The fox, it is said, is always up to some mischief or the other. Many are the stories which tell us of the exploits of the fox. Here is one about a fox and a stork. The stork received an invitation for dinner from the fox. The bird accepted the invitation. It dreamt of a grand dinner. What would be served? The stork had no idea. But it hoped that the fox would serve fish and crabs. "Ah, that would indeed be great!" The stork muttered to itself. At the appointed hour for dinner, the stork turned up at the fox's den. The fox welcomed the stork with a big grin. "Come, my friend. Thank you for graciously accepting my invitation over here," the fox led the stork to a large shallow basin which contained delicious soup. "Yam, Yam," the stork clanked its beak and got ready. It put its beak in, but got hardly an ounce of soup in. It raised its beak, up in the air, to get the soup drip down to its throat. The fox, in the meanwhile, started lapping up the soup. The fox drank up almost all of the soup. The poor stork got merely a few drops. "I hope you enjoyed the dinner," the fox pulled out a napkin and handed it to the stork to clean its beak. The stork stomped out, angry and hungry. And, as it moved away, the fox burst into laughter. The stork felt cheated. It muttered to itself, "I won't let him get away. I will invite him for dinner and see that he gets nowhere near the food."
The stork did not show its anger. It came to the fox, a few days later, and said, "Thank you for the delicious dinner. It is now my turn to offer you dinner. Come next Saturday, at 8 pm." The fox agreed. On the appointed day, the fox ran through the bush, cut through the open and reached the stork's place. "Come, my friend. Let us dine in style," the stork welcomed the fox. The fox sniffed the air and said, "I smell delicious fish and crabs." The stork clanked its beak, while leading the fox to a narrow necked tall jar. The stork invited the fox to have its fill. The stork put its beak in, picked up a crab and made a meal of it. Then it stood aside. The fox tried to push its head in, but the neck of the jar was too narrow. All that the fox could get was the smell of the dish in the jar. The stork had its fill. The fox got nothing. Angrily the fox stomped out, while the stork shouted from the back, "That was a tit for tat".
Meaning: To take revenge To treat a person in the same way as he treats others.
Alternatives: A tooth for a tooth. An eye for an eye. To give back in one's own coin.
The stork did not show its anger. It came to the fox, a few days later, and said, "Thank you for the delicious dinner. It is now my turn to offer you dinner. Come next Saturday, at 8 pm." The fox agreed. On the appointed day, the fox ran through the bush, cut through the open and reached the stork's place. "Come, my friend. Let us dine in style," the stork welcomed the fox. The fox sniffed the air and said, "I smell delicious fish and crabs." The stork clanked its beak, while leading the fox to a narrow necked tall jar. The stork invited the fox to have its fill. The stork put its beak in, picked up a crab and made a meal of it. Then it stood aside. The fox tried to push its head in, but the neck of the jar was too narrow. All that the fox could get was the smell of the dish in the jar. The stork had its fill. The fox got nothing. Angrily the fox stomped out, while the stork shouted from the back, "That was a tit for tat".
Meaning: To take revenge To treat a person in the same way as he treats others.
Alternatives: A tooth for a tooth. An eye for an eye. To give back in one's own coin.
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