వదులు వదులు అంటే కంచమంతా వడ్డించమన్నట్లు

vadulu vadulu ante kanchamanta vaddinchamannatlu

Translation

When asked to leave some, it's like asking to serve the whole plate.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe someone who takes undue advantage of a small concession or misunderstanding. It refers to a situation where a person interprets a request for a small amount of something as an invitation to take everything, often used in the context of greed or lack of common sense.

Related Phrases

Asking for a lightning bolt as big as the sky to strike, as long as it misses oneself.

This expression describes extreme selfishness or indifference. It refers to a person who doesn't care if a massive disaster occurs or if others suffer, as long as they personally remain safe and unaffected. It is used to criticize someone who prioritizes their own safety to the point of wishing ill upon the world.

Thinking it's a borrowed plate, eating something or the other in it.

This proverb describes a person who takes undue advantage of something because it doesn't belong to them, or someone who is careless with borrowed items. It refers to a tendency to be reckless, wasteful, or indiscriminate when using resources that are provided for free or on loan.

If you say it's a bit of a boat, they say the whole edge is a boat.

This proverb describes a situation where someone takes a small suggestion or a minor concession and exaggerates it to an extreme degree. It refers to people who do not know where to draw the line or those who take undue advantage of a small opening.

When called a good man, he made holes all over the cot.

This proverb describes a situation where someone takes undue advantage of the praise or kindness shown to them. It refers to people who, when trusted or given freedom due to their 'good' reputation, end up causing damage or acting irresponsibly. It is used to caution against blind trust or to describe someone who lacks common sense despite being called 'good'.

If you have a daughter as small as a grain measure, you will have food right on your bed.

This proverb highlights the traditional value of having a daughter in the household. It suggests that once a daughter grows up enough to help with chores, she will take care of her parents' needs so diligently that they won't even have to get off their bed to be fed. It reflects the affectionate and caring nature attributed to daughters in Indian culture.

If a bone clinks in the plate on the day of Kanuma festival, it is as meritorious as ringing the bell in Kashi.

This is a humorous and culturally specific saying related to the Sankranti festival. Kanuma is the third day of the festival when people traditionally consume non-vegetarian food. The saying jokingly implies that eating meat (and having the bone make a sound on the plate) on this specific day is a sacred or virtuous act, equivalent to a pilgrimage to Kashi.

When asked to leave a little space, asking for the whole plate.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone takes undue advantage of a small favor or permission granted to them. It is similar to the English expression 'Give them an inch and they'll take a mile.' It highlights the behavior of greedy or opportunistic people who overstep boundaries once they are given a slight opening.

One said " Loss, loss !" the other replied " A hole in the dish." A pun on the word Ôḍu.

This proverb describes a situation where someone performs a task with excessive or destructive force, or takes a simple instruction to an absurd extreme, causing more damage than help. It is used when a person lacks common sense in fixing a minor problem.

When asked to swim, asking to jump into the water instead.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone is asked to do a simple or necessary task, but they respond by suggesting something else entirely or by making an irrelevant, stubborn, or counterproductive counter-offer. It highlights a lack of understanding or willful deflection.

Like a woman who cannot dance saying the drum is crooked.

This proverb is used to describe a person who blames their tools, environment, or other people for their own lack of skill or failure. It is equivalent to the English idiom 'A bad workman always blames his tools.'