మూఢుడికి కోపం వస్తే ముంతడు బియ్యం కుక్క ముట్టింది
mudhudiki kopam vaste muntadu biyyam kukka muttindi
When a fool gets angry, a potful of rice was touched by a dog.
This proverb describes a situation where an irrational or foolish person, in a fit of anger or ego, neglects their responsibilities or resources, leading to a loss. While they are busy being angry or throwing a tantrum, something valuable is wasted or ruined due to their lack of attention.
Related Phrases
కూతురని కుంచెడిస్తే, తల్లియని కంచెడు పెట్టినదట
kuturani kunchediste, talliyani kanchedu pettinadata
When the mother gave her daughter a kuncham of grain, the daughter set before her mother a dishful of food.
This expression describes a situation where kindness or generosity is met with even greater reciprocity. It highlights a cycle of mutual affection and hospitality between family members, specifically how a small gesture from one side is returned more abundantly by the other.
Kindness returned. Once never loseth by doing good turns. Kindness produccs kindness. ( Latin. )*
అల్లుడి మంచితనం పొల్లున దంచిన బియ్యం లేవు
alludi manchitanam polluna danchina biyyam levu
The goodness of a son-in-law is like pounding chaff; there is no rice to be found.
This proverb is used to suggest that relying on or over-praising certain people is futile. Just as pounding husks (chaff) yields no grain, expecting significant help or substance from certain individuals (traditionally used in a sarcastic context regarding a son-in-law's utility in a household) is a waste of effort. It represents a situation with no practical benefit or result.
మంచికి పోతే చెడు ఎదురైనట్లు
manchiki pote chedu edurainatlu
Like encountering evil when going to do good
This expression is used when a person's good intentions or helpful actions result in an unexpected negative outcome or trouble for themselves. It describes a situation where one tries to do a favor or act kindly, but is met with hostility, blame, or complications instead of gratitude.
యతి కోసం పోతే మతి పోయినట్లు
yati kosam pote mati poyinatlu
Like losing one's senses while going for an ascetic.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where a person, in the pursuit of something minor or spiritual, ends up losing their common sense or something far more valuable. It highlights a loss of perspective or poor judgment during a specific endeavor.
సూది కోసం సోదెకు వెడితే, కుంచెడు బియ్యం కుక్క ముట్టుకుందట
sudi kosam sodeku vedite, kunchedu biyyam kukka muttukundata
When someone went to a fortune teller to find a lost needle, a dog touched a bushel of rice at home.
This proverb describes a situation where a person, in their pursuit of recovering a small or trivial loss, ends up incurring a much larger and more significant loss due to neglect. It is used to caution against misprioritizing small problems at the expense of larger assets.
లేనిదానికోసం పోతే ఉన్నది కాస్తాపోయింది
lenidanikosam pote unnadi kastapoyindi
When going after what one doesn't have, even the little one had was lost.
This proverb describes a situation where greed or the pursuit of unattainable goals leads to the loss of existing resources or assets. It is used to advise someone to be content with what they have or to warn against taking excessive risks that might jeopardize their current security.
కూతురని కుంచెడిస్తే, తల్లియని కంచెడు పెట్టినదట.
kuturani kunchediste, talliyani kanchedu pettinadata.
When given a 'kunchedu' (a measure) because she is the daughter, she gave back a 'kanchedu' (a plateful) because she is the mother.
This proverb describes a situation where a generous gesture is met with an even smaller or insufficient return, or conversely, a competition in stinginess. It is used to highlight instances where someone expects more due to a relationship but receives something vastly different or inferior, or when two people try to outsmart each other in being miserly.
గుడ్డి కంటికి కుంచెడు కాటుక
guddi kantiki kunchedu katuka
A bucketful of kohl for a blind eye
This proverb is used to describe an act of excessive waste or unnecessary decoration on something that is fundamentally broken or useless. It highlights the irony of spending resources to enhance something that cannot benefit from the enhancement, similar to 'putting lipstick on a pig' or 'pearls before swine.'
కుంచెడు బియ్యము గుమ్మడి కాయ
kunchedu biyyamu gummadi kaya
A Kunçam of raw-rice and a gourd. A modest request. A thousand Brahmins went on an auspicious occasion to bless the king and on being asked how much rice and vegetable they would each have for their meal, replied as above. The king angry and disgusted at their greediness ordered that each should be forced, with the penalty of his life, to eat the whole quantity demanded. The Brahmins however cheated the king at the suggestion of a cunning Kômaṭi, by distributing one Kunçam of rice and one pumpkin at a time among the whole number of men.
This expression is used to describe an uneven or disproportionate exchange, or a situation where a lot of resources are consumed for a single item. In a traditional sense, it refers to the heavy requirement of rice needed to accompany a large pumpkin curry, signifying that one thing necessitates a large amount of another to be useful.
కూటికుండ కుక్కముట్టినట్లు
kutikunda kukkamuttinatlu
Like a dog touching the pot of cooked food
This expression is used to describe a situation where something pure or useful becomes completely ruined, defiled, or unusable because of the interference of an unworthy or undesirable person. In traditional contexts, if a dog touched a cooking pot, the entire meal was considered polluted and had to be discarded.