సాయబుకు ఎంత దవులతు వచ్చినా, బీబీకి కుట్టుపోగులే.
sayabuku enta davulatu vachchina, bibiki kuttupogule.
However rich the Śāhib may become, the Bíbîs will wear boring-wires in their ears. It is customary for the Mussalman women to wear little rings ( Dandiyān ) along the border of the ear, which resemble the wires used by Hindu women for keeping open the aperture, when not wearing their ornaments.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone's status or wealth increases significantly, but they do not share that prosperity with their family or dependents, who continue to live in the same old, poor conditions. It highlights stinginess or the lack of change in the lives of those close to a newly wealthy person.
Related Phrases
పాలకు వచ్చి ముంత దాచినట్లు.
palaku vachchi munta dachinatlu.
Like coming for milk but hiding the vessel.
This proverb is used to describe a person who approaches someone for help or with a specific purpose but hesitates to speak their mind or hides their true intentions due to shyness, false pride, or unnecessary secrecy. It highlights the irony of wanting something while being too secretive to ask for it.
ముందు వచ్చిన చెవులకన్నా, వెనక వచ్చిన కొమ్ములు వాడి
mundu vachchina chevulakanna, venaka vachchina kommulu vadi
The horns which came last are sharper than the ears which came first. Said of a new comer wishing to usurp authority over his seniors.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where a newcomer, junior, or younger person surpasses their senior or predecessor in skill, power, or success. It highlights that experience (age) doesn't always guarantee superiority over late-blooming talent or sharp ambition.
కాపు వచ్చిన ఏడే కరువు వచ్చినది.
kapu vachchina ede karuvu vachchinadi.
The famine came in the very year that the cultivator came to the village. An unfortunate coincidence.
This proverb describes a situation of extreme bad luck or irony where success and disaster occur simultaneously. It is used when a long-awaited positive outcome or reward is immediately neutralized or ruined by an unexpected calamity, leaving no chance to enjoy the fruits of one's labor.
చల్లకు వచ్చి ముంత దాచనేల
challaku vachchi munta dachanela
Why hide the pot when you have come for buttermilk?
This proverb is used to criticize someone who is hesitant or secretive about their true intentions after already making a move. It suggests that if you have approached someone for a specific favor or purpose, there is no point in being shy or hypocritical about it. It is commonly applied when someone tries to hide an obvious motive.
పాలకు వచ్చి ముంత దాచినట్టు
palaku vachchi munta dachinattu
Begging for milk and hiding his cup.
This expression is used to describe a situation where someone approaches another person for help or a favor but is too hesitant, shy, or secretive to state their actual need. It highlights the irony of intending to ask for something while concealing the very tool or reason needed to receive it.
Poverty and pride.
ఎలుక ఎంత ఏడ్చినా, పిల్లి తన పట్టు వదలదు.
eluka enta edchina, pilli tana pattu vadaladu.
However much the rat may cry, the cat will not let go her hold.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where a powerful person or an oppressor remains indifferent to the pleas, suffering, or tears of the weak. It suggests that once someone has a decisive advantage or control over another, they are unlikely to show mercy just because the victim is lamenting their fate.
సాయిబు సంపాదన బీబీ కుట్టుపోగులకే సరి
sayibu sampadana bibi kuttupogulake sari
The master's earnings are just enough for the lady's earrings.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where a person's entire income or earnings are completely consumed by small, everyday expenses or personal luxuries, leaving no room for savings or significant investments. It highlights a hand-to-mouth existence where expenses always rise to meet the level of income.
ఏరు ఎంత పారినా కుక్కకు కతుకు నీళ్లే
eru enta parina kukkaku katuku nille
Let the river flow ever so abundantly, the dog only gets what it can lap up. A servant neglected by a master liberal to strangers.
This proverb suggests that even when resources or opportunities are abundant, a person's gain is limited by their own capacity, character, or destiny. It is often used to describe someone who cannot benefit fully from great wealth or status due to their inherent limitations or poor habits.
* Il n'y a pire eau que l'eau qui dort.
డబ్బుకు వచ్చిన చెయ్యి వరహాకు వస్తుంది
dabbuku vachchina cheyyi varahaku vastundi
The hand which touches a Dabb, will touch a pagoda. A man who is dishonest in trifles will not be scrupulous in greater matters. He that will steal an egg will steal an ox.
This expression means that if someone develops a habit of stealing or greedily taking small amounts of money, they will eventually progress to committing much larger thefts. It is used as a warning that bad habits or petty crimes, if left unchecked, will inevitably lead to more serious consequences and greater greed.
చల్లకు వచ్చి ముంత దాచుకొన్నట్టు
challaku vachchi munta dachukonnattu
Coming to beg buttermilk and hiding the cup.
This proverb refers to a person who approaches someone for help or a favor but is too hesitant, shy, or deceitful to state their true intention. It describes a situation where someone acts with false modesty or lacks the transparency needed to achieve their goal, much like someone visiting a neighbor to ask for buttermilk while trying to hide the vessel they brought to collect it in.
Pride with poverty. Pride and poverty are ill met yet often together.