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> Like Tangerekoi The tangerekoi is a portion of the rafters of a club or community hall that serves as a shelf (rekoi). It is also the name of a demigod ranking with several figures who are mentioned in the origin legends. The idiom refers to the multiple functions of the tangerekoi (even as rafters, or shelf), as resembling the work of a woman's world. When a person is already busy and is asked to take on another task, he may say: "Who do you think I am, Tangerekoi? |
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> Like the bathing of the terriid. The terriid, a bird, takes a quick splash bath, hardly a complete bathing. The idiom applies to a ducking one may get when a boat swamps, or to a wetting with spray. More generally, it is applied to a task done with haste rather than with care. It can be applied also to a brief acquaintance. |
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> It's like eating reboiled (starchy) food. Cooked taro will spoil in time, unless it is reboiled (blelekl). Among other applications the saying may pertain to a man who marries, separates, then returns to the same woman; also a man who returns to a former job. |
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> Like Beachedarsai's food, only a little but it does not disappear. Beachedarsai and a friend, one day, went to heaven. On arrival they were very hungry, so they visited one of the gods who provided food for them. The "food" was one tiny piece of taro and a bit of fish. Beachedarsai thought to himself that this would hardly suffice, but he picked up the taro and ate it. As he did so another piece appeared on the plate. He ate the piece of fish and another piece of fish appeared. His friend also ate and on his plate as well a new piece of taro or fish appeared as each was consumed. When they were satisfied, there remained on their plates a piece of taro and fish. The idiom is applied to any small blessing, such as a small but steady income, or Western meals that, in contrast with the Palauan tray full of food, are served in small portions, and so on. |
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> He's like Chelebesoi of Ngeriil, dead in a fishtrap not his own. A man named Chelebesoi (also the name of a fish) was robbing another man's fish trap when a head-hunting party came by and removed his head. He lost both his head and his reputation. The idiom may apply to one who gets hurt while trying to do someone else's job. |
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