నానా రుచులు మరిగి నాలుక మీద కొరివి పెట్టుకున్నట్టు

nana ruchulu marigi naluka mida korivi pettukunnattu

Translation

All kinds of savours run over my tongue, [and taste] just as if a firebrand was put on it. Said by a man to a wretched cook.

Meaning

This proverb describes a situation where someone who has enjoyed many luxuries or pleasures finds it extremely difficult and painful to adjust to a life of hardship or poverty. It highlights the agony of losing a comfortable lifestyle.

Related Phrases

Like getting angry with a rat and setting fire to one's house.

This proverb describes a situation where someone, in an attempt to solve a minor problem or take revenge for a small annoyance, ends up causing immense, disproportionate damage to themselves. It warns against letting anger cloud one's judgment and taking self-destructive actions.

Burn not your house to fright away the mice.

Like scratching one's head with a firebrand. Applied to the use of bad agents.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone knowingly invites trouble or performs an action that is bound to result in self-harm or disaster. It refers to someone who is so foolish or reckless that they use a burning stick to scratch their head, leading to inevitable injury.

There is more love for the one who provides ornaments than for the one who provides the wedding knot.

This proverb is used to criticize people who value material wealth, gifts, or superficial displays of affection over the person who actually provides stability, commitment, and true companionship (like a husband). It highlights human greed or the tendency to favor those who offer temporary luxuries over those who fulfill lifelong responsibilities.

Even with strength the size of a mountain, there is no one to perform the final rites.

This proverb highlights a tragic situation where a person might have achieved great power, wealth, or physical strength during their lifetime, yet lacks a family member or a son to perform their funeral rites (specifically lighting the funeral pyre). It is used to describe the irony of being powerful in life but helpless and lonely in death.

To buy is like a torch: to sell a wilderness.

This has reference to the price one gets and one has to pay while buying and selling. Neither buying nor selling is profitable to the needy.

Getting on the roof [ of a thatched house ] and whirling a firebrand.

This expression is used to describe a person's foolish or self-destructive behavior that brings harm or ruin to their own family or reputation. Just as waving a firebrand while standing on a thatched roof will inevitably set the house on fire, this phrase refers to actions that are blatantly dangerous and guarantee self-inflicted disaster.

If you give authority to a dog, it will bite all the sandals.

This proverb is used to describe the consequences of giving power or responsibility to an incompetent, unworthy, or foolish person. Instead of performing the duties properly, such a person will only cause destruction or focus on their base instincts, similar to how a dog given authority over a house would simply ruin the footwear.

Like setting one's own house on fire out of anger toward a rat.

This proverb describes a situation where someone, driven by anger over a minor nuisance or a small problem, takes a drastic action that results in their own massive loss. It warns against overreacting and losing perspective, as the self-inflicted damage far outweighs the original problem.

A brand under one's head.

This expression refers to a constant, self-inflicted danger or a source of perpetual anxiety that one keeps close by. It is used to describe a situation where a person maintains a relationship or makes a choice that poses a continuous threat to their own peace or safety, much like sleeping with a burning torch beneath one's head.

A dangerous companion.

There is the village and here is my cup. Said by a beggar.

This expression is used to describe a state of complete carelessness, detachment, or having nothing to lose. It implies that as long as there is a society to live in and a basic means to survive (even by begging), one need not worry about responsibilities or property. It is often said by or about people who are wandering or living a carefree, nomadic life without any attachments.