వెట్టికి పుట్టిన బిడ్డ నెత్తికి లేక ఏడ్చినదట

vettiki puttina bidda nettiki leka edchinadata

Translation

A child born where there was no love [ between the parents ] suffered for want [ of oil ] for its head.

Meaning

This proverb is used to describe an unrealistic or greedy expectation. When someone is already in a state of extreme poverty or performing forced unpaid labor (vetti), expecting luxuries or even basic comforts is seen as ironic or foolish. It highlights the contradiction of seeking extras when the fundamental situation is dire.

Related Phrases

If one cannot jump to the hanging pot, can she fly to heaven?

This proverb is used to mock someone who fails at a simple, basic task but makes grand claims about achieving something much more difficult or impossible. It highlights the gap between one's actual abilities and their lofty ambitions.

When [ a child ] was told not to follow, it asked to be carried.

This proverb is used to describe a person who, when given a simple instruction or boundary, makes even more demanding and unreasonable requests. It highlights stubbornness or the tendency of someone to take undue advantage of a situation when they are already being a nuisance.

Asking much when denied a little. 44 ( 345 )

Like lifting an empty pot onto the sling and placing the ghee pot on the floor.

This proverb describes a person who lacks judgment and priorities. It refers to someone who values useless things while neglecting or mismanaging valuable assets. It is used to point out foolish decisions where one gives importance to the trivial and ignores the essential.

However much the rat may cry, the cat will not let go her hold.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where a powerful person or an oppressor remains indifferent to the pleas, suffering, or tears of the weak. It suggests that once someone has a decisive advantage or control over another, they are unlikely to show mercy just because the victim is lamenting their fate.

When the children cried for food, the grandmother cried for a husband. Wishing for something quite unsuitable to one's age.

This proverb is used to describe a situation where someone is being incredibly selfish or insensitive, focusing on their own inappropriate or secondary desires while others around them are suffering from a basic, urgent crisis.

* Chi l'ha per natura, fin alla fossa dura.

When the belly cried for food, the hair cried for flowers.

This proverb describes a situation where there is a stark contrast between basic needs and superficial desires. It is used when someone asks for luxuries or trivial things while another person is struggling for basic survival or facing a serious crisis.

Like a man with butter in the palm of his hand, calling out for ghi.

This proverb is used to describe a person who searches for something everywhere when it is already within their possession or reach. It highlights the irony of being unaware of the resources one already has while complaining about a lack of results (since ghee is made by melting butter).

A child born of forced labor was born without a head.

This proverb describes a situation where an outcome or a product is flawed or incomplete because it was done without interest, enthusiasm, or proper compensation (forced labor). It is used to mock work that is done carelessly or results that are useless due to a lack of effort.

Where is the price for forced labor?

This expression is used to describe tasks performed without interest, compensation, or quality because they are being done under compulsion. It implies that when work is forced or unpaid, one cannot expect excellence or a specific value in return.

Whose child are you, that you cry and weep so bitterly ?

This is a sarcastic or critical rhetorical question used to describe someone who is grieving, crying, or worrying excessively over a matter that does not concern them at all. It is used when a person interferes in someone else's problems or takes on unnecessary burdens that aren't their own.