తవుడు బొక్కినంతవరకే దక్కినట్లు.
tavudu bokkinantavarake dakkinatlu.
Only the bran you have stuffed into your mouth is yours.
This proverb emphasizes that only what you have already consumed or secured for yourself is truly yours. It is used to describe situations involving uncertainty or limited resources, suggesting that one should value what they have already obtained rather than relying on future promises or potential gains that may never materialize.
Related Phrases
దంచినమ్మకు బొక్కిందే కూలి
danchinammaku bokkinde kuli
The lady who pounded the grain got only what she managed to snack on as her wages.
This proverb describes a situation where someone works extremely hard but receives very little or no formal compensation, having to satisfy themselves with meager, incidental gains. It is used when effort is disproportionate to the reward, or when one's hard work only yields enough for immediate survival.
చెవుడు చెవుడూ అంటే, తవుడు తవుడూ అంటాడు
chevudu chevudu ante, tavudu tavudu antadu
When they call out "Deaf man! Deaf man!" he answers "[ I've got ] Bran, Bran!"
This proverb is used to describe a complete lack of communication or a situation where two people are talking about entirely different things. It refers to a person who misunderstands what is being said due to a lack of attention or hearing, responding with something totally irrelevant. It is used in situations where there is no sync between a question and an answer.
The jingle of the Telugu words is similar to that of the English equivalents.
చెవుడు చెవుడూ అంటే, తవుడు తవుడూ అన్నట్లు
chevudu chevudu ante, tavudu tavudu annatlu
When one person says 'deafness, deafness', the other person says 'bran, bran'
This expression describes a situation where two people are talking at cross-purposes or failing to communicate effectively due to a misunderstanding or a lack of attention. It is used when one person's words are completely misinterpreted by another, leading to a nonsensical or irrelevant response, much like a deaf person mishearing a word and replying with something that sounds similar but has a different meaning.
విసిరినమ్మకు బొక్కినదే కూలి
visirinammaku bokkinade kuli
The grinding woman's hire is what she gobbles up.
This proverb describes a situation where someone works hard but receives very little or no profit in return, essentially only getting what they consumed or used during the process. It is used to highlight instances of fruitless labor or poor compensation.
దంచినమ్మకు బొక్కిందే దక్కినట్లు
danchinammaku bokkinde dakkinatlu
Like the woman who threshes only gets to keep what she nibbled.
This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone works extremely hard on a task, but receives very little or insignificant benefit compared to the effort put in. It refers to the manual labor of pounding grain, where the worker might only get to eat a few grains that fall into her mouth while the bulk of the produce goes to someone else.
చక్కెర తిన్న నోటితో తవుడు బొక్కినట్లు
chakkera tinna notito tavudu bokkinatlu
Like eating bran with a mouth that just tasted sugar.
This expression describes a situation where someone who is used to high quality, luxury, or praise suddenly experiences something inferior, unpleasant, or insulting. It captures the sharp contrast and disappointment felt when moving from a superior experience to a mediocre or degrading one.
దెప్పె ఎక్కినట్లు, దేవుడికి మొక్కినట్లు.
deppe ekkinatlu, devudiki mokkinatlu.
Like climbing the hill and praying to God.
This expression describes doing things for the sake of formality or in a routine, mechanical manner without real devotion or focus. It is used when someone performs a task just to get it over with or to show others they have done it, rather than putting in genuine effort or intent.
కక్కిన బిడ్డ దక్కుతుంది
kakkina bidda dakkutundi
A child who vomits will survive (thrive)
This is a traditional Telugu saying used by elders to reassure worried parents when an infant spits up milk. It suggests that vomiting is a sign of a healthy appetite or overfeeding, and implies that the child is growing well and will remain healthy.
నిద్రపోయేవాడి గోచిపెట్టుకుంటే, వాడు లేచినంత వరకే దక్కినట్లు
nidrapoyevadi gochipettukunte, vadu lechinanta varake dakkinatlu
If you wear the loincloth of a sleeping man, it is yours only until he wakes up.
This proverb highlights the temporary and unreliable nature of gains obtained from someone's unawareness or negligence. It is used to caution that benefits taken by exploiting a situation or someone's lack of attention will vanish the moment the true owner becomes aware or the situation returns to normal.
బియ్యం దంచినదానికి బొక్కిందే దక్కుట.
biyyam danchinadaniki bokkinde dakkuta.
For the one who pounded the rice, only what was gobbled up remains.
This proverb refers to a situation where a person works extremely hard on a task but receives no final reward or profit for their efforts, other than the small, immediate snacks or 'crumbs' they managed to consume during the process. It is used to describe thankless jobs or labor where the primary benefit goes to someone else while the worker gets nothing significant.