“Don’t stir up dry manure.”--Said to those who desire to resurrect
forgotten scandal.--[_Mauritius._]
217. Napas vous sangsie qui a monté làhaut moi. (Ce n’est pas votre
sangsue qui montera sur moi.)
“Your leech isn’t going to climb on me.” That is: you shan’t take
advantage of me.--[_Mauritius._]
218. Napas vous laliane darzent qui a monté làhaut mo tonelle. (Ce n’est
pas votre liane d’argent qui montera sur ma tonnelle.)
“It isn’t your silver creeper that is going to climb over my summer
house.”[90]--[_Mauritius._]
[90] Said by young girls to those whose advances are disagreeable.
_Khè lanmou pas ka sauté_ (“heart-of-love does not yet leap”) would be
the more polite response of a Martinique girl.
219. * Napas zoué av difé; wou a boulé vous çimise. (Ne jouez pas avec
le feu; vous vous brûlerez la chemise.)
“Play with the fire and you’ll burn your shirt.” This proverb appears
to be current wherever any form of the patois
prevails.--[_Mauritius._]
220. Nîon doight pas jamain mangé calalou. (Avec un seul doigt on ne
peut jamais manger du calalou.)
“You can’t eat calalou with one finger.”[91]--[_Hayti._]
[91] The West Indian _calalou_ is made almost precisely like our
_gombo_-soup. The word is of African origin according to Turiault.
221. Nhomme mort, zhèbes ka lever douvant lapôte li. ([Quand] un homme
[est] mort, l’herbe pousse [lit.: s’élève] devant sa porte.)
“When a man is dead, the grass grows tall before his
door.”--[_Trinidad._]
222. Nououi chouval pou baille zofficié monté. (Nourir des chevaux pour
les donner à monter aux officiers.)
“Feed horses for officers to ride.” To be the victim of one’s own
foolish liberality.--[_Martinique._]
223. * Oîmso soulié savé si bas tini trou. (Le soulier seul sait si le
bas a un trou.)
“The shoe only knows whether the stockings have
holes.”[92]--[_Guyane._]
[92] In the Martinique dialect it is: _C’est soulié qui save si bas
tini trou_. In the Trinidad patois: _Cé soulier tout-sél qui save si
bas tini trou_ (Thomas). In Louisiana Creole: _C’est soulier nek
connin si bas gagnin trou_. “Nek,” compound from French _ne ...
que_--“only.”