Showing posts with label proverbs are widely used in daily conversations in India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label proverbs are widely used in daily conversations in India. Show all posts

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Idioms and proverbs from India




Uske ghar mein der hai andher nahi
There is delay in his house but not injustice
Meaning: In god's house there might be delay in serving justice but never overlooked.


Uski lathi mein awaaz nahi hai
His stick doesn't make noise.
Meaning: God's justice

Ram milaee jodi, ek aandha, ek kodhi
God made match, one is blind and the other is a leper
Meaning: Made for each other in a negative manner.

Choona lagana
To put an alkaline paste
Meaning: To dupe someone

Gadhe ke sir pe se singh gayab hona
The horn on the head of a donkey vanishes
Meaning: To be missing

Kheesaee billi khamba noche
Embarrassed cat scratches a pillar
Meaning: To be embarrassed

Hathi si chal
Walk like an elephant
Meaning: No care attitude

Bheegi billi
Wet cat 
Meaning: Scared person

Baap bada na bhaiya, sabse bada rupaiya
Neither is the father nor the brother are big, only money is big.
Meaning: Money rules over relationships as well.

Aasteen ka saap
Snake of the sleeve
Meaning: The decietful is very closely related or known

Garibi mein atta geela
The dough is runny in poverty
Meaning: In adversity, everything takes a bad turn.

Jale pe namak chidkna
To sprinkle salt on the burn
Meaning: To add to the miseries

Ghada charya khet na paap na punya
To let the donkey graze in the farm, you will not reap friut nor sin
Meaning: Meaningless activity

Bhawan ke ghar der hai andher nahi
There is delay in god's house not darkness
Meaning: All is fair in life even if there are slight delays.

Laatoen ke bhoot batoen se nahi mante
The ghost of feet don't agree to talks
Meaning: Those who are stubborn will not be easliy convinced by logical talking.

Jaisi karni vaisi bharni
What you do , so shall you fill
Meaning: You will reap as you sow

Hing lage na phitkari, rang bhi chowka aeh
No need for asafoetida or potash alum to get colour
Meaning: To have a gain without much effort

Lohe ke chane chabana


To chew iron pellets
Meaning: To be confronted by an incredibly difficult task

Sabr ka phal mitha hota hai
The fruit of patience is sweet
Meaning: Patience is virtue

Muh me sone ki chamch le kar paida hona
To be be born with a gold spoon in the mouth 
Meaning: To be born rich

Beeta hua pal vapas nahi aata
Gone time does not come back
Meaning: Don't dwell in past
Time doesn't come back so no point wasting time

Dushman ke dant khatte karna
To make the teeth of enemy sour
Meaning: To defeat the enemy

Dhobte to tinke ka sahara
Those who are drowning get help of a twig 
Meaning: Even the smallest of the thing can help those in dire need

Dhoop me bal safed karna
To whiten hair in the sun 
Meaning: To get experience as age progresses

Ghar ki murgi dal brabar
Pet chicken is like lentil
Meaning: Not to realize the worth of loved ones

Hawa se batein karna
To talk to the wind
Meaning: As fast as the wind

Ghee ke diye jalana
To light oil lamp full of ghee (clarified butter)
Meaning: To rejoice

Chalti ka naam gadi
That which runs is called a car
Meaning: When the things are running smoothly, let it be

Dal me kuch kala hai
There is sometging black in the lentil
Meaning: Something is fishy

Jaisi karni, vasi bharni
To get results according to actions
Meaning: You reap as you sow

Apne mouh miya mithu
To have a mouth like a parrot
Meaning: To praise one ownself

Andha kya chahe, do aankh
What does the blind desires , but ofcourse eyesight
Meaning: To desire just the perfect thing

Chor chor mausare bhai
Thieves are cousins
Meaning: Evil attracts evil

Ulta chor kotwal ko datein
The thief scolds the police officier 
Meaning: Offence is the best defence

Lakeer ka fakir
Master of a line
Meaning: To go about the same old beaten path

Aant bhala tho sab bhala
If the end is good then all is good
Meaning: All's well that ends well

Sau sunar ki, ek lohar ki
Hundred blows of goldsmith is comparable to one blow of ironsmith 
Meaning: One powerful blow is comparable to a hundred smaller blows

Ooth ke mouh me jeera
Cumin in camel's mouth
Meaning: A very small gain as compared to the the larger gain expected

Bandar kya jane adrak ka swad
Monkey doesn't know the taste of ginger
Meaning: Those who don't know, can't appreciate

Pani pani hona
To become water water
Meaning: To be embarrassed

Ab pachtay hot kya jab chidiya chug gayi khet
What is the use of repenting now when the bird has eaten the harvest
Meaning: No use repenting when it is too late to undo the damage

Aap bhale to jag bhala
Good person sees the whole world as good
Meaning: Good person sees the whole world as good

Ek teer do nishane
One arrow, two targets
Meaning: To achieve two things with one means

Kaan ka kaccha hona
To be weak of ears
Meaning: To believe everything one hears

Thota chana baje ghana
Hollow lentil makes more noise
Meaning: Those who are not capable of delivering talk more

Ek haath se taali nahi bajati
You can not clap with one hand
Meaning: It takes two

Nau do gayara
Nine plus two makes eleven
Meaning: To run away

Ek aur ek gayaraha
One plus one makes eleven
Meaning: Strength in unity

Bahti ganga me hath dona
To wash ones hand in the river
Meaning: To be an opportunist

Ulti ganga bahana
Meaning: To go against the law of nature

Nach na jane agan tedha
One doesn’t know how to dance and blames it on the stage being uneven
Meaning: To blame the means available rather than capability

900 chuhe khake billi haj ko chali
Cat went to pray after eating 900 rats
Meaning: Pretending to be innicent after many sins

Hathi ke dant dekhane ke aur khane ke aur
Elephant has two set of teeth-one to show off and the other to chew with
Meaning: What you see is not necessarily true

Jo garjte hai vo baraste nahi
Those who thunder don’t pour


Meaning: Those who talk don’t perform