వెరపింపబోయి వెరచినట్లు

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone, in an attempt to escape a small or manageable problem, ends up in a much more dangerous or severe predicament. It is equivalent to the English idiom 'out of the frying pan and into the fire'.

This proverb is used to describe a person who is shameless and indifferent to public opinion or criticism. It suggests that those who have no reputation or character left to protect (metaphorically referred to as the 'brazen widow') do not fear public scandal, whereas those who value their dignity and virtue are the ones who worry about their social standing.

This expression refers to a situation where a person is financially stable or has enough resources, but faces social pressure, harassment, or judgment from their own community or relatives. It is used when someone abandons a comfortable situation not due to lack of money, but due to social incompatibility or fear of social consequences.

This proverb is used to describe a state of confusion or dilemma when facing contradictory reactions or consequences from different people. It is often used by someone in a position of authority or a performer who is receiving both excessive praise (bowing) and harsh criticism or physical harm (striking) at the same time, wondering which group poses the greater threat or deserves more attention.

Yielding to force and not to entreaties.

This proverb highlights that those who have something to lose (like a tree with fruit or a person with status/responsibilities) are vulnerable and cautious, whereas those who have nothing to lose or are insensitive (like a dead log) remain indifferent to threats. It is used to describe how people with responsibilities must be careful, while the idle or thick-skinned are unbothered.

This proverb is used to describe how people of different temperaments or statuses react to hardships. While a refined, sensitive person (the horse) might be troubled by minor inconveniences or changes in environment, a person who is thick-skinned, resilient, or perhaps less sophisticated (the buffalo) remains indifferent to such struggles.

This expression refers to a person who is toughened by hardship or lack of refinement. It describes someone who is insensitive to subtle changes or social niceties because they are used to a harsh, rugged, or coarse lifestyle.

This proverb emphasizes that while the forms, shapes, or appearances of things might differ, their fundamental essence remains the same. Just as different pots are made from the same clay, all humans have the same origin despite their social divisions or physical differences. It is used to point out underlying unity or to challenge superficial discrimination.

This expression is used to describe a situation where a person is caught between two equally unpleasant, repulsive, or problematic choices. It highlights a dilemma where both options are distasteful, often used in a colloquial or earthy manner to describe someone being stubborn or difficult to deal with from both ends.

This proverb highlights the difference in sensibilities between refined, cultured individuals and uncouth or ignorant people. A person of high status or education cares about their reputation and the power of words (literary criticism or moral condemnation), whereas a crude or ignorant person is indifferent to such intellectual or social consequences because they lack the refinement to understand them.