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> The wind sleeps in the eskiik bush. Around March the wind quiets at about dusk and begins to pick up the next morning. During the night the wind is said to sleep in the eskiik, a small shrub common on the hills of Palau. A quiet night is appropriate in the Palauan view because economically important fruit trees, such as breadfruit, are setting their buds at this time. This period of budding is thought to be analogous to the second or third month of human pregnancy, when exertion or shock may precipitate a miscarriage. If the winds blow strong at night during this time, elders note that the season will be poor as far as fruit harvest is concerned. The eskiik bush, where the wind sleeps, has a characteristic bad odor said to be caused by the wind performing its "natural functions." |
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> A blind man leading another blind man. The application is identical to that of the familiar English idiom |
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> Like the weathervane at Saipan This is a new idiom, probably coming into the language as a result of changes in policy whereby Saipan, in the past couple of decades, has been in and out of the Trust Territory as administered by the Department of the Interior. Application is to the indecisive or changeable leader |
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> Like lightning, a big, unnecessary noise. Lightning rarely strikes in such a way as to cause serious damage in Palau. May be applied to any unnecessary fuss or oratory at a meeting. |
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> You're a flying kite, but i hold the guide string. No matter how much you play around, you always come back to me. |
