రాతి బొమ్మకు చక్కిలిగింతలు పెట్టినట్లు

rati bommaku chakkiligintalu pettinatlu

Translation

Like trying to tickle a stone statue.

Meaning

This expression describes a futile effort where one tries to evoke a reaction or emotion from someone who is completely indifferent, heartless, or unresponsive. It is used when advice or humor falls on deaf ears, or when someone remains unmoved despite significant attempts to engage them.

Related Phrases

Making a mountain out of a molehill (Literally: making a fingernail-sized thing as big as a mountain)

This expression is used to describe someone who exaggerates a very small issue or minor incident into something massive or significant. It is typically applied when someone overreacts or blows a situation out of proportion.

Like breaking into the house of the person who fed you.

This expression describes extreme ingratitude or betrayal. It refers to a person who harms their benefactor or someone who has helped them in their time of need. It is used to condemn the act of biting the hand that feeds you.

Is it like tickling a stone statue?

This expression is used to describe a futile action or an attempt to evoke a reaction from someone who is completely indifferent, emotionless, or stubborn. Just as a stone statue cannot feel or react to being tickled, some people remain unaffected by persuasion, humor, or criticism.

An attu-and-a-half for the mother who served an attu.

This proverb highlights the principle of reciprocity and generosity. It implies that those who give or help others will receive back even more than what they offered (interest/bonus). It is used to suggest that kindness is rewarded with greater kindness.

Like trying to tickle a wooden statue.

This expression is used to describe a situation where an effort is completely futile or wasted because the recipient is unresponsive or emotionless. Just as a statue made of wood cannot feel a tickle, certain people cannot be moved by persuasion, humor, or emotional appeals.

When one said "the child has shrunk up like a Çakkilam" the child cried out "give me Çakkilams." Çakkilamu is "a biscuit made of twisted rings of paste without sugar" (Brown.)

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone's apparent suffering or 'pitiful' condition is actually caused by their own greed or excessive desire for the very thing they are complaining about. It mocks people who act like victims to get what they want.

Even if you pray to a doll/statue, there must be faith.

This expression emphasizes that the power of prayer or any action lies in the sincerity and faith of the person performing it, rather than the object of worship itself. It is used to suggest that without true belief, rituals or actions are meaningless.

Like trying to tickle a stone statue.

This expression is used to describe a futile effort or an action that yields no response. It refers to situations where one tries to evoke an emotion, reaction, or change in someone who is completely indifferent, stoic, or stubborn.

Applying religious marks (deceiving) to the teacher himself.

This expression is used when a student or a subordinate tries to cheat or outsmart the very person who taught them or mentored them. It signifies an act of extreme betrayal, ingratitude, or cunning deception against a mentor.

Gold ornaments for a stone idol, but only leaves for a golden person.

This proverb highlights a common irony in society where inanimate objects (like stone statues in temples) are adorned with immense wealth and jewelry, while living, breathing people of great virtue or talent (the 'golden' people) suffer in poverty or lack basic necessities. It is used to critique the unfair distribution of resources or the misplaced priorities of society.