మోచేతి దెబ్బ చూడక, తాటిచిప్పకు అతుకు పెట్టబోయినట్లు

mocheti debba chudaka, tatichippaku atuku pettaboyinatlu

Translation

Like trying to patch a palm leaf bowl without looking at the injury on the elbow.

Meaning

This expression describes someone who ignores a significant, immediate problem or injury (represented by a hit to the elbow) and instead focuses on a trivial or useless task (like repairing a disposable palm leaf bowl). It is used to mock people who have misplaced priorities or ignore personal suffering to attend to insignificant matters.

Related Phrases

Placing jaggery in the palm and making one lick up to the elbow.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone promises or offers something attractive but makes it practically impossible to obtain or enjoy. It refers to deceptive tactics or giving someone a hard time after offering a benefit, essentially making them struggle for something that was supposed to be easy.

A jackal does not know the impact of a bowshot.

This proverb is used to describe someone who is overconfident or reckless because they have never experienced a real defeat or punishment. It refers to an inexperienced person who underestimates danger or consequences because they haven't been 'hit' by them yet.

The pleasure felt in a mother-in-law's house is like a blow on the elbow.

This proverb highlights that the comforts or happiness one experiences at their in-laws' house are often fleeting and sharp-lived. Just as a hit to the elbow causes a sudden, intense pain that subsides quickly, the joy there is considered temporary or accompanied by unexpected stings of criticism or discomfort. It is used to caution against relying too much on the hospitality of in-laws.

Happy is the wife who is married to a motherless son.

Like a ghost fleeing from a blow.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone who was being stubborn, troublesome, or difficult suddenly becomes obedient or runs away as soon as they are threatened with force or face a strong consequence. It highlights that some problems or people only respond to strictness or power.

Like licking up to the elbow just because there is jaggery.

This proverb describes someone who is excessively greedy or over-indulgent. It refers to a situation where a person tries to exploit a benefit or resource beyond reasonable limits, often ending up in an awkward or unseemly position because of their lack of self-control.

Comfort in the mother-in-law's house is like a hit on the elbow.

This proverb highlights the transient and fragile nature of happiness one experiences at their in-laws' house. Just as a blow to the funny bone (elbow) causes sharp, intense pain that subsides quickly, the comforts or joys found there are often perceived as temporary, superficial, or followed by sudden discomforts/realities. It is used to suggest that one should not get too comfortable or rely entirely on such hospitality.

Neither reaching the leaf, nor matching the nut

This expression describes a state of being useless or fitting nowhere. It is used when something or someone fails to meet any criteria or serve any purpose in a given situation, similar to being 'neither here nor there'. It specifically refers to the preparation of a betel leaf (paan), where an ingredient fits neither the leaf nor the areca nut.

An elbow hit and a life at the husband's house.

This proverb describes experiences that are briefly painful but must be endured as part of life's inevitable circumstances. Just as an accidental hit on the elbow causes sharp, temporary pain that one quickly moves past, a woman's life in her husband's home (in traditional contexts) involves challenges and adjustments that she learns to tolerate as part of her routine existence.

Putting jaggery in the palm and making one lick it all the way up to the elbow.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone promises or offers something attractive but makes the process so difficult, tricky, or elusive that the person never actually gets to enjoy the benefit. It refers to deceptive behavior or giving someone a 'runaround' while pretending to be helpful.

A daughter-in-law for this word and that word; a dividing wall for this hand's serving and that hand's serving.

This expression describes a person who interferes in every conversation and meddles in every task, effectively becoming a nuisance or an obstacle. It is used to mock someone who is overly talkative, intrusive, or creates unnecessary barriers between people.