ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
നനച്ചെറങ്ങിയാൽ കുളിച്ചു കയറും”
— English Translation:
Once you step into the water and get wet, you might as well take a full bath before stepping out. (In for a penny, in for a pound; once committed to a venture, see it through completely rather than retreating halfway.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നരി പെറ്റമടയിൽ കുറുക്കൻ പെറുമൊ”
— English Translation:
Will a jackal ever dare to litter inside the den of a tigress? (The timid and weak will never venture into the stronghold of a formidable power.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നനെച്ചു വീശിയാൽ ചുറ്റും തെറിക്കും”
— English Translation:
Shake a soaked garment, and water spatters all over everyone nearby. (Venting rage while already bogged down in trouble only splashes collateral damage onto bystanders.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നരിവാലുകൊണ്ടൊ കടലാഴം പാർപ്പു”
— English Translation:
Can you measure the depth of the ocean with a tiger's tail? (Attempting a vast, monumental investigation with dangerously inadequate and absurdly mismatched instruments.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നനെച്ചിറങ്ങിയാൽ പിന്നെ ചെരിച്ചു കേററാറുണ്ടൊ”
— English Translation:
Having stepped into the water to bathe, does one try to step out sideways to stay dry? (Once you have entered a demanding situation, squeamish hesitation and half-measures make no sense.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നല്ലകാലത്തെ ഗുണംവരോള്ളൂ തംപ്രാനെ (എന്നുകാക്കാലൻപറഞ്ഞപോലെ)”
— English Translation:
"Prosperity arrives only when times are good, my lord," as the gypsy noted. (Stating the glaringly obvious; fortunes flourish only when favorable conditions align.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നനെഞ്ഞ കിഴവി വന്നാൽ ഇരുന്ന വിറകിനു ചേതം”
— English Translation:
If a drenched old woman arrives, the stored firewood is doomed. (A needy, distressed dependent arriving unexpectedly drains a household's carefully hoarded reserves.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നല്ലതലക്കു നൂറു കയ്യുണ്ടു”
— English Translation:
A wise head commands a hundred hands. (An intelligent, capable leader naturally inspires and mobilizes countless willing workers to execute the work.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നനെഞ്ഞവനു ഈറൻ ഇല്ല, തുനിഞ്ഞവനു ദുഃഖം ഇല്ലാ”
— English Translation:
To one already drenched there is no chill; to one fully resolved there is no sorrow. (Once a person has hit rock bottom or made an absolute commitment, fear of hardship ceases to exist.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നല്ലമരത്തേൽ മ്രാൽചുറ്റിയതുപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a parasitic strangler fig wrapping around a noble tree. (A toxic, clinging dependent slowly sapping the life out of a generous benefactor.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നനെഞ്ഞിടം തന്നെ കുഴിച്ചാലോ”
— English Translation:
What if you dig only where the ground is already wet and soft? (Exploiting the compliant and vulnerable simply because they offer the least resistance.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നല്ലമാടെങ്കിൽ തന്നൂരിൽതന്നെ വിലപോകും”
— English Translation:
If the ox is truly of prime stock, it will sell right in its own village. (True quality and genuine merit need no distant advertising; they command immediate value at home.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നന്നമ്പറ വെറ്റില, തുളുനാടൻ അടക്ക, അറപ്പുഴ ചുണ്ണാമ്പു, യാഴ്വാണം (ചാപ്പാണം) പുകയില”
— English Translation:
Betel leaf from Nannambra, areca nut from Tulu Nadu, slaked lime from Arappuzha, and tobacco from Jaffna. (The mark of true excellence achieved by gathering the finest specialized elements from their best native sources.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നമ്പി, തുമ്പി, പെരിച്ചാഴി, പട്ടരും, പൊതുവാൾ തഥാ, ഇവർഐവരും ഉള്ളെടം ദൈവമില്ലെന്നുനിർണ്ണയം”
— English Translation:
The Nambi, the hornet, the bandicoot, the parasitic priest, and the steward—where these five reside, God is surely absent. (A satirical folk warning against notorious domestic pests and exploitative administrative middlemen.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
നംപൂരിക്കെന്തിന്നുണ്ടവല”
— English Translation:
Why does a Namboothiri priest need a cast-net? (Providing or possessing tools that have zero relevance to one's station, trade, or lifestyle.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ദെവരുടെ ആന, കാട്ടിലെ മരം, വലിയെടാ വലി”
— English Translation:
The temple deity's elephant, timber from the wild common forest—haul away with all your might! (Recklessly exploiting public or institutional resources because none of the expense or wear comes from one's own pocket.)