తిరిపపు మజ్జిగకు వచ్చి పాడిబర్రెను బేరము చేసినట్టు

tiripapu majjigaku vachchi padibarrenu beramu chesinattu

Translation

Like coming for a cup of buttermilk as charity and then trying to bargain for the milch buffalo.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe a person who asks for a small favor or a basic necessity and then oversteps their boundaries by trying to exert control or make demands on something much more valuable. It highlights audacity, greed, or the lack of propriety in a person who, while being a beggar or a seeker of help, starts acting like a patron or a boss.

Related Phrases

Coming for buttermilk but bargaining for the pot.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone approaches for a small favor or a specific purpose, but then starts interfering with or demanding things beyond what they originally came for. It highlights unnecessary meddling or shifting focus from the main reason for a visit to something trivial or inappropriate.

Like coming for buttermilk but hiding the pot.

This proverb describes someone who visits for a specific purpose or favor but tries to hide their true intention out of false modesty or hesitation. It is used to point out hypocrisy or the awkwardness of being indirect when the need is obvious.

He bartered a milch she buffalo for a goring he buffalo.

This proverb describes a foolish exchange or a bad bargain. It refers to a situation where someone gives away something useful and productive (the milking buffalo) only to replace it with something useless and harmful (the aggressive bull). It is used when a person makes a decision that results in a significant loss of utility and an increase in trouble.

Look at the mother before you take the daughter; see how much milk the buffalo gives before you buy her.

This proverb suggests that the character and qualities of a person are often inherited or influenced by their upbringing and ancestry. It is commonly used in the context of marriage or forming long-term alliances, implying that observing the parents (background) provides a reliable preview of the individual's nature.

Like coming to beg buttermilk, and bargaining for the milch buffalo. Pretended wealth.

This proverb describes a person who approaches someone for a small favor or out of necessity, but then tries to exert control or make excessive demands beyond their status or the situation. It highlights the irony of someone who is in a position of asking for charity (the beggar) acting as if they are the one in a position of power (the buyer).

Coming for alms of buttermilk and bargaining for the milch buffalo.

This proverb describes a person who comes seeking a small, free favor or charity but ends up making grand, unreasonable demands or acting as if they are in a position of power. It is used to critique someone who exceeds their bounds or acts entitled when they are actually in need of help.

A single drop of buttermilk for a pot full of milk

This proverb refers to how a small negative influence or a tiny mistake can transform or ruin something large and pure. Just as a drop of buttermilk curdles an entire pot of milk, one bad person can influence a group, or one small error can change the entire outcome of a situation.

A fly to a fly. ( Hind. )

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone tries to benefit from both sides or keep something for themselves while pretending to share. It signifies a person's dual nature of being stingy while acting as if they are fulfilling a duty or being generous.

Like forgetting and adding starter culture to buttermilk instead of milk.

This expression describes a redundant or useless action performed out of absent-mindedness. Just as 'chemiri' (starter/curd) is added to milk to turn it into curd, adding it to buttermilk (which is already a byproduct of curd) serves no purpose. It is used to mock someone who does something unnecessary or repeats a process that is already complete.

When the man who ate sheep went, a man who ate buffa- los came. Parting with one rascal and getting a greater scoundrel in his place.

This expression is used to describe a situation where an existing problem or a bad person is replaced by something or someone even worse. It highlights that instead of finding relief, one has ended up with a more difficult or greedy person/situation.