ముత్యమంటి ముతరాచకులం చేపలు తిని చెడిపోయినట్లు.

mutyamanti mutarachakulam chepalu tini chedipoyinatlu.

Translation

Like the Mutaracha community, which is as pure as a pearl, getting ruined by eating fish.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a situation where a person or a group of high reputation or purity loses their standing due to a small lapse in judgment, a bad habit, or an undesirable association. It emphasizes how a single flaw can tarnish an otherwise pristine character.

Related Phrases

Like breaking a ring to make a top, and then breaking the top to make a ring.

This proverb is used to describe a person who lacks a clear vision or skill, resulting in wasted effort and resources. It refers to someone who repeatedly undoes their own work or destroys something useful to create something else, only to reverse the process again, ending up with nothing productive or losing the original value of the materials.

Like catching fish in a puddle of urine

This expression is used to describe someone who is extremely petty or miserly, or someone who tries to gain profit from very small, insignificant, or even disgusting sources. It highlights a person's narrow-mindedness and their tendency to exploit trivial situations for personal gain.

Like cutting off someone's ears and then distributing fish.

This expression describes a situation where someone causes a person a significant loss or injury, and then tries to compensate for it with something trivial or irrelevant. It highlights the absurdity of offering a small, useless favor after causing irreversible damage.

Like being told to go to Chennai after being ruined.

This proverb suggests that when a person loses everything or fails in their hometown, they head to a big city (historically Chennai/Madras for Telugus) to start over or find new opportunities. It is used to describe a situation where someone seeks a fresh start in a distant place after a setback.

Like trying to make a sacred bull but ending up making a pig.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone attempts to create or do something noble, beautiful, or perfect, but due to lack of skill or an unfortunate mistake, ends up creating something ugly, ruined, or messed up. It is often used to mock incompetence or a failed endeavor that went horribly wrong.

Like eating sugar and calling it bitter.

This proverb is used to describe a person who displays ingratitude or makes baseless complaints despite receiving something good or beneficial. It refers to someone who is habitually dissatisfied or dishonest about their experiences, often finding fault even in the most pleasant circumstances.

Like offering a dead cow to an outcast Brahman. Knock a man down, and kick him for falling. Him that falls all the world run over. (German.) All bite the bitten dog. (Portuguese.)

This expression describes a situation where one useless or ruined thing is given to someone who is already in a helpless or destitute state. It refers to a mock charity or a futile gesture where neither the giver is making a sacrifice nor the receiver is getting any benefit. It is used to mock instances where someone tries to solve a problem with a worthless solution.

Even if your situation worsens, your sense/mind should not go bad.

This expression means that even when one falls on hard times or loses their status, they should not lose their integrity, common sense, or wisdom. It is used to encourage someone to stay principled and mentally strong during a crisis.

A dog's snout is cold, a monkey's snout is warm.

This is a traditional folk observation used to describe physical characteristics or behaviors that are naturally opposite. It is often used to imply that different creatures or people have inherently different natures or temperaments, much like the contrasting temperatures of these animals' snouts.

Ruined, go to Chennâpaṭṭaṇam. To recover your fortune.

This proverb suggests that if one loses their livelihood or property in their village, they should head to a big city (historically Madras, now Chennai) to find new opportunities and start over. It highlights that large cities provide diverse ways to make a living and survive even when one has hit rock bottom.