ProverbPedia

“”
— English Translation:
For a misshapen jackfruit, a rough, battered basket. (Two imperfect or flawed things matched together; a fitting pair.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുഴിച്ചിട്ടതിനുറപ്പുണ്ടെങ്കിലെ കൊണ്ടച്ചാരിയതു നിൽക്കൂ”
— English Translation:
Only if the post planted in the ground is firm will what is leaned against it stand. (Any support, alliance, or superstructure is only as dependable as the foundation on which it rests.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുഴിയാനമദിച്ചാൽ കുലയാന ആകുമൊ”
— English Translation:
Even if an antlion runs amok in fury, does it become a majestic tusker? (A petty weakling throwing tantrums cannot transform into a figure of true power; empty bluster cannot overcome inherent insignificance.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുഴിയിൽപിള്ള മടിയിൽ”
— English Translation:
The child consigned to the grave is now resting safe in the lap. (A miraculous salvation or unexpected recovery of someone who was completely written off as lost.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുഴിയാനയുടെചേൽ, പറയുന്തൊറും വഴിയൊട്ടു”
— English Translation:
Like the habit of an antlion: the more you talk, the deeper it burrows into its sandpit. (Evasive, stubborn obstinacy where counsel or confrontation only drives the person deeper into hiding.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കൂഞ്ഞൊളം ചെത്തിയാലും ചുള ഒന്നും ഇല്ല”
— English Translation:
Even if you pare the jackfruit down to the inner core, not a single sweet flake is to be found. (Investigating something with high expectations only to discover total hollowness and disappointment.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കൂടെ കിടന്നവനെ രാപ്പനി അറിഞ്ഞുകൂടു”
— English Translation:
Only the one who slept beside the sick person knows the severity of the night fever. (Only those who share close, daily proximity truly understand someone's hidden pain and silent struggles.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളത്തിൽകിടന്ന തവള കിണറ്റിൽ മുങ്ങിച്ചത്തു”
— English Translation:
A frog accustomed to swimming in a vast pond drowned inside a narrow well. (An experienced person meeting an absurd, tragic end by getting trapped in an unfamiliar, tight space.)

“”
— English Translation:
When blending into a crowd, even a coward acts like a giant. (Mob mentality; cowards find false bravado when hiding inside a collective throng.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളത്തിൽനിന്നു പോയാൽ വലയിൽ, വലയിൽനിന്നു പോയാൽ കുളത്തിൽ”
— English Translation:
Out of the pond into the net, out of the net back into the pond. (Trapped in an alternating cycle of capture and escape; or returning safely to one's natural element.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കൂടംകൊണ്ടൊന്നെങ്കിൽ കോട്ടി (ചുറ്റിക) കൊണ്ടു രണ്ടും”
— English Translation:
If struck once with a heavy sledgehammer, hit back twice with a mallet. (Answering brute force with persistent, agile countermeasures to achieve the desired outcome.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളത്തിൽ പാറുംപൂട്ടി കിടക്കണം”
— English Translation:
One must lie submerged in the pond like a tethered timber raft. (Patiently enduring hardship and lying low in quiet endurance until the storm passes.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കൂട്ടം കുത്തിയാൽ കുല വാടും”
— English Translation:
If the central bunch is struck, the fruit withers; if internal division strikes the group, the lineage declines. (Internal strife and discord ruin a united family or community from within.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളത്തോടു കോപിച്ചിട്ടു ശൌചിക്കാഞ്ഞാൽ ഊര നാറുകെയുള്ളു”
— English Translation:
If you get angry with the pond and refuse to wash, only your own backside will reek. (Spiting yourself out of anger toward someone else; cutting off your nose to spite your face.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കൂടെചാകുന്ന എന്റെ കോതെച്ചീ, കോടിക്കോണകം തന്നേച്ചുപോ”
— English Translation:
O Kothechi, dying beside me in the same tragedy, leave me your brand-new cloth before you expire! (Selfish, petty greed persisting even at the edge of the grave or in the midst of shared calamity.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുളമെന്നൊ കൊള്ളിയെന്നൊ വല്ലതും വർത്തമാനമുണ്ടൊ”
— English Translation:
Is there any word whether it ended as a cool pond or a burning brand? (Inquiring about the outcome of an uncertain venture—whether it brought relief or total disaster.)