పాపటలో వెంట్రుక నెరిస్తే పత్తిత్తు.

papatalo ventruka neriste pattittu.

Translation

If a hair turns grey in the hair parting, she claims to be a virtuous woman.

Meaning

This proverb is used to mock someone who suddenly pretends to be extremely righteous, pious, or disciplined only after they have grown old or have lost the opportunity to be otherwise. It highlights hypocrisy or a late-life transformation into a 'holier-than-thou' persona.

Related Phrases

Like pulling a hair out of butter

This expression is used to describe a task or process that is performed with extreme ease, smoothness, or without any resistance. It is often used when someone handles a difficult situation effortlessly or when a resolution is reached very cleanly.

Like saying 'I found them! Hairs in a woolen blanket.'

This proverb is used to mock someone who claims to have made a great discovery or solved a complex mystery, when in reality, what they found was obvious, inevitable, or insignificant. Since a woolen blanket (kambali) is naturally made of fibers/hair, 'finding' hair in it is not an achievement at all.

We will see about it when the hair in the nose comes into the top-lock and the dumb man calls out "Mother!"

This expression is used to describe an event that is impossible or will never happen. It is a sarcastic way of dismissing a situation or a promise that is deemed highly unrealistic, similar to the English phrase 'when pigs fly'.

Like trying to climb up by holding onto a hair.

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone is making a desperate or futile effort to save themselves or achieve something using a very weak and unreliable support. It highlights the impossibility and precariousness of an action.

Like taking a hair out of butter.

This expression is used to describe a task that is performed with extreme ease, smoothness, and without any resistance or obstacles. It can also refer to resolving a delicate situation very tactfully and cleanly.

Said of a very easy business. How easily a hair gets into butter ! (Gorman.)*

Like picking hairs while eating in a woolly blanket

This expression describes a situation where someone is engaged in a task that is inherently prone to a specific problem, yet they complain or try to fix it meticulously while still being in that environment. It refers to the absurdity of expecting perfection or cleanliness in a setting that is naturally messy or unsuitable for the task at hand.

Like removing a hair from butter

This expression is used to describe a task performed with extreme ease, smoothness, and without causing any disturbance or damage. It signifies a delicate operation executed so perfectly that the surroundings remain unaffected, often used to describe resolving a complex issue effortlessly.

Like picking out hairs while eating rice sitting on a woollen blanket.

This expression describes a situation where someone knowingly enters a difficult or messy environment and then complains about the inevitable problems that come with it. It is used to point out the hypocrisy or futility of worrying about minor inconveniences when you have chosen a path where those problems are unavoidable.

Like tying a hair to the sky

This expression is used to describe an impossible or extremely difficult task that requires extraordinary precision or is practically unattainable. It often refers to attempting something that has no solid foundation or trying to achieve a goal through highly improbable means.

If you tie a hair to a mountain, the mountain will come or the hair only go. The possibility of great gain with the risk of little loss.

This expression is used to describe a high-reward, low-risk situation. It encourages taking a chance where the potential gain is massive and the potential loss is negligible or insignificant.