ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുത്തും തല്ലും ചെണ്ടക്കും അപ്പവും ചോറും മാരയാനും”
— English Translation:
All the blows fall upon the drum, while all the festive cakes and rice go to the drummer. (The laborer absorbs all the bruising punishment, while the master reaps all the rewards and honors.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുംഭമാസത്തിൽ മഴപെയ്താൽ കപ്പപ്പുറത്തും നെല്ലു (കുപ്പയും പൊന്നു)”
— English Translation:
If rain falls in the month of Kumbham, paddy will sprout even on ship decks (and even rubbish turns to gold). (Timely, unseasonal late-winter rains bring extraordinary agricultural prosperity.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുത്തുവാൻ വരുന്ന പോത്തോടു വേദം ഓതിയാൽ കാര്യമോ”
— English Translation:
Is there any point in chanting the sacred Vedas to a bull that is charging to gore you? (Philosophy, reason, and gentle counsel are completely wasted on brute, aggressive hostility.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുരങ്ങൻചത്ത കുറവനെപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like the wandering performer whose monkey has died. (Utterly devastated, helpless, and stripped of one's sole livelihood.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുനിയൻ മദിച്ചാലും ഗോപുരം ഇടിക്കാ”
— English Translation:
Even if a hunchback runs amok, he cannot knock down a temple tower. (The rage or arrogance of the powerless can never topple grand, enduring institutions.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുരങ്ങിനു ഏണിചാരെണ്ടാ”
— English Translation:
You don't need to prop a ladder for a monkey to climb. (Never offer redundant coaching to someone who already possesses natural agility and mastery.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുന്തം കൊടുക്കയുമില്ല താനൊട്ട്‌ കുത്തുകയുമില്ല”
— English Translation:
Will neither hand over the spear nor make the strike himself. (A dog in the manger; refusing to do the necessary work while preventing others from doing it.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുരങ്ങിൻറെ കയ്യിൽ മാലകിട്ടിയതുപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a monkey receiving a delicate garland of flowers. (Casting pearls before swine; entrusting a precious treasure to someone who will only tear it to shreds.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കിഴങ്ങുകണ്ട പണിയൻ ചിരിക്കുംപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like the bright smile of a tribesman upon unearthing a wild edible tuber. (Pure, unadulterated joy and satisfaction upon finding sustenance after honest search.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുടുമയ്ക്ക് മീതെ മർമ്മം ഇല്ല”
— English Translation:
There is no vital pressure point higher than the hair knot on the crown. (There is no authority higher than the supreme limit; you have reached the ultimate end.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കീരിയും പാമ്പുംപോലെ സ്നേഹം”
— English Translation:
Love like that between a mongoose and a serpent. (Sarcasm for sworn, mortal enmity; blood enemies.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുടെക്കടങ്ങിയ വടിയായിരിക്കണം”
— English Translation:
The walking staff should fit neatly under the span of the umbrella. (Subordinates and instruments must remain disciplined and manageable within proper limits.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കീരിയെ കണ്ട പാമ്പുപോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a serpent catching sight of a mongoose. (Frozen in sheer terror before one's natural, lethal nemesis.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുടക്കുമീതെ വടി പിടിക്കരുത്”
— English Translation:
Never raise your staff higher than the sheltering umbrella. (Never attempt to overshadow, disrespect, or overrule the master or benefactor who protects you.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുഞ്ഞന്റെ കണ്ണങ്ങമ്മിയുടെ ഉള്ളിലും”
— English Translation:
Kunjan's prying eye reaches even into the hollow of the grinding stone. (A nosy, hyper-suspicious busybody peering into every intimate, secretive corner.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
കുട്ടനാടൻദിക്കിലെ നെല്ലെല്ലാംകൂടി കോളിലെവിത്തിന് പോരാ”
— English Translation:
All the paddy harvested in Kuttanad is not enough just to provide seed grain for the Kole wetlands. (An immense disparity in scale, where the entire yield of one place cannot satisfy the base requirement of another.)