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> Like eastern showers from white clouds, still the raincoat is ripped During the months of the east wind, During the months of the east wind, roughly January through June, rain often comes from innocent-looking white cloud and is accompanied by brief gusts of wind strong enough to tear the traditional betel-nut-spathe raincoat; hence, an opponent whose strength is greater than anticipated. |
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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. |
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> You're like a beetle that burns itself by flying into the fire. You're always getting yourself into trouble. |
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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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> Like the blowgun of Ngiraeuekelebid. Derived from a humorous and (in Palauan) phonetically funny verse: Eveninga pproachest,h e womenr eturnf rom the gardens. The koranges tree is swaying and the women, looking up, see Ngiraeuekelebid. Confuseda nd embarrassedh,e climbsd own and picks up his blow gun. His plan foiled. "All the men of the village use the blowgun in the mountains. Only Ngiraeuekelebidu ses his in the gardens. Surely, if he uses it in the gardens, he will hit the bull's eye in the crotch." Men are permitted in the taro gardens but only for some special purpose and by leave of the women who may be working there in the deep mud in minimal attire, sometimes with their grass skirts put aside. (Today they work in very old clothes.) Ngiraeuekelebid, leaving the village with his blowgun as though going hunting, climbed a koranges tree overlooking the gardens to spy on the women and was caught. A poor decision or plan that in the end proves embarrassing. |
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