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Idioms

Phrases

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Loan words

Historical loan words

punipuni

1. (verb) to play a hand game - players place their hands one upon the other while singing.

Ka emi mai te mano o te tāngata ki te haka, ki te waiata, ki te piu, ki te tutukai, ki te tī, ki te ponga, ki te punipuni, ki te tākaro, ki te pūkana, ki te mahi tinihanga a te Māori (G 1853:vi). / Masses of people gathered to perform haka, to sing, to skip, to play knucklebones, to play hand games, to play the ponga game, to play finger games, to wrestle, to perform the pūkana, and other amusements of the Māori.

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2. (noun) brood, litter, set of offspring.

E rua noa ngā papi i ora mai i te punipuni e ono (Ng 1993:366). / Only two pups survived from a litter of six.

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Synonyms: kapurangi, whataamo, amo, kauamo, otaota, kauhoa, parahanga

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