విస్తళ్ళు ఎత్తమంటే, భోంచేసిన వారెందరని లెక్కబెట్టినాడట.

vistallu ettamante, bhonchesina varendarani lekkabettinadata.

Translation

When asked to clear the leaf plates, he started counting how many people had eaten.

Meaning

This proverb describes a person who tries to avoid work or delay a task by engaging in irrelevant, trivial, or unnecessary calculations. It is used to mock someone who makes excuses or acts foolishly instead of simply doing the job assigned to them.

Related Phrases

When a wise man was given packed lunch for a journey, he ate it right at the milestone.

This proverb is used sarcastically to describe people who lack foresight or patience despite being called 'wise'. It refers to someone who finishes a task or consumes resources prematurely, right at the start of a journey, without considering the future need or the distance remaining.

When asked to clear the leaves (plates), counting the leaf-plates instead.

This proverb describes a person who, instead of doing the work assigned to them, engages in useless tasks or makes excuses by over-analyzing the situation. It is used to criticize someone who procrastinates or avoids simple labor by focusing on irrelevant details.

When told to remove the leaves, he asked how many people had dined. An impertinent question.

This proverb describes a person who tries to avoid work or a simple task by asking unnecessary, irrelevant questions to delay or shirk their responsibility. It is used when someone makes a simple job seem complicated to get out of doing it.

Like tying leaf plates back onto the tree

This expression is used to describe a situation where someone attempts to fix or undo something that is already broken, finished, or irreversibly changed in a way that is unnatural or futile. It refers to the impossible task of making a cut leaf part of the living tree again.

When asked to lift a straw, he supposedly asked for the head count of people available to help.

This proverb describes an extremely lazy person who looks for excuses or demands unnecessary help even for the smallest and easiest of tasks. It is used to mock someone who overcomplicates a simple job to avoid doing it themselves.

Counting Pisces and Aries

This expression refers to a person who is indecisive or procrastinating. It describes the act of unnecessarily delaying a decision or action by over-analyzing minor details, similar to someone idly staring at the stars and counting zodiac signs instead of focusing on the task at hand.

When a poor man was given packed food, he ate it right at the pond outside the village and left.

This proverb describes a person with a 'poverty mindset' or someone who lacks foresight. Despite being given a valuable resource or an opportunity that could have lasted, their lack of patience or low standards causes them to consume or waste it immediately without reaching a better destination or goal.

When asked to clear the used leaf plates, he started counting the guests.

This expression is used to describe a person who tries to avoid work or procrastinate by engaging in irrelevant tasks or by finding excuses. It highlights a tendency to focus on trivial data instead of performing the actual duty at hand.

When asked to feed, they asked to listen.

This proverb is used to describe a person who avoids doing a specific requested task by offering an irrelevant or useless alternative. It highlights an uncooperative attitude where one pretends to help but avoids the actual effort or responsibility required, similar to someone offering words instead of food to a hungry person.

When asked to clear the leaves (plates), counting the number of plates instead.

This proverb describes a person who avoids doing the actual work assigned to them by engaging in useless calculations or trivial details. It is used to mock someone who makes excuses or performs unnecessary side-tasks to delay or evade their primary responsibility.