ngau
1. (verb) (-a,-ngia) to bite, gnaw, chew, hurt, itch.
Ko te whakauru ki taua karapu me ngau te tangata ki te paepae hamuti, kātahi anō ka mana ki te whai kī i roto i taua whakaminenga (TTT 1/2/1927:533). / For the membership of that club a person must undertake an initiation ritual and only then is he able to have speaking rights in that assembly.
2. (verb) (-a,-ngia) to act upon, affect, afflict.
Kua kitea e ngau ana anō hoki tētahi rewharewha i tēnei wā a e rite ana ngā āhuatanga ki taua "Rewharewha Urutā", engari kāore i pērā te tino kaha o te ngau me te horapa haere (TTT 1/9/1928:844). / A strain of influenza has been discovered at this time. Its symptoms are like the Influenza Epidemic, but it is not as severe and hasn't spread as vigorously.
3. (noun) bite, affect, itch, pain.
Kua kitea e ngau ana anō hoki tētahi rewharewha i tēnei wā a e rite ana ngā āhuatanga ki taua "Rewharewha Urutā", engari kāore i pērā te tino kaha o te ngau me te horapa haere (TTT 1/9/1928:844). / A strain of influenza has been discovered at this time. Its symptoms are like the Influenza Epidemic, but it is not as severe and hasn't spread as vigorously.
Synonyms: kōharihari, pākikini, pākinikini, mamae, māngeongeo, kōrangaranga, whakamamae
4. (noun) striking, biting.
Kia kaha koe ki te ako i ngā karo, kia hemo ai te ngau a te rākau whawhai a tō hoa ngangare (HJ 2012:196). / You should be busy learning the parries, so that when the foe's weapon strikes it misses.
ngau
1. (verb) to wander, roam, ramble.
ngau tuarā
1. (verb) (-tia) to backbite, defame, cast aspersions, denigrate.
Ko te tangata i ahu mai nei tētahi wāhi o tōna mātauranga i te Pākehā he tangata e whakatōngātia, e haea, e whakatātaretia, e ngau tuarātia e ngā tāngata kūware (TKO 31/8/1920:5). / The person whose knowledge comes partly from the Pākehā is a person who is criticized, envied, scrutinized and subjected to backbiting by ignorant people.
Synonyms: kohimu, kōhumuhumu, kōhimuhimu, muhari
2. (modifier) slanderous, defamatory, malicious, backbiting, disparaging, scandalmongering, spiteful.
He kōrero ngau tuarā ngā kōrero o taua reta; kāore hoki i tāia atu e mātou, engari i haehaetia e mātou - he ingoa kore, he kino hoki nō ngā kōrero (TWMNT 8/5/1872:63). / The contents of that letter are slanderous; and we did not publish it, but we tore it up - because it had no name and the contents were terrible.
Synonyms: tūtara, kaikino, whakakino, hīkaka, whakakinokino, kikokiko
3. (noun) slander, backbiting, denigration, disparagement, scandalmongering, spitefulness.
Ko te tino take o te ngau tuarā he hae (TTT 1/3/1925:193). / The main reason for backbiting is jealousy.
Synonyms: komekome
ngau paepae
1. (verb) to bite the latrine bar.
Ko te whakauru ki taua karapu me ngau te tangata ki te paepae hamuti, kātahi anō ka mana ki te whai kī i roto i taua whakaminenga (TTT 1/2/1927:533). / For the membership of that club a person must undertake an initiation ritual and only then is he able to have speaking rights in that assembly.
2. (noun) beam-biting, initiation ritual - traditionally biting the horizontal beam of a latrine was part of the pure rite. The paepae was regarded as having protective powers. During the pure rituals the person was required to bite the paepae. The ngau paepae ritual was also used to cure sickness or to clense breaches of tapu.
Ko tētahi whakamutunga o te karakia whakangungu he ngau paepae (M 2007:224). / One conclusion of the protective karakia is biting the latrine bar.
ngau taringa
1. (noun) ear biting ceremony - a ceremony by which the mana of a dying tohunga or rangatira was transferred to a younger person by biting the ear of the dying person.
Ka whakaheke te tohunga, a Taipāhau, ka tukuna e ia ōna mana katoa ki a Te Heuheu i runga i te kawa o te 'ngau taringa.' Koia tēnei; ko tā te taitama ko ia te whākapi he komikomi i te taringa o te kaumātua (TTR 1990:186). / The tohunga, Taipāhau, transferred all his powers to Te Heuheu by the ceremony known as 'ngau taringa'. This is: the young man, who is to be the successor, bites the ear of the elder.
2. stomach-ache.
kino kē atu tana auau i tana ngau
1. their bark is worse than their bite - an expression adopted from English to indicate that someone isn’t as frightening as they seem.
Otirā, ko te kupu tika mō Te Wīremu, ko te kupu a te Pākehā, “Kino kē atu tana auau i tana ngau,” arā, he whakatuma kau kāhore he kino o roto (TP 4/1907:2). However, what is correct about Rev. Williams is what the Europeans say, “His bark is worse than his bite,” in other words, his threats are harmless. /
