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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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> Collecting feathers From the folktale about the origin of kite-flying in Palau: the inventor, Mesubed Dingal, while out fishing, lost his wife to kidnappers; he fashioned a kite in the shape of a frigate bird (kedam) using feathers collected from all the birds of Palau, then used this to go in search of his wife. The idiom applies to one who borrows freely. |
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> Jelling of the fruit. Coconut syrup, collected from the stem of the cut flower, is boiled to make it thick. The weather in August is spoken of as being extra hot in order to bring fruit to its final stage of ripeness for harvest. |
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> A good leader, like rain, stills the ocean. Rain falling during an ocean squall often seems to wipe away the winds and still the ocean. A good leader should be able to dispel the problems facing his people. He can calm down disputes and settle problems easily.
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> Like coconut syrup. A general reference to incestuous relations. That this is a recent idiom, probably first used during the period of Japanese administration, is suggested by the Japanese word "ameyu," used in Palau to mean coconut syrup. The incident from which the idiom derives is said to be one in which a Palauan coconut-syrup maker had relations with his wife's sister. |
