ProverbPedia

“ തട്ടാൻ തൊട്ടാൽ പത്തിന്നെട്ടു (എട്ടാൽ ഒന്നു)”
English Translation:
If the goldsmith touches it, only eight parts in ten remain (or one part in eight is skimmed). (A traditional folk caution against the inevitable cut or commission shaved off whenever dealing with dishonest intermediaries.)

— Malayalam

Related Mantras

“ ഏടെക്കും മോഴെക്കും ചുങ്കംഇല്ല”
English Translation:
There is no toll or tax on a useless, hornless bullock. (Nobody bothers to hold accountable or levy demands on what is fundamentally worthless.)

“ നുള്ളിഎടുക്കുന്നെടത്തു കുഴി, നുള്ളിവെക്കുന്നെടത്തു കുന്നു”
English Translation:
Where you pinch away a pit forms, and where you heap pinches a mound rises. (Continual small drains lead to bankruptcy, while steady, modest savings accumulate into a mountain of wealth.)

“ നാലുതലചേരും, നാലു മുലചേരുകയില്ല”
English Translation:
Four men’s heads can unite in council, but four women’s breasts will never dwell in peace. (A traditional patriarchal adage expressing that men can find practical consensus, while rival mistresses under one roof will inevitably clash.)