kīrehu
1. (noun) idiom.
Ko te wawata, ko te uaratanga nui kia puta i tēnei tau tētahi kohikohinga kīwaha, kīrehu, arā ngā āhuatanga reo kua kaha nei te ngaro i waenga i te nuinga o ngā iwi (HM 4/1997:4). / The dream and the great desire is that a collection of colloquialisms and idioms, that is the aspects of the language that have long been missing amongst most of the tribes, will appear this year.
kīwaha
1. (noun) colloquialism, colloquial saying, slang, idiom.
(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 43;)
Ko te wawata, ko te uaratanga nui kia puta i tēnei tau tētahi kohikohinga kīwaha, kīrehu, arā ngā āhuatanga reo kua kaha nei te ngaro i waenga i te nuinga o ngā iwi (HM 4/1997:4). / The hope and the great desire is that a collection of colloquialisms and idioms, that is the aspects of the language that have long been missing amongst most of the tribes, will appear this year.
e hawa (e hawa)
1. no way, you're joking, you're kidding, get away - an idiom to express disbelief about something the speaker has just heard. It usually follows another idiom ehara (ehara) (yes indeed) used by another speaker.
Rangi: E mea ana koe he pai noa atu koutou i a Rangiwewehi? Pare: Ehara, ehara. Rangi: E hawa, e hawa! (HKK 1999:64). / Rangi: Are you saying that you are way better than Rangiwewehi? Pare: You bet. Rangi: No way!
kei hea mai
1. it was outstanding, terrific, that's wonderful, choice - an eastern dialect idiom exclaiming about the outstanding quality of something or someone, or his/her work. Sometimes it is used to compliment the thought, rather than the actual contribution. In this idiom, atu can replace mai.
See also kei whea mai
e [tama] (mā) (e)
1. good heavens boy! good heavens! far out! for goodness sake! goodness me! oh dear - used with terms of address (e.g. tama, kui, tama, hine, koro, hoa, hika, etc.) this idiom has many variations but, with the appropriate intonation, can be used to show surprise, amazement, disbelief, disagreement, dislike of an activity, disappointment, or support. The optional second e strengthens the meaning, while mā is always used when the idiom applies to more than one person and it may be used when not applying it to a person.
Heoi anō, i tētahi o ngā kāinga i patapataihia e au i Te Waiharakeke, ka pātōtō atu, nō te huakanga mai, e tama, ko taku tungāne tonu tērā e tū mai ana i te kūaha! (HKK 1999:119). / However, at one of the homes that I was interviewing at at Te Waiharakeke, I knocked on the door and when it opened, goodness me, it was my own brother standing there at the door!
Pare: Mīere katoa te tīma poikiri o Argentina i te tīma Wīwī. Rangi: E hoa mā e! (HKK 1999:119). / Pare: Argentina's soccer team was thrashed by the French team. Rangi: Good heavens!
E ta, me aroha atu ngā tāngata pērā (HKK 1999:121). / Oh dear, we must feel sorry for people like that.
See also e hika
Synonyms: auē taukuri ē
he aha te aha
1. what is what, what's what, nothing changes, nothing changed, to no avail, it was a waste of time - an idiom also used at the end of a sentence to indicate that what is stated preceding the idiom was a waste of time or of no benefit.
Kua hia marama ia e ako ana ki te kauhoe, he aha te aha! / Although she has been learning to swim for many months, she still can't!
Ahakoa pēhea taku whakaatu atu me pēnei kē te tui noke, he aha te aha! (HKK 1999:69). / No matter how I showed her that threading worms should be done this way, it was a waste of time!
kei whea mai
1. it was outstanding, terrific, that's wonderful - an eastern dialect idiom exclaiming about the outstanding quality of something or someone, or his/her work. Sometimes it is used to compliment the thought, rather than the actual contribution. In this idiom, atu can replace mai.
(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 106; Te Pihinga Audio Tapes/CDs (Ed. 2): exercise 40; Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 76-77;)
Kei whea mai te ātaahua o ngā maunga o Te Tiritiri-o-te-moana! / How outstandingly beautiful the mountains of the Southern Alps are!
Kei whea atu i a Hirini mō te tito waiata Māori pārekareka nei (HJ 2012:27). / Hirini was outstanding at composing entertaining Māori songs.
ko [tāua tāua]
1. you and me both, we/they are both the same, both of us/them, I agree - an idiom to state that two or more people share the same attribute, interests, opinion or background. This idiom can also be used to introduce a competition.
Kei te tino mōhio koe ki a ia? E mea ana koe? Ko māua māua i te whare wānanga. / Do you really know her? You bet. We were both at university together.
Rangi: Kāore aku mātua e pai ki te hunga kai mātaitai i te tahatika. Pare: Ko rātou rātou o tērā whakatupuranga (HKK 1999:181). / Rangi: My parents don't like people who eat seafood on the shore. Pare: All that generation think like that.
auare ake
1. not able, not a chance, not at all, missed completely, to no avail, no success, no such luck, no way, no show - this idiom is used to indicate that something was not, or will not be, achieved because the person did not listen to advice, want to do something, or did not have the ability or strength for the task. A verb or stative preceded by te can follow this idiom.
(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 220;)
E toru marama au e whakaako ana i te reo ki a Taringa Kore, auare ake te paku kōrero mai. / I have been teaching the language to No Ears for three months but he hasn't spoken at all.
Synonyms: auare, he aha hoki, rawa, hore rawa, e hawa (e hawa), weta, i neki, tōu ene, e
nā wai i ..., kātahi ka tino ... kē/rawa atu
1. going from bad to worse, getting worse - an idiom to show that something is getting worse. The word used in the first part of the idiom is the same as in the second part.
Pare: Kua rihaina a Tuki, ā, kua riro mā Tūmatarau e whakakī tana tūranga. Rangi: Nā wai i hē, kātahi ka tino hē kē atu (HKK 1999:51). / Pare: Tuki has resigned and Tūmatarau has taken over his position. Rangi: That's going from bad to worse.
i haere Māori atu, i hoki Māori mai
1. I left as a Māori and I have returned as a Māori, task not accomplished, mission unsuccessful - an idiom to say that a mission was not accomplished. An idiom used by Tāwhiao after his unsuccessful trip to England.
Mere: I pēwhea tā koutou whīkoi ki te pāremata ki te tohe i te take rā? Whiri: Heoi anō. I haere Māori atu, i hoki Māori mai (HKKT 2011:12). / Mere: How was your trip to parliament to push our cause? Whiri: So, so. Our mission was unsuccessful.
e taea (hoki) te pēwhea
1. nothing can be done about is, it can't be helped - an idiom to say that a problem is insurmountable, unavoidable or can't be rectified.
Kua pae mai he kauika upokohue ki uta. E taea hoki te pēwhea? Kua mate kē te nuinga. / A pod of pilot whales has been stranded. Nothing can be done about it. Most of them are already dead.
Synonyms: e taea te aha, e kore e taea te pēhea, kāore (hoki) e taea te pēhea, kāore (hoki) e taea te pēwhea, e taea (hoki) te pēhea, ūā ana, tē taea te aha
he aha hoki
1. no way! not a chance! says who! not on your nelly! that will be the day! doubt it! it was not! whatever! yeah right! hell no! - an idiom used to disagree with another's comment, sometimes with an element of scorn.
(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 181;)
Māu tā tātou rēwena e pokepoke, nē? He aha hoki! Kāore aku take mō taua mahi. / You'll knead our rēwena bread, won't you? No way! I'm useless at that job.
Pare: I toa anō rātou i te pō rā? Rangi: He aha hoki! Me pēhea hoki e toa ai mehemea arā kē ngā turi o te nuinga, kei muri i ngā taringa! (HKK 1999:61). / Pare: Did they actually win last night? Rangi: No way! How could they possibly win when they are so old!
Synonyms: tēnā pōhēhē tēnā, auare ake, auare, nōwhea, nōhea, e hawa (e hawa), weta, i neki, tōu ene, e
hei aha atu
1. don't bother! don't let it bother you! it didn't bother us, don't take any notice - an idiom to suggest that the listener should take no notice of what someone else has said or done because it is of no value.
(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 106; Te Pihinga Audio Tapes/CDs (Ed. 2): exercise 40;)
Tae mai te hāora ki te hoki, kua tata pōuri kē, engari hei aha atu. (TWK 15:13). / When the time arrived to return, it was already nearly dark, but it didn't bother us.
See also hei aha (noa iho), hei aha (atu) [māu], hei aha (atu) mā wai?
hei aha (atu) mā wai?
1. who cares? - an idiom to suggest that the listener should take no notice of what someone else has said or done because it is of no value.
Ka mea mai ki a au, "Hai aha mā wai? Kia tere tonu tō rere ki roto i te awa." (HP 1991:20). / He said to me, "Who cares? Hurry up and get into the water."
Pare: Kāore au e pīrangi tū ki te kōrero, kei kitea taku kūware. Rangi: Hei aha atu mā wai? Nōu tēnei marae - e tū koe! (HKK 1999:77). / Pare: I don't want to stand to speak, in case my ignorance is seen. Rangi: Who cares? This marae belongs to you - you stand!
See also hei aha (noa iho)
hei aha (koa/noa iho)
1. be that as it may, nevertheless, what for, what does it matter? so what? anyway, no matter - an idiom indicating that there is nothing to worry about or that there is no point in pursuing a particular activity.
Ai! I wareware i a au taku pukapuka. Hei aha koa. Kei a au tāku. / Heck! I've forgotten my book. It doesn't matter. I have mine.
See also hei aha (noa iho)
Synonyms: anō, me aha koa, ahakoa, hei aha koa, he ahakoa, aua atu (rā)
hei aha (atu) [māu]
1. don't worry about it, don't let it bother you, you don't need, why should you care, mind your own business - an idiom indicating a lack of concern or relevance.
Kua pōuri au i ngā kōrero a Ani. Hei aha māu ngā kōrero a tēnā wahine weriweri. / I'm upset about what Ann said. Don't worry about what that horrible woman says.
Hei aha atu māu tā rātou e kī nei. / Don’t pay any attention to what they’re saying.
Hei aha atu mā rātou. / They shouldn't be worried about it.
See also hei aha (noa iho), hei aha atu, hei aha (atu) mā wai?
hei aha (noa iho)
1. there's no point, don't bother, don't worry about it - an idiom indicating that there is no point in pursuing a particular activity.
Homai tō poraka. Māku e kānihi. Hei aha. He moumou tāima. / Give me your jersey, please. I'll mend it. There's no point. It's a waste of time.
Inā nōnā anō tōna hē hei aha noa iho i aroha atu ai. / When it’s her own fault then let’s not have any sympathy.
he momo (tonu)
1. true to form, it's a family trait, inherited quality, hereditary trait - this idiom highlights a person's character and inherited qualities or those of his/her ancestors. It can be applied to both good and bad traits.
Ka rawe kē te reo o Kiri! He momo tonu tērā nō tana whānau. / Kiri's voice is wonderful! That's a family trait.
