ముండ ముప్పావుకు చెడ్డది, నరకుడు పావుకు చెడ్డాడు

This expression is used to signify that something is eternal, inevitable, or that a particular cycle or entity cannot be destroyed. It often implies that a fundamental reality or a recurring problem cannot be ended or killed off simply.

This proverb is used to describe someone who maintains their dignity, values, or refined habits despite a significant loss in wealth or status. It emphasizes that while material possessions can be lost, one's fundamental nature and upbringing remain unchanged.

Applied to a man who bears the appearance of having seen better days.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone claims to be kind or well-intentioned, but their actions (or the results of their actions) are harsh or stingy. It often refers to a person who speaks sweetly but fails to provide help or resources when needed, similar to a mother who is loving in words but serves very little food with the ladle.

This proverb describes a chain reaction of financial or situational ruin. It illustrates how a delay or a specific failure can affect multiple people in a sequence. In the context of the folk story it originates from, a delay in a wedding or a meal caused the salt and lentils (perishables/goods) to go to waste, but the betel leaf seller suffered the most because those leaves wilt the fastest. It is used to describe situations where one person's misfortune or mistake leads to the downfall of everyone associated with the task.

This is the Telugu version of the famous 'Three Wise Monkeys' principle. It serves as an ethical maxim advising people to lead a virtuous life by avoiding participation in, or exposure to, bad influences, gossip, and negativity.

This proverb describes a situation where people harm themselves more than others through their stubbornness or ego. A son-in-law staying away out of anger loses the hospitality/respect he would have received, and a daughter refusing food to protest only ends up hungry and weak. It is used to advise against cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

This expression is used to describe a situation where a person who is already in a bad or ruined state continues to indulge in the very same behavior that caused their downfall, or asks for more of the thing that harmed them. It highlights a lack of remorse or failure to learn from one's mistakes.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where a collaboration or a deal fails, and one party suffers a much greater loss or humiliation than the other, even though both were involved in the same act. It highlights disproportionate consequences in shared failures.

When a man asked a widow to lend him a pagoda, she said she would only do so on his paying her twenty-five per cent. discount. He complied, but never repaid the principal.

This traditional proverb highlights gender-based social roles of the past. It suggests that a woman who constantly roams outside her home loses her reputation or neglects her household, whereas a man who stays idle at home and does not venture out to work or explore the world fails to provide and remains ignorant. It is used to emphasize the importance of balance and fulfilling one's responsibilities.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone has already lost their reputation or is in a completely compromised position, and then tries to hide or be modest about minor things. It suggests that when the worst has already happened or been exposed, trivial attempts to maintain dignity or secrecy are hypocritical or pointless.