తరి అంటే వరి అంటారు.
tari ante vari antaru.
If you say 'wet land', they say 'paddy'.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone makes a very obvious or redundant statement. Since paddy is the primary crop grown on wet lands (tari), saying 'paddy' when 'wet land' is mentioned is an unnecessary clarification of the obvious.
Related Phrases
దుడ్డుకట్టా, దుడ్డుకట్టా ఎవరి మాట వింటావే అంటే - ఎవరి చేతిలో ఉంటే వారి మాట అన్నదట.
duddukatta, duddukatta evari mata vintave ante - evari chetilo unte vari mata annadata.
When asked, 'O thick stick, O thick stick, whose words do you obey?' - it replied, 'I obey the words of whoever holds me.'
This proverb describes a situation where power or control is entirely dependent on whoever currently possesses it, regardless of loyalty or principles. It is similar to the expression 'Like a child in the hands of whoever picks them up.' It is used to describe people or tools that lack independent will and simply serve the person currently in charge.
ఏతి అంటే ప్రీతి అంటాడు
eti ante priti antadu
When one says he's going, the other says he's dying.
This expression is used to describe someone who is extremely agreeable, a sycophant, or someone who blindly agrees with whatever another person says just to please them, often without thinking or having an original opinion. It suggests a 'yes-man' attitude where the person simply rhymes along with the speaker's words.
Spirit of contradiction.
ఏ దారి అంటే గోదారి అన్నట్లు
e dari ante godari annatlu
When asked which way, saying Godavari.
This expression describes a situation where someone gives an irrelevant, nonsensical, or rhyming answer to a question instead of providing the actual information requested. It highlights a lack of connection between the question asked and the response given, often used when someone is being evasive or is completely lost in conversation.
అత్తగారి ఆరళ్ళు కోడలి గారి వేవిళ్ళు.
attagari arallu kodali gari vevillu.
The mother-in-law's harassments are the daughter-in-law's pregnancy cravings.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where one person's suffering or hardship is treated as a triviality or a joke by another. It highlights the power dynamics and lack of empathy in a relationship, specifically referring to how a mother-in-law might dismiss her daughter-in-law's genuine struggles or turn them into something else entirely.
ఎవరి కత్తి కోస్తే వారికి నొప్పి
evari katti koste variki noppi
Whose flesh is cut, it is they who feel the pain.
This proverb is used to emphasize that only the person who is actually experiencing a hardship or loss truly understands the pain of it. It is often said to people who offer superficial sympathy or advice without understanding the depth of another's struggle.
ఎవరి పాపాన వాళ్ళు పోతారు
evari papana vallu potaru
Each will perish by their own sin
This expression is used to signify that people will eventually face the consequences of their own bad actions or karma. It is often said when someone is acting unjustly, implying that there is no need for others to intervene as divine justice or fate will take its course.
ఆవూరి వారి అంబలి తాగి, దూవూరి వారి దూడలు కాచినట్లు
avuri vari ambali tagi, duvuri vari dudalu kachinatlu
Like drinking the porridge of one village and tending the calves of another village.
This proverb describes a situation where someone receives benefits or help from one person but works for or shows loyalty to someone else. It highlights the lack of gratitude or a mismatch between where one gets their sustenance and where they provide their service.
చీడ అంటుతుందేగాని సిరి అంటదు
chida antutundegani siri antadu
Pests (bad luck) are contagious, but wealth (good luck) is not.
This proverb is used to explain that misfortune, bad habits, or diseases spread easily from person to person, whereas prosperity, wealth, or good fortune do not transfer as easily. It highlights the difficulty of attaining success compared to the ease of falling into trouble.
ఏదారి అంటే గోదారి అన్నట్టు
edari ante godari annattu
When asked which way, saying 'Godavari' way.
This expression is used to describe a situation where someone gives an irrelevant or nonsensical answer to a specific question, or when there is a complete lack of communication/understanding between two people. It highlights a disconnect where the response has nothing to do with the query.
ఎవరి వెర్రి వారికి ఆనందము
evari verri variki anandamu
Every man's folly is pleasure to himself. Fools are pleased with their own blunders.
This proverb suggests that people find satisfaction or happiness in their own peculiar habits, eccentricities, or obsessions, even if others find them foolish or irrational. It is used to express that what might seem like 'madness' to an observer is actually a source of personal pleasure for the individual.