ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുക്കിന്മേൽ ഇരുന്നു വായിൽ കാഷ്ടിക്കരുതു”
— English Translation:
Perched upon someone's nose, do not defecate into their mouth. (Never abuse tolerance by heaping insolent, outrageous disrespect upon a host or patron who has already yielded you proximity.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുലകൊടുത്ത അമ്മയേക്കാൾ വലുതൊ മുത്തം കൊടുത്ത ഭാര്യ”
— English Translation:
Is the wife who gave kisses greater than the mother who gave her own milk? (A traditional rebuke against those who abandon lifelong filial devotion for recent infatuations.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മൂക്കില്ലാത്ത നാട്ടിൽ മുറിമൂക്ക൯ മുപ്പ൯ (ചമ്പ൯, രാജാവ്)”
— English Translation:
In a land of noseless people, the half-nosed man is the chieftain (or king). (In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king; among utter incompetents, even a flawed person passes for a supreme leader.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുലക്കണ്ണു കടിക്കുമ്പോൾ കവിൾക്കുമിടിക്കേണം”
— English Translation:
If the nursing infant bites the nipple, tap its cheek. (Administer prompt, gentle correction the moment a dependent crosses boundaries and causes harm.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മൂക്കുതൊടുവാ൯ നാവു നീളംപോരാ”
— English Translation:
The tongue is not long enough to reach up and touch the nose. (Natural limitations cannot be stretched beyond their bounds, no matter how desperately one strains.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുലവീണാൽ മാറുതന്നെ താങ്ങണം”
— English Translation:
When the breast droops, the chest itself must bear the weight. (One's own core resources and family must bear the natural infirmities and declines that come with age.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മൂക്കില്ലാ നാട്ടിൽ കസ്തൂരി എന്തിനു”
— English Translation:
Why carry fragrant musk to a country where people have no noses? (Casting pearls before swine; offering sublime art, virtue, or treasures to those who completely lack the senses to appreciate them.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുട്ടുകയുമില്ല, മുഴയിക്കയുമില്ല”
— English Translation:
It neither strikes nor resonates. (Completely passive, lifeless, and dull; producing neither useful action nor audible expression.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുമ്പല്ലുകൊണ്ടു ചിരിക്കയും അണപ്പല്ലുകൊണ്ടു ഞറുമ്മുകയും”
— English Translation:
Laughing with the front incisors while grinding the molars in anger. (Presenting a facade of cordial friendliness while boiling with suppressed rage.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുട്ടുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ ഇഷ്ടം പോകും”
— English Translation:
When hardship and poverty knock, love takes flight. (Under severe privation and endless financial strain, domestic affection and goodwill often wither away.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുമ്പിൽ കിടക്കുന്ന മുതലയെ പേടിച്ചു പുറകിൽ കിടക്കുന്ന കടുവായുടെ വായിൽ ചാടിയാലോ”
— English Translation:
Fleeing in dread from the crocodile ahead, only to leap into the jaws of the tiger behind. (Out of the frying pan into the fire; escaping one mortal danger only to meet an equally lethal end.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുട്ടുശാന്തിക്ക് ഏൽപ്പിച്ചാൽ കാശിക്കു പോകാം”
— English Translation:
If you entrust the altar to a capable substitute priest, you can journey all the way to Kashi. (Delegating duties to a dependable deputy frees you to undertake distant, monumental enterprises.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുമ്പിൽപ്പോയിട്ടെൽക്കല്ല്, പിന്നെപ്പാഴിൽ തോൽക്കല്ല്”
— English Translation:
Do not boastfully push to the forefront only to suffer an embarrassing defeat later. (Avoid rash bravado and premature commitments that you lack the stamina to see through.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുണ്ടകൻ വെച്ചിട്ടു മൂലയിലൊളിച്ചു”
— English Translation:
Planted the winter crop, and then went and hid in a dark corner. (Starting an ambitious venture only to abandon it to neglect out of fear or indolence.)

“”
— English Translation:
If the guide ahead is a reckless spendthrift, the follower behind is stone-blind. (Following a dissolute, incompetent leader makes the follower far more foolish than the guide.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
മുണ്ടോൻനട്ടുമുങ്ങണം, വിരിപ്പുനട്ടുണങ്ങണം”
— English Translation:
Plant the Mundakan crop and plunge into the rains; plant the Virippu crop and bake under the sun. (Traditional farming wisdom on the differing seasonal conditions required for successive rice crops.)