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Idioms

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Loan words

Historical loan words

Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

kurī

1. (noun) dog, animal with four legs, quadruped.

Kotahi te kurī nui o reira he kangarū (MM.TKM 31/1/1856:9). / There is one large animal there, the kangaroo.

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Synonyms: kararehe


2. (stative) be without purpose, with little cause - used following a verb to indicate that the speaker believes the action is unwarranted, pointless or just a pretence.

(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 241-242;)

Kei te tangi kurī noa iho ia. / She's just crying crocodile tears.

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ihu kurī

1. acute sense of smell, strong sense of smell.

He ihu kurī tō te tangata rā, ā, kei tawhiti noa atu kua mōhio kē ia mehemea he tangata kei ngā wharau e noho ana (TTR 1998:48). / That man had an acute sense of smell and from a long way away he could tell if there was someone living in the huts.

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2. (noun) nosy parker, busybody.

roke kurī

1. (noun) a type of Māori potato which looks like a dog's turd.

kūao kurī

1. (noun) pup, puppy, puppy-dog.

Synonyms: papi, punua kurī

punua kurī

1. (noun) pup, puppy, puppy-dog.

Ka kite au i ētahi punua kurī i reira ka mea mai ōku hoa me hoatu mā ngā tamariki Pākehā (TP 12/1909:11). / When I found some puppies there my friends suggested that they should be given to the Pākehā children.

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Synonyms: kūao kurī, papi

huru kurī

1. (noun) dogskin cloak - made of whole skins sown together.

Ka horoi nei a Kapu i a ia, ā, ka oti, ka whakapaipai i a ia, heru rawa, tikitiki rawa, ūhia iho te huru kurī (White 5 1888:54). / Kapu washed himself and, when he had finished, he made himself handsome with a comb and topknot and covered himself with a dogskin cloak.

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2. (noun) dogskin.

Ko ngā huruhuru tātai o te maro, he huru kurī, he toroa rānei; he mā (M 2006:48). / The decorative trimmings of a maro are of dogskin or albatross feathers; and white.

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3. (noun) animal skin.

Ko ētahi o ngā hapū o Piritene i noho hauwarea noa iho; ko ō rātou pūweru he huru kurī, kāore hoki i tahuri ki te ngaki whenua (KO 1/3/1882:3). / Some of the tribes of Britain lived quite simply; their clothes were of animal skins, and they didn't cultivate the land.

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tūtae kurī

1. (noun) blue grass, blue wheat grass, Anthosachne kingiana subsp. multiflora - an indigenous grass found from the Three Kings Islands south throughout North Island to the South Island from Nelson to Banks Peninsula. Primarily a coastal species of cliff faces and rocky ground.

taringa kurī

1. (noun) flapjack.

kahu kiri kurī

1. (noun) dogskin cloak - highly prized cloaks at the time of early contact with Europeans and were worn by high ranking chiefs.

He kahu kiri kurī te kahu, kei te ore tērā ngā kōtuku o tōna pūtiki, he rangatira (JPS 1926:98). / His garment is a dogskin cloak, the white heron plumes of his topknot are quivering, and he's a chief.

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arero-kuri

1. (noun) a small fresh water fish. I karati.

te tere hoki o te arero-kuri / the speed of the fish

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kai a te kurī

1. (interjection) bugger - a strong curse indicating anger or hatred towards someone or something equivalent to strong expletives in English. The strength of emotions usually associated with the use of the Māori words is not conveyed with a literal translation in the English. However, the strength of the phrase depends on the ferocity of the delivery by the speaker.

(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 106; Te Pihinga Audio Tapes/CDs (Ed. 2): exercise 40;)

Pōkokohua kai a te kurī! Ka kīia atu me mutu te taraiwa haurangi, auare ake. Nā kua mate i a koe taku mokopuna. Kia mate atu ko koe! (HKK 1999:92). / You bastard! You were told that you must stop driving drunk, but you didn't listen. Now you've killed my grandchild. You should have died!

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2. (modifier) damn, damnable, vile.

Kua mōhiotia nuitia te kino, kino, kino rawa o te tupeka, koia i whakaarahia ai e te Runanga Ruānuku o te Kuīni ngā ture hei patu i tērā taru kai a te kuri (KO 15/7/1884:7). / It is generally known how extremely bad tobacco is and that's why the laws have been raised by the Privy Council to destroy that damn weed.

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3. (noun) so-and-so.

Ka kore anō e aro i tērā kai a te kurī, nō reira kaua rawa atu māna te kī mai me aha. / That 'so and so' doesn't have a clue, so no way should he be telling us what to do.
Pare: E kī ana a Te Rerenga he koretake rawa atu tō tātou kōhanga reo. Rangi: Ka kore anō tēnā kai a te kurī e mōhio (HKK 1999:92). / Pare: Te Rerenga says that our Kōhanga Reo is absolutely useless. Rangi: That bastard wouldn't know.

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Ngā Kurī a Whārei

1. (location) a place south of Waihī Beach.

Hohoro tonu te tautoko a ngā ākonga o ngā whare wānanga me ngā rōpūpū iwi iti nei o Whanganui, o Taranaki me te rohe mai i Ngā Kurī-a-Whārei ki Tihirau (TTR 2000:32). / The university students were quick to support as were small groups of people in Whanganui, Taranaki and the Bay of Plenty.

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tangi kurī noa iho

1. crying for nothing, crying for no reason.

Kāti te tangi kurī noa iho. / Stop crying for nothing.

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Ūpoko-o-te-kurī-a-Paoa, Te

1. (location) Young Nicks Head (Poverty Bay).

Ka hoki te kurī ki te kai i tōna ruaki

1. A person will return to their error.

The dog returns to eat its vomit. /

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