ప్రాణం మీద తీపా, బెల్లం మీద ప్రీతా?
pranam mida tipa, bellam mida prita?
Is it a love for life or a fondness for jaggery?
This expression is used to mock someone who is being overly stingy or greedy even when faced with a life-threatening or serious situation. It highlights the absurdity of prioritizing small material gains or savings over one's own well-being or safety.
Related Phrases
అద్దం మీద పెసరగింజ పడ్డట్లు
addam mida pesaraginja paddatlu
Like a green gram falling on a mirror.
This expression is used to describe something that slides off or fails to stick, just as a smooth seed would bounce or slip off a glass surface. It is often used to characterize a person who is unaffected by advice, warnings, or criticism, or to describe a situation where efforts have no lasting impact.
చుట్టం మీద తీపా? బియ్యం మీద తీపా?
chuttam mida tipa? biyyam mida tipa?
Is the love for the relative greater, or the love for the rice?
This proverb is used to describe a stingy person who prioritizes their food or resources over hospitality. It highlights the conflict between the desire to be a good host and the reluctance to spend money or share provisions.
కూతురు మీద ప్రేమ కోడలి మీద ఉంటుందా?
kuturu mida prema kodali mida untunda?
Will the love for a daughter be the same as the love for a daughter-in-law?
This rhetorical question or proverb highlights the natural bias or difference in affection often found in families. It implies that a mother's innate love for her biological daughter is rarely matched by her feelings for her daughter-in-law. It is used to describe situations where there is perceived partiality or to acknowledge that certain bonds are naturally deeper than others.
రాటం మీద రాగం ఘోటంమీద దరువు
ratam mida ragam ghotammida daruvu
Melody on the spinning wheel and rhythm on the horse.
This expression is used to describe a situation where there is a complete lack of coordination or harmony. It refers to a disorganized state where different people are doing different things without any synchronization or common goal.
ఉరుము ఉరిమి మంగళం మీద పడ్డట్టు
urumu urimi mangalam mida paddattu
Like a thunder that roared and fell upon the sacrificial fire-pan
This proverb is used to describe a situation where one person's anger or a problem originating elsewhere is unfairly diverted toward an innocent person or an unrelated object. It signifies misplaced venting of frustration or a situation where the consequences of one event unexpectedly affect something completely different.
ప్రాణం తీపా, బెల్లం తీపా?
pranam tipa, bellam tipa?
Is life sweeter than molasses ? Said of a peculiarly timid nervous man.
This rhetorical question is used to emphasize that nothing is more precious than one's own life. It is often said when someone takes extreme measures or compromises to save themselves in a life-threatening situation, highlighting that self-preservation is the ultimate human instinct.
ఆశ ఆలి మీద, పడక చాప మీద
asha ali mida, padaka chapa mida
Desire for the wife, but the bed is on a mat.
This expression is used to describe a person who has high desires or grand ambitions but lacks the basic resources or means to fulfill them. It highlights the gap between one's wants and their actual capabilities or reality.
మిద్దె మీద పరుగు మీసాల మీద మెరుగు
midde mida parugu misala mida merugu
Running on the roof and shining the mustache.
This expression refers to someone who focuses on outward appearances, vanity, or superficial shows of status while lacking actual substance, property, or a solid foundation. It describes a person who prioritizes pride and showing off over practical stability.
ఊరి మీద నూరు పడ్డా, కరణము మీద కాసు పడదు
uri mida nuru padda, karanamu mida kasu padadu
Though a hundred [pagodas] be levied from the village, not a cash will be paid by the Karanaṁ. A cash ( కాసు ) is 1-60th of an Anna. The instrument of oppression does not himself suffer.
This proverb describes a situation where an influential person or authority figure remains unaffected by the troubles or financial burdens that plague the community they oversee. It is used to highlight systemic corruption or the cleverness of bureaucrats who ensure their own safety and wealth while others suffer losses.
గజం మిథ్య పలాయనం మిథ్య
gajam mithya palayanam mithya
The elephant is an illusion, the escape is an illusion.
This expression is used to describe a situation where both the problem and the frantic reaction to it are ultimately non-existent or unnecessary. It originates from an Advaita philosophy story where a teacher tells a student that the world is an illusion; when an elephant charges and the teacher runs away, he explains that if the elephant was an illusion, his running was also part of that same illusion. It is often used to point out contradictions in logic or to dismiss a false alarm.