పిల్లికి ఎలుక సాక్ష్యం
pilliki eluka sakshyam
A rat testifying for a cat.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where a culprit or an untrustworthy person produces a witness who is equally biased, unreliable, or under their control. It signifies a deceptive alliance where the witness is unlikely to speak the truth against the perpetrator.
Related Phrases
పిల్లికి చెలగాటము, ఎలుకకు ప్రాణ సంకటము.
pilliki chelagatamu, elukaku prana sankatamu.
For the cat, fanciful play and for the mouse, mortal fear.
This refers to a situation when a powerful person/power attacks a weak person/power for self-glorification. It may be merely a (power)game for the powerful, but it will be a question of life and death for the weak.
పిల్లికి బిచ్చం పెట్టదు, పెళ్ళికి ఎలుక సాక్షి
pilliki bichcham pettadu, pelliki eluka sakshi
She doesn't even give alms to a cat, but cites a mouse as a witness for a wedding.
This expression describes a person who is extremely stingy and deceptive. The first part refers to someone so miserly they wouldn't even share food with a cat. The second part refers to someone who uses unreliable or irrelevant witnesses (like a mouse for a human wedding) to validate their questionable claims or status.
పది భక్ష్యాలు తినే లక్ష్యయ్యకు ఒక భక్ష్యము లక్ష్యమా
padi bhakshyalu tine lakshyayyaku oka bhakshyamu lakshyama
For Lakshmayya who eats ten sweets, is one sweet a matter of concern?
This proverb is used to describe a person who handles large challenges or massive tasks effortlessly, implying that a minor version of that task is trivial for them. It plays on the name 'Lakshmayya' and the word 'Lakshyam' (target/concern). It is similar to saying 'A person used to dealing with thousands won't blink at a single rupee.'
కోమటి సాక్ష్యం
komati sakshyam
A merchant's testimony
This expression is used to describe a statement or evidence that is intentionally vague, non-committal, or deceptive. Just as a merchant might avoid taking a firm side to protect their business interests, 'Komati Sakshyam' refers to a testimony where the speaker avoids giving a direct answer or tries to please both parties without revealing the truth.
కోమటి సాక్ష్యము
komati sakshyamu
A Kômaṭi's evidence. A story is told of a Kômaṭi who, when asked to identify a horse about which a Mussalman and Hindu were quarrelling, said the forepart of it looked like the Mussalman's horse and the hindpart like the Hindu's.
This expression refers to a statement or testimony that is ambiguous, non-committal, or clever enough to avoid taking a definitive side. It is used to describe a situation where someone speaks in a way that protects their own interests while technically answering a question, often leaving the listener in confusion.
నిరక్షరకుక్షి విరూపాక్ష దీక్షితులవారికి, ఇరువది యొక్క భక్ష్యమొక లక్ష్యమా
niraksharakukshi virupaksha dikshitulavariki, iruvadi yokka bhakshyamoka lakshyama
For the illiterate Virupaksha Deekshita, are twenty-one sweets a challenge?
This expression is used to describe someone who lacks knowledge or skill in a particular area but excels in consumption or simple physical tasks. It highlights a contrast between a lack of intellectual depth ('illiterate') and a huge appetite or capacity for material indulgence. It is often used sarcastically to refer to someone who is more interested in eating than learning.
అస్తమానం అరిచే పిల్లి ఎలుకను పట్టదు
astamanam ariche pilli elukanu pattadu
A cat that meows all the time cannot catch a mouse.
This proverb is similar to 'Barking dogs seldom bite.' It describes people who talk excessively or boast constantly about their intentions but fail to take actual action or achieve results. It implies that those who are busy making noise are usually not focused on the work at hand.
నిరక్షర కుక్షి, విరూపాక్ష దీక్షితుల వారికి ఇరవై ఒక్క భక్ష్యం ఒక్క లక్ష్యమా అన్నట్లు
nirakshara kukshi, virupaksha dikshitula variki iravai okka bhakshyam okka lakshyama annatlu
For a person with an empty/illiterate stomach like Virupaksha Dikshita, is eating twenty-one sweets even a challenge?
This proverb is used to describe a person who is uneducated or lacks intellectual depth (nirakshara kukshi) but has an insatiable appetite or a singular focus on material consumption. It suggests that for someone who doesn't spend time on learning or refinement, performing a task of indulgence—like eating a large number of sweets—is effortless and of no consequence.
ఎలుకకు పిల్లి సాక్షి
elukaku pilli sakshi
The cat a witness in the rat's case. Interested evidence. A fox should not be of the jury at a goose trial.
This expression is used to describe a situation where two parties who are naturally biased or complicit with each other stand as witnesses for one another. It implies that the testimony is untrustworthy because both parties have a mutual interest or are equally corrupt, much like how a cat and mouse 'working together' would be an absurdity or a conspiracy.
బండి చక్రం పిల్లి కాలు తొక్కితే, పిల్లి ఎలుకపై మీసాలు దువ్వినదట
bandi chakram pilli kalu tokkite, pilli elukapai misalu duvvinadata
When a cart wheel ran over a cat's leg, the cat twirled its whiskers at a mouse.
This proverb describes a situation where someone who is hurt or humiliated by a superior or an uncontrollable force vents their frustration and displays false bravado toward someone weaker than them. It highlights the tendency to deflect anger onto subordinates instead of addressing the actual source of the problem.