సత్రంలో ఉచ్చబోస్తున్నావేమిరా అంటే- దేవాలయం అనుకొన్నాలే అన్నాడట.

satramlo uchchabostunnavemira ante- devalayam anukonnale annadata.

Translation

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

Meaning

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.

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.

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

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.

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 asked 'Why did you spit in the Tulasi altar?', he replied 'I thought it was a sacrificial altar (Yagna Vedika)'.

This proverb describes a situation where someone tries to cover up a mistake with an even more absurd or offensive excuse. It refers to people who justify a wrong action by claiming they mistook the situation for something else, which in reality is equally inappropriate or illogical. It highlights the behavior of offering ridiculous justifications for blatant blunders.

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.

When asked 'What's the status, Kota?', he replied 'The same old game'.

This proverb is used to describe a situation or a person that never changes despite the passage of time or changing circumstances. It signifies stagnation, a lack of progress, or someone sticking to their old, often repetitive or unproductive ways.

A perfect housewife supposedly plastered the house floor with urine.

This sarcastic proverb is used to mock people who pretend to be extremely frugal, efficient, or 'perfect' but end up doing something disgusting, counterproductive, or foolish in their attempt to save resources. It highlights the irony of someone claiming to be a great homemaker while violating basic common sense or hygiene.

When I heard of the Râmâyana I did not know what it was, but [I find] it is the weight of a man.

This expression describes a person who completely misses the intellectual or spiritual essence of a subject and only notices its physical or superficial aspect. It is used to mock someone who shows ignorance despite being exposed to something profound or great.

When a man was asked why he spat on the Tulasi-Kôṭa, he replied that he thought it was an altar. The irreverent answer of a sacrilegious sceptic, an altar being still more sacred.—Tulasi is the holy basil (Ocimum Sacrum). Tulasi-Kôṭa is the Telugu name for the altar-like bed in which it is grown, in the inner yard of a Hindu house.

This proverb is used to describe a person who tries to cover up a mistake or an insult with a ridiculous or even more offensive excuse. It highlights the absurdity of justifying a wrong action by claiming it was a different, yet still inappropriate, act. It is often applied to people who give foolish justifications for their blunders.

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.