ఓదెకట్టె దొంగ పరిగ ఏరేవానిని బెదిరించినట్లు

This expression describes a situation where a person's reputation or status depends entirely on whether their dishonest actions are discovered. It is used to point out hypocrisy or the fact that many people who appear respectable might actually be doing something wrong but simply haven't been caught yet.

This expression is used to describe how people with similar bad habits, questionable characters, or dishonest intentions tend to support and protect each other. It is equivalent to the English proverb 'Birds of a feather flock together' or 'Honor among thieves', often used in a negative context to highlight collusion between wrongdoers.

This proverb is used to describe hypocritical people who maintain a respectable image in society as long as their misdeeds remain hidden. It implies that many people are only considered 'honorable' or 'gentlemen' because they haven't been caught yet, highlighting that status often depends on the public eye rather than true character.

This proverb describes someone who makes empty threats or creates a big fuss without any actual courage or intelligence, but eventually ends up causing damage to something valuable (like a pot of jaggery) out of sheer clumsiness or frustration. It is used to mock people who act tough but only manage to ruin their own interests or perform counter-productive actions.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone makes a huge scene, uses intimidation, or creates a lot of hype, only to deliver a very mild, disappointing, or underwhelming result. It highlights the anticlimactic gap between a fierce threat and a harmless outcome.

This proverb describes a situation where someone tries to make a threat or a 'sacrifice' that they are physically incapable of doing anyway. Since a person with handicapped or paralyzed hands cannot pick up tiny sesame seeds to eat them, threatening to 'boycott' eating them is meaningless and laughable. It is used to mock someone making empty threats or pretending to abstain from something they can't have in the first place.

This proverb implies that people of the same kind, especially those with malicious or secretive habits, can easily recognize each other's traits or motives. It is equivalent to the English proverb 'It takes one to know one' or 'Birds of a feather flock together.'

This proverb implies that people of the same kind, especially those involved in deceptive or specific activities, understand each other's tactics and mindsets better than outsiders. It is used to suggest that it takes one to know one.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone makes a lot of noise, threats, or fuss, but ends up doing something trivial, foolish, or counterproductive. It highlights the disparity between a big buildup and a disappointing or silly outcome.

This proverb describes a situation where someone attempts to intimidate a powerful or stubborn opponent using weak, ineffective, or indirect methods. Just as a cat isn't truly frightened by the sound of a winnowing basket being struck, the person being targeted is unlikely to be moved by such empty threats or superficial actions.