bulis, n., [From English] police; policeman.
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bebulisv.s.redup.half-witted; prone to wandering around and talking to oneself.
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blil a bulisexpr.police station.
mlil a bulisexpr.police car.
Examples:
> Toki persuaded Droteo to go to the police.
> Droteo persuaded Maria to finally go to the police.
mlai, n.canoe; car; automobile; transportation.
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mlikn.poss.1s
mlimn.poss.2s
mliln.poss.3s
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mlimamn.poss.1pe
mlidn.poss.1pi
mlimiun.poss.2p
mlirirn.poss.3p
blil a mlaiexpr.garage.
mlai er a Siabalexpr.Japanese car.
Examples:
> Droteo pretends that he knows how to repair cars.
> If I had money, (then) I'd buy a new car.
> My car is really getting old and is making rattling noises.
> I'm just selling vegetables a little at a time, and then I'll (be able to) buy my car.
> I carved the canoe and then painted it.
Proverbs:
> Like Kerosene, poling his canoe with no obvious destination
Under the German administrator Winkler before World War I, a Palauan named Ngirakerisil (Mr. Kerosene) was employed as a canoe operator. Daily he would take the tireless administrator to a different part of Palau to inspect the various economic programs (largely coconut planting) instituted by the now legendary Winkler. The operator, least of all, could predict where they would be going next. The idiom is applied to any aimless person or action; indecision; a changeable person.
> 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.
> Like the man of Ngerechemai, who lost his turtle and lost his canoe.
Relates to a fisherman who jumped from his canoe to catch a turtle only to find that his canoe had drifted beyond recovery. Applies to any situation where a person fails at a task, or, aptly, to a situation where a man, through his own foolishness, loses both his wife and his mistress.
More Examples:
> Do you know how to drive a car?
> I was driving to the store when I got a flat tire.
> What is the color of your car? is it blue? or is it red?
> I almost got ran over by a car riding my bicycle.
> We were walking fine on the road until a really fast car sped by that abruptly forced us into a ditch.

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