no kosi kaiman mama fosi yu abra liba
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Sranan Tongo
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]- no kosi kaiman fosi yu abra liba (“don't curse the caiman before you've crossed the river”)
Etymology
[edit]Literally, “don't curse the caiman's mother before you've crossed the river”.
Pronunciation
[edit]Proverb
[edit]no kosi kaiman mama fosi yu abra liba
- don't insult people who might hurt your interests; don't self-sabotage; don't count your chickens before they're hatched
- 1874, Willem Boekhoudt, Uit mijn verleden. Bijdrage tot de kennis van Suriname [From my past. Contribution to the knowledge of Suriname][1], Winschoten: J.D. van der Veen, page 94:
- So langa joe no koti abra liba, joe no moe kosi kaiman.
- [Solanga yu no koti abra liba, yu no mu kosi kaiman.]
- As long as you haven't crossed the river, you shouldn't curse the caiman.
- 1977, Albert Helman, editor, Cultureel mozaïek van Suriname. Bijdrage tot onderling begrip. [Cultural mosaic of Suriname. A contribution to mutual understanding.][2], Zutphen: De Walburg Pers, →ISBN, page 112:
- Ef joe wani kot' abra liba, joe no moe kosi kaiman mama.
- [Efu yu wani koti abra liba, yu no mu kosi kaiman mama.]
- If you want to cross the rivier, you shouldn't insult the mother of the caiman.
- 2003, Conjunto Pomos (lyrics and music), “No Kosi Kaiman”, in Kula Man:
- Noiti no kosi kaiman mama fosi yu abra liba, a so den bigisma koti den odo, ya.
- Never curse the caiman's mother before you've crossed the river, yup, that's how the old people recite their proverbs.
- 2011, Selectabeats, Kayente (lyrics and music), “Djoegoe Djoegoe”:
- Ei Selecta, mi granmama ben leri mi altèit, "no kosi kaiman fosi abra liba, boi."
- Hey Selecta, my grandmother always taught me: "don't curse the caiman before crossing the river, boy."