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> You're like the old man of Ngerechelong who uses a cloud to mark the location of his fishtrap. i.e. you depend too much on people who are unreliable. |
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> Like the men of Ngesias, fussing about a thing lost. The men of the Ngesias (Peleliu) village club were sitting near their clubhouse one evening when raiders broke through the brush, shouted wildly, and excaped with the head of one of them. When they recovered their senses, the men jumped to their spears and shouted threats into the darkness of the surrounding brush. Aroused by the commotion, the village chief appeared and ,when appraised of the situation, admonished them to be quiet since the fuss would gain nothing. "Don't cry over spilt milk." |
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> You're like sardines, very many but only enough for one wrapped piece of fish. Fish are properly wrapped individually in a leaf for cooking, but sardines are so small that a bunch of them may be wrapped together to make up only one small bundle. The idiom may be applied to a numerous but weak enemy or to a clan that is large but ineffective as in raising money for its members, or for a large group of workers who do not accomplish very much. |
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> Like the bug that is attracted to the lamp and burns itself. Eberdord is the name of a small bug that can often be seen flitting about a light at night. When oil lamps were used in Palau, these bugs would often be found in the ceramic oil-filled bowl. Application is similar to the "moth attracted to the flame" in English; one who brings on his own down fall by disregarding the dangers of the pleasures that he seeks. |
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> Like the green tree snake with a forked tongue (or simply, "Forked"). One who reverses himself, has two tongues, or whose tongue is forked like a snake. |
