ProverbPedia

“ പശിക്കുമ്പോൾ അച്ചി പശുക്കയറും തിന്നും”
English Translation:
When gripped by famished hunger, even a noble mistress will chew on a cow’s tether rope. (Extreme desperation strips away all aristocratic pride, social pretension, and squeamishness.)

— Malayalam

Related Mantras

“ ചെട്ടി അടിച്ചും ചേര കടിച്ചും ചത്തവരുണ്ടൊ”
English Translation:
Has anyone ever died from a trader’s slap or a rat snake’s bite? (Toothless threats and mild reprimands cause no real harm; paper tigers need not be feared.)

“ തീ പിടിക്കുമ്പോൾ കുളം കുഴിക്കാൻ പോകയൊ”
English Translation:
Does one set out to dig a pond when the house is already on fire? (Waiting until a catastrophe strikes to begin basic preparations is an exercise in futility.)

“ തവിടുകട്ടു കഴുവേറാൻ പോയി”
English Translation:
Stole a pinch of worthless rice bran and ended up marched to the gallows. (Suffering a catastrophic, ultimate penalty for a laughable, petty misdemeanor.)