ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
കഴുത ചവുട്ടാതെ കുതിരയുടെ പുറകിൽ പോയിനിൽക്ക”
— English Translation:
Dodging the kick of a donkey only to go stand behind a horse. (Out of the frying pan into the fire; escaping a minor nuisance only to face a far deadlier danger.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളൻ എങ്കിലും വെള്ളൻ എങ്കിലും ഒരു ആൺപിറന്നവൻ അല്ലെ”
— English Translation:
Be he a scoundrel or a plain rogue, is he not still a man born? (Demanding basic recognition of human presence or manhood despite flaws and misconduct.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കഴുതയെ തേച്ചാൽ കുതിരയാകുമൊ”
— English Translation:
Will scrubbing down a donkey ever turn it into a horse? (Inherent nature cannot be changed by cosmetic polish; superficial grooming cannot alter core quality.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളൻ കട്ടു വെള്ളൻ കഴുവെറി”
— English Translation:
The thief did the stealing, but the innocent man was marched to the gallows. (A terrible miscarriage of justice where the guilty party walks free and a blameless person takes the fall.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കഴുത്തു വലിയവനു നോവും വലിയത്”
— English Translation:
He who has a massive neck suffers a massive ache. (High status, vast wealth, and great stature carry proportionately heavy burdens and anxieties.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളൻ കട്ടതിനു കോമട്ടിയെ കഴുവേറ്റി”
— English Translation:
For a crime committed by a thief, the merchant was impaled on the stake. (Arbitrary, incompetent authority punishing an innocent bystander just to show quick results.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കഴുത്തേലെ മിന്നുംപോയി, മനസ്സിനു സൌഖ്യവുമായി”
— English Translation:
Lost the wedding locket from the neck, but gained peace of mind. (Severing an oppressive, miserable bond is well worth the loss of outward status.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളനെ കക്കുക”
— English Translation:
Robbing the thief himself. (Diamond cut diamond; outwitting a swindler at his own game.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളനെ വിരട്ടുവാൻ പിള്ള മതി”
— English Translation:
A child is enough to frighten off a thief. (A guilty conscience makes cowards of wrongdoers; the slightest whisper of discovery puts them to flight.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളനേ കള്ളന്റെ കാലറിഞ്ഞുകൂടു”
— English Translation:
Only a thief recognizes the footprints of a fellow thief. (It takes a thief to catch a thief; only an insider understands the tricks of the trade.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളനെ വിശ്വസിച്ചാലും കുള്ളനെ(കുറിയവനെ) വിശ്വസിച്ചുകൂടാ”
— English Translation:
You may trust a thief, but never trust a man of stunted stature. (A traditional folk prejudice warning against deep-seated cunning in diminutive individuals.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളപ്പണം കിട്ടിയാൽ കുഴിച്ചുമൂടണം”
— English Translation:
If you lay hands on dirty money, you must bury it in the dirt. (Ill-gotten wealth cannot be enjoyed openly; it brings only paranoia and concealment.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളിന്റെ മട്ടും (മത്തും) കമ്മളിന്റെ പിട്ടും”
— English Translation:
The lingering dregs of toddy and the stubborn screw-pin of an ear-stud. (Things that cling persistently or prove notoriously difficult to shake off.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കല്ലു കാറ്റെടുക്കുമ്പോൾ കരിയില എവിടെ”
— English Translation:
When a gale sweeps away heavy boulders, where will the dry leaf stand? (When a colossal catastrophe destroys even the mighty, the weak and frail have no hope of surviving.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കള്ളിയിൽ കുത്തി കൈ എടുത്തപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like thrusting your hand into a thorny cactus and yanking it right back. (Suffering instant, stinging retribution from a reckless mistake and quickly retreating in pain.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കല്ലെറിഞ്ഞ കാക്കപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a crow struck by a flying stone. (Scattered in sudden, panicked flight; or carrying a wary, lasting fright from a bitter experience.)