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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

piupiu

1. (verb) (-a) to wave about, move to and fro, oscillate, swing, skip (with a rope), wield, brandish.

Tino mīharo ana ngā tamariki o te marae ki te hōiho o te Kōmihana, o John Cullen e kanikani haere mai ana, me te Kōmihana e piupiu mai ana i tana pītara (TTR 2000:246). / The children of the marae admired Commissioner John Cullen’s horse as it danced towards them, with the commissioner waving his pistol.

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Synonyms: ngapu, ngāruerue, pioi, takaoreore, kōpiupiu, ngarue, kaurori, koiri


2. (noun) skipping, skipping rope.


3. (noun) waist-to-knees garment made of flax - has a wide waistband and is used in modern times for kapa haka performances.

Nā Te Arawa te poi tuatahi, e 50 te matua, he mā te kākahu, he piupiu te paki (TP 1/8/1901:6). / Te Arawa performed the first poi song and there were 50 in their group, with white garments and piupiu as their skirts.

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4. (noun) crown fern, Blechnum discolor - tufted native ground fern with an erect crown of fronds, paler on the undersides. Separate, rather shrivelled, more erect fronds bear the spores. Also spreads from runners to form colonies. Common in drier and open forest.


5. (noun) kiokio, palm-leaf fern, Blechnum novae-zelandiae - a robust native, creeping ground fern with long drooping fronds commonly found on damp road banks and alongside forest streams. Leaflets strap-like and very finely toothed. New growth tinged pink or red.

See also kiokio

Synonyms: tupari, kiokio, horokio


6. (noun) gully fern, Pneumatopteris pennigera - tufted native ground fern, sometimes forming a short thin trunk. Its brown-stalked, pale, dark-veined fronds have 15-30 pairs of long, round-notched leaflets. Common in damp forest gullies.

See also pākauroharoha

Synonyms: pākau, pākauroharoha

ngāeheehe

1. (verb) to rustle, murmur.

ngāeheehe te aha heoi anō ko te pākēkē anake o ngā kauwae o te kau e ngau ana i ana kai (TP 4/1907:5). / There wasn't a sound except for the chomping of the cow chewing its food.

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Synonyms: kikihi, pakē, tihitihi, kihi, kohete, kowhete, kōmuhu, kōkihi, ngaehe, wawara, wawaro, whakatanguru, warowaro, kōhetehete, kōwhetewhete, tamumu, tamūtamū, kōmuhumuhu, whetewhete, warawara, wara, kotekote, tāwara, kotete


2. (noun) garment like a piupiu - worn around the waist, made of undressed flax, which produced a rustling sound with movement.

oue

1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Te Tai Rāwhiti. Short, strong, straight, pale green blades with blunt points particularly on the young blades. Margin and keel are brownish orange. Few short kōrari with heavy, blunt seed pods. Very good all purpose harakeke. Some mature blades may be used for piupiu but not really a piupiu variety . Makes very strong kete.

tākirikau

1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Te Tai Rāwhiti. A very handsome harakeke, growing at times up to 3 m high. Straight, very strong, pale yellowy-green leaves. Bright yellow-orange margin and keel. Small number of very high, heavy kōrari. One of the finer cultivars of flax which can be stripped of fibre with the fingers and without the use of a shell. Produces long strands of strong, shiny fibre. Very good piupiu variety. Easy to prepare and has plenty of length so is particularly good for ladies piupiu.

paretaniwha

1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Rotoiti area. Very tall, erect cultivar, up to 3 m. Straight, wide, medium green blades with yellow margin and keel. Flowers freely, short seed pods. Makes a very good strong kete. Not heavy enough for piupiu.

pōtaka

1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Te Tai Rāwhiti. Good raranga flax. Makes strong kete and ideal for whāriki. Not heavy enough for piupiu. Not a muka flax.

ruahine

1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Te Urewera. A muka variety. Tall, straight, strong, yellow-green blades. Light orange keel and margins. Tall thin kōrari with light seed heads. Quite good for piupiu.

tāpoto

1. (verb) (-ria,-tia) to shorten, truncate.


2. (noun) variety of harakeke from Hawke's Bay. Superior variety with strong, straight, short narrow blades tapering to a sharp point. Pale yellow-green leaves with bright orange keel and margins. Very fine, tall flower stalks. Muka variety and very good for kaitaka, whāriki, kete and piupiu.

Ka whenutia te tāroa hei whenu; ko te tāpoto, hei aho tēnā (W 1971:385). / The lesser quality flax is twisted as a warp strand; the superior quality flax, that's for the weft strand.

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tapamangu

1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Te Tai Rāwhiti. Medium height. Straight, narrow, strong, pale green blades. Black margin and keel. Very seldom flowers. A superior cultivar. A very good piupiu variety. Better suited for muka than raranga. Also once widely used by flax millers in the Manawatū.

taumataua

1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Te Urewera. Tall, straight with wide, green, strong blades. Pale yellow keel and margins. Seldom sends up flower heads. Good for ladies piupiu because of the long blades.

ngaro

1. (noun) variety of harakeke from the Moutoa swamp, Foxton. Very tall (up to 3 metres) and straight. Bush has dark, bronzy-green appearance. The young blades are a distinct bronze shade and are relieved by a scarlet line along the centre of the blades. Produces silky muka, but is also used for piupiu and kete. Ideal for whenu and aho in cloaks. Recognised last century as one of the best cultivars for milling. Strong, hard fibre, well suited for cordage.

arawa

1. (noun) variety of harakeke from the Rotoiti area which yields good, clean muka, but is also used for making piupiu.  Ideal for whenu and aho in kākahu and for muka kete.

ruapani

1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Te Urewera. Tall, straight, strong, medium green blades. Reddish-brown keel and margins on the older leaf and a fine orange-red on the younger rito leaves. A good piupiu flax. Great muka flax and a strong raranga flax. early Pākehā used leaves for cordage.

kinikini

1. (verb) (-tia) to nip, pinch, pinch off.

Ko te kōmiri uku, arā, ka kinikinitia te uku, ka pēhia, ka kōtēngia, ka kōmiria kia puta ai te āhua e hiahiatia ana. Mēnā he ipu te hua o tēnei tikanga mahi, ka kīia he ipu kiniuku (RTA 2014:198). / Moulding clay, that is, the clay is pinched, pressed, squeezed and rubbed so that the desired form is achieved. If the result of this process is a pot, that is called a pinch pot.

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Synonyms: taukini, whakakikini, nonoti, noti, timo, kakati, kukuti, kuti, kuku, nanapi, pakini, honi, hohoni, kati, kikini, kini, timotimo


2. (modifier) gnawing.

Kai kinikini ai te mamae i ahau (M 2004:56). / The pain within me gnaws on.

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3. (noun) kilt made of strips of harakeke (New Zealand flax) - similar to a piupiu.

ate

1. (noun) variety of harakeke from Whanganui river district with tall, straight, wide, dark blue-green blades with a definite blue bloom on the underside of the leaves. Margin and keel very dark reddish brown. No kōrari. May be used for piupiu and muka.

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