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> Don't be like the man from Ngerchemai who lost both the turtle and the canoe. Don't bite off more than you can chew...don't be selfish. |
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> Put out your arm and a man's hand will reach back The proper spirit of cooperation and mutual aid |
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> One for whom the door of words was not closed. When the secrets of a clan or a profession were being taught by an expert, the house was completely closed and instruction took place in strict, whispered secrecy. the idiom may be applied to a person who, while having the proper status to be knowledgeable, has never learned in closed session; an important but uninformed person. Conversely, an expert or knowledgeable clan his torian is one who "has had the door closed" (mleng a simer). |
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> Like a man circumcised, insufficient skin. Circumcision seems to have been known in Palau prior to contact, perhaps through contact with the Philippines, but was not widely practiced. As in this context, it usually draws attention in the form of ridicule. The idiom applies to any circumstance in which there has been insufficient preparation or planning; a premature decision. |
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> A man whose breechcloth is closed A well-organized man, particularly one who uses his money carefully; hence, sometimes, a stingy person. |
