[53] Adopted from old French “taïaut” (tally-ho!) the cry of the huntsman to his hounds. The Creoles have thus curiously, but forcibly, named the hound itself.

[54] I cannot discover the etymology of this word, according to the meaning given by Mr. Bigelow. The ordinary French signification of gambette is “red-shank”—Totanus caledris.

[55] This is J. J. Thomas’ translation, as given in his “Theory and Practice of Creole Grammar.” Lhouvênaïe is a word which does not exist in our Louisiana patois. Does it come from the Spanish llover—“to rain”? or is it only a Creole form of the French hivernage? Carême, of course means Lent; whether the dry season in Trinidad is concomitant with the Lenten epoch, or whether the Creoles of the Island use the word to signify any season of scarcity, I am unable to decide.

[56] When a strong man has opened the way, feebler folks may safely follow.

[57] There may be some physiological truth in this proverb as applied to the inhabitants of the Antilles, where stoutness is the exception. Generally speaking phlegmatic persons are inclined to fleshiness.

[58] This appears to be a universal Creole proverb. If you want anything to be well done, you must look after it yourself: to absent oneself from one’s business is unwise, etc.

[59] The loftiest pride is liable to fall; and we know not how soon we may be glad to seek the aid of the most humble.

[60] This seems to be a universal proverb. In Louisiana we say: Jouè evec, ‘tichien, etc.

[61] Current also in Louisiana: Jordi pou vou, etc.: “Your turn to-day; perhaps it may be mine to-morrow.”

[62] Lagniappe, a word familiar to every child in New Orleans, signifies the little present given to purchasers of groceries, provisions, fruit, or other goods sold at retail stores. Groceries, especially, seek to rival each other in the attractive qualities of their lagniappe; consisting of candies, fruits, biscuits, little fancy cakes, etc. The chief purpose is to attract children. The little one sent for a pound of butter, or “a dime’s worth” of sugar, never fails to ask for its lagniappe.

[63] Proverbs 158-9 are equivalent to our “Forewarned is forearmed.”

[64] See Proverb 22. Whether the swing of the tail suggested the idea of a pendulum to the deviser of this saying is doubtful. The meaning seems to me that the motion of the ox’s tail indicates a change not of time, but of weather (temps).

[65] Refers especially to a man who marries without having made proper provision for the future. The Creole does not believe in our reckless proverb: “What will keep one, will keep two.” Non, non, chèr, lamisère à deux, Misère & Cie.!

[66] Founded upon a celebrated Creole fable: see Prov. 40 (note).

[67] The allusion to the overgrown and shy schoolboy, who has lost the mischievous playfulness of his childhood, is easily recognizable. Creole planters of the Antilles generally sent their sons to Europe to be educated.

[68] Said of one who unexpectedly disburses a considerable sum, or who spends more money than his visible resources admit of.

[69] Paliaca is the Mauritian term for the brightly-colored kerchief there worn by all young negresses in lieu of hats or bonnets, like the old time Louisiana tiyon. “He is hunting for paliaca-birds” therefore means, “He is running after the colored girls.”

[70] We have a singular expression in Louisiana: “Li metté mantec dans so faillots. (He puts lard in his beans.”) That is to say, “He is well off.” Mantec is a Creolised form of the Spanish manteca, used in Spanish-America to signify lard.

[71] “There’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.”

[72] In Martinique Creole the proverb is: Còde gnâme marré gnâme. “Code” (corde) signifying the same as liane, the long cord-like stalk of the creeper. Folks are sometimes caught fast in the snares they set for others, just as the yam is tied with its own stalk.

[73] The Mauritian Creoles have adopted a marine word in lieu of the French term frontière. “Balizaze” is the Creole form of the French balisage, from balise, a sea mark, buoy—word adopted in our own nautical technology. The term completely changes its meaning as well as its spelling in Creole.

[74] Allusion to the old fable about the monkey, who after putting his hand easily into the orifice of a gourd, could not withdraw it without letting go what he sought to steal from within, and so got caught. In the figurative Creole speech one who allows his passions to ruin or disgrace him is a macaque dans calebasse.

[75] Allusion to the callosities of the monkey. Plimé literally means “plucked;” but the Creole negroes use it to signify “bare” from any cause. A negro in rags might use the above proverb as a hint to those who wish to joke him about his personal appearance.

[76] A widely-spread proverb. In Louisiana we say piti li or so piti, instead of “yche” or “iche li.” In Martinique Creole: Macaque pas janmain trouve yche li laide.

[77] Because the orange tree is thorny.

[78] Mr. Bigelow, in Harper’s Magazine, explains the use of this proverb by a creditor to a debtor.

[79] Le temps se charge, in French signifies that it is clouding up, threatening rain—lit: “loading up.” Misfortune does not threaten before it falls.

[80] The delightfully fragrant grass, well-known to pharmaceutists as the Andropogon muricatus or Vetiveria odorata is used in Mauritius to thatch cabins with. A broad border of this grass is usually planted around each square of sugar-cane. It grows tall enough to conceal a man, or a couple of lovers holding a rendezvous. Hence the wholesome warning.

[81] Ripost to a threat—as we would say: “All that has as little effect on me as water on a duck’s back!”

[82] Anyone who has ever seen a heap of live crabs in a basket, will comprehend the fun of this saying—intimating that the sinews of the gawkish person are tangled up as hopelessly as crabs in a market-basket.

[83] As one should observe: “I’ve whipped better men than you.”

[84] I usually give but one example of a proverb when it occurs in several dialects; but the Martinique form of this proverb is too amusing to omit. See Prov. 267.

[85] The feeling of the black to the mulatto is likewise revealed in the following dicton:—Nègue pòté maïs dans so lapoche pou volé poule;—milatt pòté cordon dans so lapoche pou volé choual;—nhomme blanc pòté larzan dans so lapoche pou trompé fille. (Le nègre porte du maïs dans sa poche pour voler des poules;—le mulâtre porte un cordon dans sa poche pour voler des chevaux;—l’homme blanc porte de l’argent dans sa poche pour tromper les filles.)

“The negro carries corn in his pocket to [help him to] steal chickens; the mulatto carries a rope in his pocket to steal horses; the white man carries money in his pocket to deceive girls.”—[Louisiana.]

[86] “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” The translation is not literal. The tazard or thazard, although belonging to the scomber family, is not a true mackerel. Balaou is one Creole name for l’aiguillette de mer, hornfish [?].

[87] Or better still: “I don’t intend to drink tea just because he has the fever.” In other words, “I don’t intend to bother myself with other people’s troubles.”....The tea referred to is one of those old Creole preparations taken during fevers—the tisanes of the black nurses: perhaps the cooling sassafras, or orange-leaf tea administered to sufferers from dengue in New Orleans.

[88] This proverb, not being of true Creole origin, receives a place here as an illustration of effective patois. In Louisiana we never say ta yo, but so quenne....Were all proverbs used by the Creole-speaking people included in this collection, it would be considerably longer. Nearly all familiar English proverbs have received Creole adoption, with slight modifications; for example, instead of “putting the cart before the horse,” the Mauritian negro mette çarette divant milét, puts the cart before the mule—an animal with which he is more familiar.

[89] That is to say, whoever has a bit of cheese can always find a bit of brown bread to eat with it. There never was a girl so ugly that she could not find a husband.