వెదకి వెదకి అతడు వెర్రియై చెడిపోయె

vedaki vedaki atadu verriyai chedipoye

Translation

Searching and searching, he became a fool and got ruined.

Meaning

This expression refers to a situation where someone overthinks or over-investigates a simple matter to such an extent that they lose their sanity or common sense. It is used when excessive scrutiny or unnecessary searching leads to confusion and eventual failure instead of a solution.

Related Phrases

Like searching for hair whorls on a widow's head.

Historically, in some traditions, widows had their heads shaved. This expression refers to performing a completely futile, useless, or impossible task. It is used to describe someone who is wasting time looking for something that clearly does not exist or engaged in a meaningless investigation.

Because of the saline soil, all the water was spoiled.

This expression is used to describe a situation where a good thing becomes useless or ruined due to its association with a bad environment or flawed foundation. Just as pure water becomes undrinkable when it flows onto salty/barren land, a person's good qualities or a project's potential can be wasted if the surrounding circumstances are inherently defective.

The poor man searches for food to fill his stomach, while the king searches for a stomach to fill his food.

This proverb highlights the irony of wealth and physical health. It suggests that while the poor struggle to find food for their hunger, the wealthy (who have plenty of food) often struggle with appetite or health issues, needing to find a way to make themselves hungry enough to eat their rich meals.

What one had is gone, and what one kept (or acquired) is also gone.

This expression describes a situation where a person loses their original possessions or status while unsuccessfully trying to gain something more. It is used to caution against excessive greed or poor decision-making that results in a total loss of both the old and the new.

Like having butter in your hand and searching the whole village for ghee.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone searches far and wide for something they already possess or have easy access to. Since ghee is made from butter, searching for ghee while holding butter is foolish. It highlights human nature of overlooking obvious solutions or resources available to them while seeking them elsewhere.

Like searching in last year's nests for this year's birds.

This proverb is used to describe a futile or illogical effort. It refers to someone looking for something in a place where it no longer exists, or trying to apply outdated solutions to current situations. It emphasizes that time moves on and things change, so searching in the past for present needs is useless.

Like searching for cowlicks on a bald head.

This proverb is used to describe a futile, meaningless, or impossible task. It refers to wasting time and effort looking for something that clearly does not exist or searching for faults where there are none.

Like searching for a rope after falling into a well.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone acts too late or starts searching for a solution only after the disaster has already occurred. It highlights a lack of foresight and the futility of being unprepared.

Like starting a fire and then searching for water

This proverb describes someone who creates a problem or conflict through their own actions and then acts as if they are trying to solve it or mitigate the consequences. It is used to point out the hypocrisy or lack of foresight in a person who causes trouble and then seeks a remedy for the very situation they intentionally started.

Like searching for footprints in water

This expression is used to describe a futile or impossible task. Just as it is impossible to find footprints or traces of a path in water, it refers to searching for something that leaves no evidence behind or attempting a hopeless endeavor.