తియ్యటి తేనెనిండిన నోటితోనే తేనెటీగ కుట్టేది.

tiyyati tenenindina notitone tenetiga kuttedi.

Translation

The honeybee stings with the same mouth that is filled with sweet honey.

Meaning

This proverb is used to warn that people who speak very sweetly or appear charming can also be the ones who cause the most harm or betrayal. It suggests that sweetness can sometimes mask a sharp sting, similar to the English expression 'A honey tongue, a heart of gall.'

Related Phrases

Will they stir up a beehive and then leave without the sweet honey?

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone initiates a complex or difficult task and refuses to walk away until they have achieved the desired result or benefit. It suggests that once the risk has been taken (stirring the hive), the person will certainly stay to reap the rewards (the honey). It is often used in contexts involving persistent efforts or calculated risks.

Bees have work without any leisure.

This expression is used to describe someone who is constantly busy or a situation involving non-stop activity. Just as bees are perpetually occupied with collecting nectar and building hives, it refers to a state of being extremely industrious or having an endless to-do list with no free time.

Poisonous words coated with honey

This expression describes someone who uses sweet, flattering, or pleasant language to hide their malicious intentions or harmful nature. It is used to warn others about deceitful people who act friendly on the surface while harboring ill will.

Like honey raining on a sugar Pandili.

This expression describes a situation where something already wonderful becomes even better. It is used to signify extreme happiness, unexpected good fortune, or a series of highly favorable events happening simultaneously.

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.

The astringency of flowers is what becomes honey

This proverb suggests that raw, bitter, or difficult beginnings can lead to sweet and rewarding outcomes. It is used to encourage patience and perseverance, highlighting that hard work or initial unpleasantness eventually transforms into something valuable and beneficial.

Like a high-quality coconut.

This expression refers to a person who may appear tough, hard, or indifferent on the outside but possesses a soft, kind, and pure heart within. It is used to describe someone with a strong exterior but a compassionate nature.

Like honey raining down on a canopy of sugar

This expression describes an incredibly fortunate or sweet situation where one good thing happens on top of another. It is used to depict a state of extreme happiness, abundance, or a perfect coincidence of favorable events.

The bee's honey belongs to the traveler.

This proverb means that one may work hard to accumulate wealth or resources, but often someone else (an outsider or an unexpected person) ends up enjoying them. It is used to describe situations where a person's toil benefits others instead of themselves, much like how a traveler takes the honey a bee spent its life collecting.

As if harvesting pigeon peas with the same hand used to harvest kodo millet.

This expression is used to describe a situation where a person moves seamlessly from one task to another, or handles a new situation with the same ease or methods as a previous one. It often implies a sense of continuity in action or temperament, typically used when someone performs a second task immediately after the first without hesitation.