ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുശവൻപൊളിച്ച കലത്തിനു വിലയുണ്ടോ”
— English Translation:
Does a clay pot smashed by the potter have any value? (When the maker or authority disowns and breaks their own creation, no one else will prize it.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുറുക്കന് ആമയെ കിട്ടിയതുപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a fox that caught a hard-shelled turtle. (Finding an alluring prize that you are utterly incapable of cracking open or enjoying.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളത്തിൽ ഉണ്ടെങ്കിലെ മടയിൽപായൂ”
— English Translation:
Water rushes through the sluice gate only if the reservoir is full. (Dependents and enterprises can draw resources only if the primary fountainhead has abundance.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുറുക്കൻ കരഞ്ഞാൽ നേരം പുലരുകയില്ല”
— English Translation:
Dawn will not break just because a fox howls. (Natural order, truth, and destiny do not bend to the spiteful cries of petty schemers.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുശവനു പലനാളത്തെ വേല വടിക്കാരന് ഒരു നാഴികത്തെ വേല”
— English Translation:
Many days of labor for the potter, but a single moment's work for the man with a staff. (What takes long diligence and skill to build can be destroyed in seconds by reckless malice.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുറുണിപ്പാല് കറന്നാലും കൂരയെ തിന്നുന്ന പശുവാകാ”
— English Translation:
Even if a cow gives a bushel of milk, one that chews down the thatched roof cannot be kept. (Great talent or productivity is ruined if coupled with destructive, toxic habits.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളത്തിൽകണ്ട മീൻ കറിക്കാകാ”
— English Translation:
A fish seen swimming in the pond cannot be put into the curry. (Don't count your chickens before they hatch; a distant prospect is not an asset until secured.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുറുപ്പിന്റെ ഉറപ്പല്ലെ ഉറപ്പ്”
— English Translation:
Ah, Kurup’s firm word is the only true certainty! (A sarcastic remark about someone notorious for fickle, unreliable promises.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുറുപ്പു, കണ്ടൊത്തകുറുപ്പു ഉടുപ്പിന്റെ വിവരം ഞാനറികയില്ല”
— English Translation:
"Kurup, yes, Kandotha Kurup—but as for his clothes, I know nothing." (An evasive, slippery answer that feigns acquaintance while dodging the incriminating fact.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുറച്ചുള്ളതും കഞ്ഞിയോട്‌പോയി”
— English Translation:
What little was left went down with the porridge. (Suffering the total loss of one's remaining meager reserve; losing the last scrap of capital.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുറ്റം പറവാൻ ആർക്കും കഴിയും”
— English Translation:
Anyone can point out faults. (Finding fault is easy; creating, building, and performing require true ability.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുറ്റം പറയുന്നവൻ വാങ്ങാൻ വന്നവനാണ്”
— English Translation:
The one who points out flaws is the one who came to buy. (A buyer criticizes the goods to drive down the price; harsh critique often conceals genuine interest.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുന്നലക്കോനാതിരിയുടെ പദവിയും ഉള്ളാടൻചെനൻറെ അവസ്ഥയും”
— English Translation:
The royal stature of the Zamorin of Kozhikode compared to the plight of Chenan the tribesman. (A vast, incomparable disparity in status, wealth, and power; worlds apart.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുന്നിക്കുരു കപ്പയിൽ ഇട്ടാലും മിന്നും”
— English Translation:
Even if a scarlet rosary seed is dropped into a heap of rubbish, it will still gleam. (True beauty, virtue, and nobility shine through regardless of degraded surroundings.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുന്നൊളം പൊന്നുകൊടുത്താലും കുന്നിയൊളം സ്ഥാനം കിട്ടാ”
— English Translation:
Even if you pay a mountain of gold, you cannot buy an ounce of genuine honor. (Dignity, character, and noble standing cannot be purchased with money.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കപ്പച്ചീര കൊഴുത്തെന്നുവച്ച് കപ്പപ്പാമരമാമൊ”
— English Translation:
Just because water spinach grows lush and thick, can it ever serve as a ship's mast? (Superficial plumpness or minor growth cannot substitute for real structural strength and timber.)