ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുടത്തിൽവെച്ച വിളക്കുപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a bright lamp placed beneath a clay vessel. (Hiding one's light under a bushel; keeping exceptional talents or virtue concealed from the world.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുടത്തിൻവായി കെട്ടാം, മനുഷ്യവായി കെട്ടിക്കൂടാ”
— English Translation:
You can tie shut the mouth of a pot, but you can never tie shut the mouth of a human being. (It is impossible to muzzle public gossip or stop tongues from wagging.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുടംകമിഴ്ത്തി(കമത്തി)വെള്ളം പകർന്ന(ഒഴിച്ച)തുപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like pouring water over an inverted pot. (Wasting advice, instruction, or effort on an unreceptive mind; water off a duck's back.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കിംഗതെ വിവാഹെ നക്ഷത്രപരീക്ഷയം”
— English Translation:
What is the point of examining astrological charts after the wedding has already taken place? (Consulting rules or seeking advice after an irreversible deed is done is completely pointless.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുടൽവലിയൊനു ചക്കു”
— English Translation:
For someone with a cavernous belly, an entire oil press is needed. (Insatiable gluttony or bottomless greed that consumes immense resources without ever being satisfied.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കിംഗതെ സലിലെ സേതുബന്ധന”
— English Translation:
What is the point of erecting a dam after the floodwaters have already drained away? (Locking the stable door after the horse has bolted; useless precautions taken too late.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുടലെടുത്തു കാണിച്ചാൽ വാഴനാരെന്നു പറയും”
— English Translation:
Even if you rip out your own entrails to show them, they will sneer that it is merely plantain fiber. (No matter how transparently you bare your heart or prove your sincerity, cynical skeptics will dismiss it.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കിംമിഷ്ടമന്നം ഖരസൃകരാണാം”
— English Translation:
What sweet delicacy could ever please donkeys and swine? (Casting pearls before swine; coarse natures are incapable of appreciating refinement and beauty.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
998, നക്ഷത്ര പരീക്ഷ = ജാതകം നോക്കുക”
— English Translation:
[Linguistic/source gloss: Clarifies that "nakshatra pareeksha" refers to checking astrological charts, referencing proverb #963.]

“Malayalam Proverb:
കിളി പറയുംപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a parrot reciting words. (Repeating speech mechanically by rote without the slightest understanding of its true meaning.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുടിമൂലം കുലംകെടും”
— English Translation:
Through alcoholism (or bitter family strife), the entire lineage is destroyed. (Addiction and domestic vices bring ruin to the wealth, dignity, and future of a family.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കിഴക്കൻവെള്ളം ഇളകിവരുമ്പോൾ ചിറയിടാറുണ്ടൊ”
— English Translation:
Does anyone begin constructing a dike when the eastern floodwaters are already rushing down? (Protective preparations cannot be improvised in the middle of an overwhelming flash flood.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുടിയറിഞ്ഞേ പെണ്ണയക്കാവൂ”
— English Translation:
Give a maiden in marriage only after knowing the lineage and character of the household. (Thoroughly investigate family background and integrity before entering into a lifelong alliance.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കിഴങ്ങുകണ്ട പണിയൻ ചിരിക്കുംപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like the bright smile of a tribesman upon unearthing a wild edible tuber. (Pure, unadulterated joy and satisfaction upon finding sustenance after honest search.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുടുമയ്ക്ക് മീതെ മർമ്മം ഇല്ല”
— English Translation:
There is no vital pressure point higher than the hair knot on the crown. (There is no authority higher than the supreme limit; you have reached the ultimate end.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കീരിയും പാമ്പുംപോലെ സ്നേഹം”
— English Translation:
Love like that between a mongoose and a serpent. (Sarcasm for sworn, mortal enmity; blood enemies.)