ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൊമ്മനു തൊപ്പിപ്പാളപോയി, ചാണ്ടിക്കു കഴുക്കോൽ പോയി, മുതലാളിക്കു പണമടിശ്ശീലപോയി”
— English Translation:
Thomman lost his areca-leaf hat, Chandy lost his rafter-pole, and the master lost his money pouch. (A collective calamity strikes everyone according to their scale: the poor lose humble trifles, while the wealthy lose their fortune.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ദാനംകിട്ടിയ പശുവിന്റെവായിൽ പല്ലുണ്ടൊഎന്നു നോക്കരുതു”
— English Translation:
Never pry open the mouth of a gifted cow to count its teeth. (Never look a gift horse in the mouth; accept generosity with gratitude rather than critically inspecting its imperfections.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൊമ്മനയയുമ്പൊൾ ചാണ്ടിമുറുകും, ചാണ്ടിയയയുമ്പൊൾ തൊമ്മൻ മുറുകും”
— English Translation:
When Thomman slackens, Chandy tightens; when Chandy slackens, Thomman tightens. (A persistent, intractable feud where two obstinate parties alternate flare-ups, preventing any peaceful settlement.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തെവിയാൻ = നീർക്കോലി”
— English Translation:
[Linguistic gloss from source text: Clarifies that "Theviyan" refers to a common water snake (Neerkkoli), glossing proverb #1512.]

“Malayalam Proverb:
തുള്ളക്കാരനെ എല്ലാവരും അറിയും, തുള്ളക്കാരൻ ആരെയും അറികയില്ല”
— English Translation:
Everyone knows the oracle in trance, but the oracle in trance recognizes no one. (A person in the public spotlight is scrutinized by all, while consumed by a role that blinds them to the individuals watching.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേങ്ങാ ഉണങ്ങിയാൽ പിണ്ണാക്ക, എള്ളുണങ്ങിയാൽ എണ്ണ”
— English Translation:
When coconut dries it yields oilcake, but when sesame dries it yields oil. (Different natures yield different essences under pressure; each thing must be treated according to its inherent constitution.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തുള്ളികണ്ടുതുടച്ചേ തുടം കൊണ്ടുതേകൂ”
— English Translation:
Wipe away the first visible leak before you are forced to bail out water by the pail. (Nip problems in the bud; addressing minor defects immediately prevents catastrophic inundation later.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേങ്ങാ ചോരുന്നതു കാണുകയില്ല, എള്ളു ചോരുന്നതുകാണും”
— English Translation:
Blind to coconuts rolling away, yet keenly spotting sesame seeds leaking through. (Penny-wise and pound-foolish; obsessing over microscopic trivia while oblivious to colossal, draining losses.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൂകുമ്പൊൾ പെറുക്കണം”
— English Translation:
Pick up and recover while it is spilling. (Act promptly to contain damage and retrieve resources as soon as an error occurs.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേങ്ങാ പത്തരച്ചാലും താളല്ലെ കറി”
— English Translation:
Even if you grind ten coconuts into the broth, wild taro leaf remains wild taro. (Lavishing costly additions and superficial polish cannot transform something that is inherently coarse and unrefined.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തുള്ളിതുടചേ തുടമാകൂ”
— English Translation:
Only drops gathered together fill the bowl. (Little drops of water make a mighty ocean; small, consistent efforts and thrifty savings build great success.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തേങ്ങാപ്പിണ്ണാക്കിനു പ്രിയംവലിപ്പിക്കെണ്ടാ”
— English Translation:
There is no need to artificially inflate the price of coconut oilcake. (Do not put on grand airs or demand an exorbitant value for a common byproduct.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൂണുംചാരിയിരിക്കുന്നവനു പയിറ്റാമെന്നൊരു മോഹം തോന്നും”
— English Translation:
He who merely leans against the arena pillar fancies that he too can leap into martial combat. (Armchair critics; idle spectators watching safely from the sidelines imagine difficult disciplines are easy.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൂറാത്തവൻ തൂറിയാൽ തീട്ടംകൊണ്ടാറാട്ടം”
— English Translation:
When one who never excreted finally does, the whole town is submerged in filth. (When someone unaccustomed to action, authority, or spending finally breaks out, they indulge to an uncontrollable, vulgar excess.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തുറിയോനെ പേറിയാൽപേറിയോനെയും നാറും”
— English Translation:
If you carry a soiled person on your back, the bearer will reek just as foully. (Harboring, shielding, or associating with a corrupt person smears their filth and dishonor directly onto you.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
തൂറാൻമുട്ടുമ്പോൾ ആസനം അന്വേഷിക്ക”
— English Translation:
Searching for one's own rear when the urge turns desperate. (Frantic, comical confusion; scrambling to locate basic essentials only when acute urgency strikes.)