విశాఖ పట్టితే పిశాచి పట్టినట్లు

This expression is used to describe someone who is even more troublesome, persistent, or malicious than the astrological deity Shani (Saturn), who is traditionally associated with seven and a half years of hardship. It characterizes a person who refuses to leave someone alone and causes prolonged suffering or annoyance.

This expression describes a state of extreme guilt, paranoia, or fear where a person is haunted by their own actions. It suggests that when someone has a guilty conscience or is deeply afraid, even their own shadow appears like a threatening spirit, meaning they cannot escape their own mind.

This expression is used to describe someone who goes to extremes or becomes obsessively persistent in whatever task they undertake. It can also refer to someone who consistently encounters bad luck or complications in every endeavor they start, as if it were cursed or jinxed.

This proverb is used to describe a difficult situation where both available options or people are troublesome, regardless of their status or seniority. It specifically highlights the common domestic trope of friction with mothers-in-law (or aunts), suggesting that both are equally difficult to deal with, differing only in the scale of their nuisance.

This is an agricultural proverb related to the monsoon. It means that if it rains during the Moola Nakshatram (Moola constellation period), it results in heavy flooding (drowning), whereas rains during Vishakha Nakshatram are accompanied by strong, destructive winds (blowing away/scattering).

This is an agricultural proverb related to the lunar mansion (Karthe) system. It suggests that rainfall during the Vishakha period (usually occurring in November) is detrimental to crops that are ready for harvest, effectively acting like poison and destroying the yield.

Literally referring to the Mimosa pudica plant, this expression is used to describe a person who is extremely sensitive, shy, or gets easily offended or hurt by even the slightest comment or touch.

This expression describes items or individuals that are in their most effective or dangerous state. Just as a knife is most useful when sharpened (tari), a person (historically used in the context of a captive woman or 'kutthi' meaning a young woman/slave) is most vulnerable or completely under someone's control. In modern usage, it highlights the peak state of readiness or the absolute influence one holds over something.

This expression refers to a traditional method of catching fish by bailing water out of a small pond or puddle until it is dry enough to catch the fish by hand. It is used to describe a situation where someone puts in a lot of hard work, effort, or systematic labor to achieve a specific goal or to expose something hidden.

This expression describes a situation where someone abandons a large, secure, or significant source of support (the boat) to rely on something much smaller or insufficient (the pole). It is used to point out a foolish or regressive decision where a person leaves a major advantage for a minor, useless one.