మొదలే కుంటికాలు, దానికితోడు పక్షవాతం.

modale kuntikalu, danikitodu pakshavatam.

Translation

Already a lame leg, and on top of that, paralysis.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where an existing problem is worsened by a new, more severe calamity. It is similar to the English expression 'adding insult to injury' or 'it never rains but it pours,' highlighting how misfortunes sometimes compound upon one another.

Related Phrases

A monkey by birth, and then it drank palm wine.

This expression is used to describe a person who is already mischievous or foolish by nature, but then encounters a situation or consumes something that makes their behavior even more erratic or uncontrollable. It signifies a bad situation becoming significantly worse due to unnecessary additions.

Already a lame leg, and on top of that, paralysis.

This expression is used to describe a situation where an already difficult or disadvantageous position is made even worse by a new problem. It is similar to the English idiom 'adding insult to injury' or 'from the frying pan into the fire,' highlighting a series of unfortunate events or compounding disabilities.

In addition to a hunchback, a pushing wind.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where an existing problem is aggravated by an additional, new misfortune. It refers to someone already suffering from a physical deformity (a hunchback) being forced to deal with a strong wind that pushes them, making it even harder to maintain balance or walk. It is similar to the English expression 'adding insult to injury' or 'misfortunes never come singly.'

A bird with broken wings

This expression is used to describe a person who has lost their support system, power, or means of independence. It conveys a state of utter helplessness or being stranded after a significant setback.

A spindle is the beginning for a saree, and Upanayanam is the beginning for a boy.

This proverb signifies the essential starting points or milestones. Just as a spindle of thread is the fundamental starting point for weaving a saree, the Upanayanam (sacred thread ceremony) is considered the beginning of formal education and disciplined life for a young boy in traditional Indian culture.

When sacred grain was given to a luckless fellow, he went away and ate it up (instead of placing it on his head). The term Avalakshana is applied to a man who bears unlucky marks on his person, or whose manners are inauspicious.

This proverb is used to describe a person who lacks basic sense, culture, or awareness of traditions. Akshatalu (sacred rice) are meant to be showered on the head for blessings, not eaten. It highlights how a foolish or ill-mannered person ruins a solemn or sacred gesture by acting out of ignorance or greed.

A bird without wings, a star without a tail.

This is a popular Telugu riddle (podiupu katha) used to describe a kite. The expression highlights something that flies in the sky like a bird but lacks wings, and moves like a shooting star or comet but lacks a fixed tail, relying instead on a string. In a metaphorical sense, it can describe someone who is trying to achieve something great while lacking the fundamental tools or autonomy required for it.

Already a monkey, additionally it drank toddy, and on top of that, a scorpion stung it.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone who is already naturally mischievous or unstable encounters further provocations that make their behavior uncontrollably worse. It describes a sequence of events that turn a bad situation into a total disaster.

Wealth has no end, and poverty has no beginning.

This proverb highlights the boundlessness of human experience. It suggests that there is no limit to how much wealth one can accumulate (or how much greed one can have), while poverty is a deep abyss where it is often impossible to pinpoint where the struggle truly started or where it might finally resolve. It is used to describe the infinite nature of prosperity and the cycle of deprivation.

If the right foot is placed, the clan is destroyed; if the left foot is placed, the lineage is destroyed.

This is a sarcastic or satirical expression used to describe a person who is perceived as extremely unlucky or bringing misfortune regardless of what they do. It is often used to mock superstitious beliefs or to highlight a 'no-win' situation where every action of a particular person is blamed for a disaster.