Flatters, like rats, tickle and then bite.
More Malagasy Proverbs:
It is not the fire in the fireplace which warms the house, but the couple who get along well.Malagasy
The dying person cannot wait for the shroud to be woven.
Malagasy
Govern a country as you would roast a crocodile on a spit.
Malagasy
The earth is God's bride -- she feeds the living and cherishes the dead.
Malagasy
Disgraced like a man whose own pet bites him.
Malagasy
Those who know how to swim are the ones who sink.
Malagasy