రాగిపోగులు తగిలించుకున్నావేమిరా అంటే, నీకు అవైనా లేవు కదా అన్నాడట.

ragipogulu tagilinchukunnavemira ante, niku avaina levu kada annadata.

Translation

When asked why he was wearing copper earrings, he replied that the other person didn't even have those.

Meaning

This expression describes a person who tries to hide their own inferiority or low-quality choices by pointing out that others have nothing at all. It is used to mock someone who is overly proud of something insignificant or cheap, or someone who uses others' lack of resources to justify their own poor standards.

Related Phrases

When asked why he was damaging the house where he ate, he replied, 'Will they let me into the house where I haven't eaten?'

This proverb is used to describe an ungrateful person who harms those who helped or sheltered them. It highlights the absurdity of justifying betrayal or destructive behavior against one's benefactors with flawed or cynical logic.

Going to graze and getting it stuck around the neck

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone attempts to gain a benefit or enjoy something, but instead ends up getting trapped in a problem or incurring an unwanted responsibility. It is similar to the English concept of 'getting more than one bargained for' in a negative sense.

When a man was asked why he was counting the rafters of the house in which he had been well treated, he replied, " Would they allow me to do it in the next house ?"

This expression describes extreme ingratitude or backstabbing. It refers to a person who, after receiving help or hospitality from someone, looks for ways to harm them or takes advantage of their host's kindness. In the full version of the proverb, when asked why he is being so ungrateful, the person foolishly justifies his malice by saying he would do the same elsewhere.

Gross ingratitude. I taught you to swim, and now you'd drown me.

When someone says 'your ears have copper earrings', it is as if they are saying you don't even have those.

This expression is used to describe a sarcastic or mocking tone where someone points out a person's lack of wealth or status. It implies that the person being addressed is so poor or destitute that even mentioning cheap copper earrings is a way of highlighting that they don't even possess those basic items.

When someone said 'Your husband only has copper earrings', the other replied 'At least yours has those; mine doesn't even have that much'

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone complains about a small deficiency or low quality, only to be met by someone in an even worse state. It highlights relative poverty or misfortune, suggesting that one should be grateful for what they have because others might lack even the basics.

When asked 'What is with this showing off, brother?', he replied 'I don't have a single paisa, younger brother.'

This proverb is used to mock people who boast or show off their status and lifestyle while actually being broke or having no resources. It highlights the irony of people maintaining a grand facade despite having an empty pocket.

Like catching a flying thorn bush with one's own foot.

This expression is used when someone unnecessarily involves themselves in a problem that has nothing to do with them, resulting in self-inflicted trouble. It describes a situation where an individual invites a nuisance or a complication into their life that could have easily been avoided.

When asked why he was urinating in the choultry (rest house), he replied that he thought it was a temple.

This expression is used to describe a person who tries to justify a mistake or a bad deed by offering an even more absurd or worse excuse. It highlights the foolishness of trying to cover up a minor offense with a logic that implies a much greater sacrilege or ignorance.

A burglar being asked why he was house-breaking in the day time, replied " What do you know of my necessities?" Distress tempts to crime.

This proverb is used to describe a person who is so driven by greed or extreme necessity that they abandon all common sense, shame, or fear of consequences. It highlights how someone might do something blatantly foolish or risky just to satisfy their immediate urges or needs.

When asked, 'Why are you committing a burglary in broad daylight?', he replied, 'What do you know about my son's desperate greed?'

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone performs a reckless or shameful act out of extreme desperation or greed, and then tries to justify it with an even more absurd or personal excuse. It highlights how some people lose their sense of shame when driven by intense desire or necessity.