తిండికి ఏనుగు, పనికి పీనుగు

tindiki enugu, paniki pinugu

Translation

An elephant for eating, a corpse for working.

Meaning

This expression is used to describe a person who is extremely greedy or has a huge appetite when it comes to consuming resources or food, but becomes completely useless, lazy, or inactive when it is time to do any work.

Related Phrases

A cursed corpse does not go alone.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where a troublesome person or a disastrous event doesn't just cause one problem, but drags others down or brings additional misfortunes along with it. It is often used when one bad person's actions lead to the downfall of several others, or when one piece of bad luck triggers a chain reaction of mishaps.

An elephant for personal use, but a corpse for shared use.

This proverb describes a selfish attitude where an individual takes great care of their own property (treating it like a precious elephant), but neglects or treats shared/collective property with total disregard (like a worthless corpse). It is used to criticize people who lack a sense of responsibility toward public or joint assets.

A corpse for work, an elephant for food

This expression is used to describe a lazy person who shows no energy or interest when it comes to doing work (acting like a lifeless corpse), but displays immense appetite and enthusiasm when it is time to eat (acting like a hungry elephant).

Like the food offered to the dead on a corpse

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone is so greedy or heartless that they try to extract benefit or profit from a tragic, miserable, or desperate situation. It reflects a state of utter exploitation or extreme pettiness in a moment of sorrow.

A thunderbolt for food, a weakling for work.

This proverb is used to describe a lazy person who has a massive appetite and eats very quickly (like a thunderbolt), but becomes tired, weak, or avoids effort when it is time to work. It highlights the irony of someone being energetic about consumption but lethargic about contribution.

To the man that eats elephants, corpses are as pastry.

This proverb is used to describe someone who has committed massive crimes or blunders and views smaller offenses as insignificant. It can also refer to people with extreme habits or capabilities for whom minor challenges are trivial.

A thoroughly bad man won't stick at trifles.

For one who eats elephants, are corpses considered delicacies?

This proverb is used to describe a person who handles massive tasks or challenges and finds small, trivial problems insignificant. It suggests that someone accustomed to grand or difficult things will not be bothered or satisfied by minor, petty matters. It is often used to mock someone trying to threaten or tempt a powerful person with something very small.

A royal corpse does not go alone.

This proverb implies that when a powerful or highly influential person falls or faces a disaster, they inevitably drag others down with them. It is used to describe situations where a major failure causes collateral damage to those associated with it.

Like eating the food offered to a corpse

This expression is used to describe a person who is extremely greedy, stingy, or exploitative, particularly someone who seeks to benefit or make a profit even from a tragic or pathetic situation. It refers to taking advantage of someone else's misfortune.

A king will not die alone. The Hindus believe that when a royal personage dies, some other person dies at the same time to keep him company. When a great man suffers he drags others with him into trouble.

This proverb implies that when a powerful or influential person falls or gets into trouble, they often bring others down with them. Historically, it refers to the practice of subordinates or wealth being sacrificed or lost alongside a king, but in modern usage, it describes how a major disaster or the downfall of a leader inevitably affects many associated people.