ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൊട്ടാലൊട്ടി = ചെവിപ്പാമ്പു”
— English Translation:
[Linguistic gloss from source text: Clarifies that "Thottalotti" refers to an earwig or burrowing insect ("chevippambu"), glossing proverb #1514.]

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോട്ടം തോറും വാള (വാഴ), ദേശംതോറും ഭാഷ”
— English Translation:
Plantain trees in every homestead garden, and a different dialect in every countryside province. (Language and customs shift from land to land, just as staple crops naturally fill every local backyard.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോണികഴിഞ്ഞാൽ തുഴകൊണ്ടു”
— English Translation:
Once the boat crosses the river, they run off with the oar. (Vile ingratitude; discarding or shortchanging the helper the moment the immediate danger or crossing is over.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോണിമറിഞ്ഞാൽ പുറംനല്ലു”
— English Translation:
If the boat capsizes, the upturned hull is the safest refuge. (Making the best of a catastrophe; holding fast to whatever remains afloat when ruin strikes.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേങ്ങാവെച്ചു തഴുകിയതുപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like stroking with a smooth coconut. (A superficial, half-hearted gesture of comfort that lacks genuine warmth; or smoothing over an issue without truly fixing it.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോണിയിൽകടന്നുപാഞ്ഞാൽ കരകാണുകയില്ല (കരെക്കണകയില്ല)”
— English Translation:
If you rush frantically back and forth inside a moving boat, you will never make it to shore. (Restless panic within a delicate situation only capsizes the enterprise rather than speeding progress.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേപ്പന പിഴുതുവരുമൊ, കല്പന കഴുതുവരുമൊ”
— English Translation:
Will an entrenched palmyra palm uproot itself, and will a royal decree ever be overturned? (Certain institutions, traditions, and sovereign commands are absolute, immovable, and beyond appeal.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോണിയിൽനിന്നു പാഞ്ഞാൽ കൊമ്പത്തോളം”
— English Translation:
If you spring from a floating boat, your leap carries you into the high boughs. (Harnessing the forward momentum of a strong vessel to launch an extraordinary, daring feat.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേവർ ഇരിക്കെ വെലിക്കല്ലിനെ തൊഴെണ്ടാ”
— English Translation:
While the presiding deity stands before you, do not bow to the boundary stone. (Seek help and grace directly from the supreme authority rather than flattering petty underlings and boundary markers.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോണിയുടെ നടുവിൽനിന്നു തുഴയുമ്പോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like attempting to row while standing in the dead center of the canoe. (Working with clumsy, ineffective leverage where effort is wasted and balance is destroyed.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേവർ ഉണ്ടെങ്കിൽ തേക്കിലയും ഉണ്ണും”
— English Translation:
If the deity is pleased, he will feast even off a rough teak leaf. (True grace and magnanimity accept even the humblest offering given with sincerity; elaborate pomp is unnecessary.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോണിയുരുളും തുഴയറിയാഞ്ഞാൽ”
— English Translation:
The canoe will surely capsize if you do not master the oars. (Lack of fundamental skill and navigational competence leads straight to disaster in any enterprise.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേവിയാൻ കടിച്ചാലും അന്തിക്കത്തെ ചോറുമുട്ടും”
— English Translation:
Even if only a harmless water snake bites, the evening meal is ruined. (Even an innocuous fright or trivial alarm creates enough domestic commotion and taboo to derail daily life.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോളിൽഇരുന്നു ചെവിതിന്നരുതു”
— English Translation:
Do not sit perched upon someone's shoulders and gnaw at their ears. (Never abuse, pester, or exploit the patron who is graciously carrying your weight.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേറിയോനെ മാറല്ല, മാറിയോനെ തേറല്ല”
— English Translation:
Never cast aside the one whose loyalty is proven, and never place trust in the one who has once deserted you. (Cherish steadfast, tested companions, and never rely on a turncoat.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തോറ്റപുറത്തു പടയില്ല”
— English Translation:
There is no further battle after surrender is declared. (Once an adversary admits defeat, honor demands that hostility cease; never strike a fallen foe.)