the shrine ?

This expression is used to question a person's priorities or motives when they seem more interested in superficial benefits (like food) rather than the primary purpose or spiritual significance of an event (like receiving holy water at a temple). It is often used to chide someone who is distracted by secondary perks.

The bug is crushed but the remains are not to be seen. Robbers' slang, referring to a murdered man.—Chetta means literally 'rubbish,' 'sweepings.'

This expression refers to a situation where a minor nuisance or problem was dealt with, but the underlying relationship or the main issue remains intact. It is often used to describe how a small incident should not destroy a larger, significant bond or to show that a superficial change hasn't altered the fundamental situation.

The time the daughter-in-law arrived, the time the young bulls arrived.

This proverb is used to comment on coincidences, specifically when a new arrival in a family (like a daughter-in-law) is blamed or credited for significant events (like the birth of livestock or changes in fortune) that happen shortly after. It highlights how people often link luck or misfortune to a person's entry into the household.

When he went to lap, his livelihood went. When a greedy man went to spoon upon another for his breakfast he was kept waiting so long that he lost his situation.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone, out of greed or a desire for small, insignificant gains (scraps/leftovers), ends up losing something very valuable or even their entire livelihood. It serves as a warning against being penny-wise and pound-foolish, or taking unnecessary risks for minor rewards.