ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഏറെബുദ്ധിയുള്ള പൊന്മാൻ കിണറ്റിലല്ലെമുട്ടയിടുന്നതു”
— English Translation:
Isn't it the "overly clever" kingfisher that builds its nest inside a well? (People who think they are extraordinarily cunning often craft plans that trap them in deep peril.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഏതപ്പാ കോതമംഗലം”
— English Translation:
"Where on earth is Kothamangalam, sir?" (An expression of utter bewilderment and disorientation when someone is completely lost.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ഏറെവലിച്ചാൽ കോടിയും കീറും”
— English Translation:
Pull too hard, and even brand-new, unwashed fabric will tear. (Push anything past its breaking point, and even fresh strength will snap.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാ ഗർഭവും പെറ്റു ഇനി കടിഞ്ഞൂൽ ഗർഭമെ പെറേണ്ടു”
— English Translation:
Delivered every single child and now has only the firstborn left to deliver. (Claiming great experience while reversing basic logic and chronology.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എള്ളിൽവീണ ഒച്ചുപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a snail that has fallen into a heap of sesame seeds. (Paralyzed and thoroughly entangled, unable to move without getting bogged down further.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാപക്ഷിക്കും ചിലെക്കാം, വശകൻ പക്ഷിക്കു ചിലെക്കാൻ മേലാ”
— English Translation:
Any wild bird can chirp, but the caged decoy bird cannot utter a sound. (Those who are captive or subservient are stripped of the freedom to speak.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എള്ളു ചോരുന്നതു കാണും, തേങ്ങാചോരുന്നതറികയില്ല”
— English Translation:
Spotting a sesame seed slipping through, yet blind to whole coconuts falling away. (Straining at a gnat while swallowing a camel; fretting over petty leaks while oblivious to colossal losses.)

“”
— English Translation:
Every goddess has already appeared in trance; only the petty Muppeerichi spirit is left to manifest. (Everyone of consequence has already spoken; only an insignificant straggler is left making noise.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എള്ളൊളംതിന്നാൽ എള്ളൊളംനിറയും”
— English Translation:
If you eat as tiny as a sesame seed, you will be filled only by that much. (Meager effort yields an equally negligible return; you get out only what you put in.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാമാരയാനും തണ്ടിന്മേൽ, ചങ്കരമാരയാൻ തൊണ്ടിന്മേൽ”
— English Translation:
Every drummer rides upon palanquin poles, while Shankara the drummer perches on a dried coconut husk. (The unfair irony where all peers enjoy honors while the luckless individual gets scraps.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എഴുകോൽ പുരയിൽ എൺകോൽ കന്തം”
— English Translation:
An eight-cubit ridgepole for a seven-cubit house. (An absurd disproportion where an oversize part overwhelms the structure it was meant to fit.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാരും തേങ്ങാഉടെക്കുമ്പൊൾ ഞാൻ ഒരു ചിരട്ട എങ്കിലും ഉടെക്കെണ്ടയൊ”
— English Translation:
When everyone is cracking whole coconuts in devotion, shouldn't I at least break an empty coconut shell? (Eagerly imitating the grand gestures of others according to one's own meager capacity.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എഴുന്ന ഊക്കിനു തുള്ളിയാൽ ഊരരണ്ടുമുറി”
— English Translation:
Leaping on a sudden, reckless surge of impulse will snap your waist in two. (Rash action taken without gauging personal capability brings crippling ruin.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാരുമുണ്ടു ചെല്ലാടമില്ല”
— English Translation:
The entire crowd has gathered, but there is no betel pouch to serve. (A grand gathering where the essential hospitality or central supply has been overlooked.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാരും പല്ലക്കേറിയാൽ ചുമപ്പാനാളവേണ്ടെ”
— English Translation:
If everyone rides in the palanquin, who will be left to carry the poles? (If everyone insists on being a chief, no one is left to do the work.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
എല്ലാവർക്കും ഒരു അക്കരെ അമ്പലംവേണം”
— English Translation:
Everyone longs for a temple situated on the opposite shore. (Human nature always yearns for what is distant, romanticized, and difficult to reach.)