తులసి కోటలో ఉమ్మేశావేమిరా అంటే, యజ్ఞవేదిక అనుకున్నాను అన్నాడట

tulasi kotalo ummeshavemira ante, yajnyavedika anukunnanu annadata

Translation

When asked 'Why did you spit in the Tulasi altar?', he replied 'I thought it was a sacrificial altar (Yagna Vedika)'.

Meaning

This proverb describes a situation where someone tries to cover up a mistake with an even more absurd or offensive excuse. It refers to people who justify a wrong action by claiming they mistook the situation for something else, which in reality is equally inappropriate or illogical. It highlights the behavior of offering ridiculous justifications for blatant blunders.

Related Phrases

When asked why he was damaging the house where he ate, he replied, 'Will they let me into the house where I haven't eaten?'

This proverb is used to describe an ungrateful person who harms those who helped or sheltered them. It highlights the absurdity of justifying betrayal or destructive behavior against one's benefactors with flawed or cynical logic.

When asked why he was wearing copper earrings, he replied that the other person didn't even have those.

This expression describes a person who tries to hide their own inferiority or low-quality choices by pointing out that others have nothing at all. It is used to mock someone who is overly proud of something insignificant or cheap, or someone who uses others' lack of resources to justify their own poor standards.

When asked 'What is it, you foolish-faced one?', he replied, 'What is it, dear uncle?'

This proverb is used to describe someone who is so oblivious, thick-skinned, or foolish that they mistake a blatant insult for a term of endearment or a friendly greeting. It highlights a lack of self-respect or an inability to understand the tone and intent of others' words.

A dog's tail is crooked; it said it won't change its nature.

This expression is used to describe a person who refuses to change their inherent bad habits or character, regardless of how much advice they receive or how much effort is made to reform them. It is similar to the English proverb 'A leopard cannot change its spots'.

When asked 'What's the status, Kota?', he replied 'The same old game'.

This proverb is used to describe a situation or a person that never changes despite the passage of time or changing circumstances. It signifies stagnation, a lack of progress, or someone sticking to their old, often repetitive or unproductive ways.

When asked why he was urinating in the choultry (rest house), he replied that he thought it was a temple.

This expression is used to describe a person who tries to justify a mistake or a bad deed by offering an even more absurd or worse excuse. It highlights the foolishness of trying to cover up a minor offense with a logic that implies a much greater sacrilege or ignorance.

When a man was asked why he spat on the Tulasi-Kôṭa, he replied that he thought it was an altar. The irreverent answer of a sacrilegious sceptic, an altar being still more sacred.—Tulasi is the holy basil (Ocimum Sacrum). Tulasi-Kôṭa is the Telugu name for the altar-like bed in which it is grown, in the inner yard of a Hindu house.

This proverb is used to describe a person who tries to cover up a mistake or an insult with a ridiculous or even more offensive excuse. It highlights the absurdity of justifying a wrong action by claiming it was a different, yet still inappropriate, act. It is often applied to people who give foolish justifications for their blunders.

A burglar being asked why he was house-breaking in the day time, replied " What do you know of my necessities?" Distress tempts to crime.

This proverb is used to describe a person who is so driven by greed or extreme necessity that they abandon all common sense, shame, or fear of consequences. It highlights how someone might do something blatantly foolish or risky just to satisfy their immediate urges or needs.

When asked why he had no mustache, he said he resembles his paternal aunt; when asked why he had a beard, he said he resembles his maternal uncle.

This proverb is used to describe a person who gives silly, illogical, or contradictory excuses to cover up their flaws or inconsistencies. It points out the absurdity of someone who tries to justify everything with convenient but nonsensical reasoning.

When asked, 'Why are you committing a burglary in broad daylight?', he replied, 'What do you know about my son's desperate greed?'

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone performs a reckless or shameful act out of extreme desperation or greed, and then tries to justify it with an even more absurd or personal excuse. It highlights how some people lose their sense of shame when driven by intense desire or necessity.