ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
കല്ലെറിഞ്ഞ കാക്കപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a crow struck by a flying stone. (Scattered in sudden, panicked flight; or carrying a wary, lasting fright from a bitter experience.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളുകണ്ട ഈച്ചയെപ്പോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a fly catching sight of palm toddy. (Drawn irresistibly by a sweet temptation straight into an inescapable, drowning trap.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കല്ലെൽപെടുത്താൽ പല്ലെതെറിക്കും”
— English Translation:
Bite down hard on a stone, and your tooth will shatter. (Recklessly clashing against an unyielding obstacle will only break the aggressor.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളുപീടികയിൽ നിന്നു പാലു കുടിച്ചാലും കളെളന്നെപറയൂ”
— English Translation:
Even if you drink fresh milk inside a toddy tavern, everyone will swear you drank liquor. (Suspicious environments destroy reputation; innocent actions in disreputable places are always judged guilty.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കളിയിൽ തുടങ്ങിയതു കാര്യമായി”
— English Translation:
What began in jest turned into dead earnest. (Frivolous teasing or casual pranks escalating into a serious dispute or crisis.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളു വിലയ്ക്കു വിറ്റാൽ ചോറു നായ്ക്കൊവേണം”
— English Translation:
When liquor sells at a premium, must cooked rice be thrown to the dogs? (Skewed values that lavish money on harmful luxuries while treating essential sustenance as worthless.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കളിയിലും കള്ളംആകാ”
— English Translation:
Even in play, deception is forbidden. (Fairness and honesty should be maintained even during leisure and sport.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കഴുത അറിയുമൊ കുംകുമം”
— English Translation:
Does a donkey appreciate the worth of saffron? (Casting pearls before swine; an uncultured person is blind to beauty, refinement, and value.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളഞ്ചുമദം കാട്ടും, കഞ്ചാവഞ്ചുനിറം കാട്ടും”
— English Translation:
Toddy displays five furies of drunkenness, while cannabis conjures five hues of delusion. (Different vices destroy self-control and distort perception in their own dangerous ways.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കഴുത മക്കത്തുപോയാൽ ഹാജിയാമൊ”
— English Translation:
If a donkey travels to Mecca, does it return an honored Haji? (External pilgrimages and rituals cannot transform a fool into a sage.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളത്തിപശുവിനു ഒരു മട്ടി, തുള്ളിച്ചിപെണ്ണിനു ഒരു കുട്ടി”
— English Translation:
For a straying cow, a heavy drag-clog; for a restless girl, a child in her arms. (Heavy domestic burdens and responsibilities ground and tame unruly temperaments.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കഴുത ചവുട്ടാതെ കുതിരയുടെ പുറകിൽ പോയിനിൽക്ക”
— English Translation:
Dodging the kick of a donkey only to go stand behind a horse. (Out of the frying pan into the fire; escaping a minor nuisance only to face a far deadlier danger.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളൻ എങ്കിലും വെള്ളൻ എങ്കിലും ഒരു ആൺപിറന്നവൻ അല്ലെ”
— English Translation:
Be he a scoundrel or a plain rogue, is he not still a man born? (Demanding basic recognition of human presence or manhood despite flaws and misconduct.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കഴുതയെ തേച്ചാൽ കുതിരയാകുമൊ”
— English Translation:
Will scrubbing down a donkey ever turn it into a horse? (Inherent nature cannot be changed by cosmetic polish; superficial grooming cannot alter core quality.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളൻ കട്ടു വെള്ളൻ കഴുവെറി”
— English Translation:
The thief did the stealing, but the innocent man was marched to the gallows. (A terrible miscarriage of justice where the guilty party walks free and a blameless person takes the fall.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കഴുത്തു വലിയവനു നോവും വലിയത്”
— English Translation:
He who has a massive neck suffers a massive ache. (High status, vast wealth, and great stature carry proportionately heavy burdens and anxieties.)