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Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

kohukohu

1. (verb) (-a,-ngia,-tia) to curse, swear.

Ka tū hāngai atu a Kawepō ki a Mananui me te kohukohu atu ki tana kanohi (TTR 1990:309). / Kawepō confronted Mananui, cursing him to his face.

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2. (noun) curse, swearword, oath, expletive.

Ko te 'pūrari paka' he kohukohu nā te Pākehā (RK 1994:101). / 'Pūrari paka' (bloody bugger) is an expletive of the Pākehā.

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Synonyms: oati, whakaoati, oatitanga, whakaoatitanga, kī taurangi, kupu taurangi


3. (noun) scleranthus, Scleranthus biflorus - a native groundcover that looks like a stiff hummocky moss. Bright spring green colour with very small flowers. Found naturally in grassland and rocky places along the coast and inland.


4. (noun) moss - a general term for mosses, which were used as wrappers and absorbents.

He kohukohu te kai o te renetia, kei ngā toka i te whenua e piri ana taua taru, mā taua kurī anō e keri i te wāhi e ngaro ana i te huka, ko ōna haone me ōna waewae hei raku (TWMNT 2/7/1873:74). / The food of the reindeer is moss and that vegetation clings to the rocks in that land. That animal digs for it in places hidden by the snow using its horns and legs to scratch.

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Synonyms: kōpuru, whareatua, pūkahukahu, pūkohukohu, rimu, pūkohu


5. (noun) kōhūhū, Pittosporum tenuifolium - a small native black-barked tree of lowland forest and scrub, having light green leaves with a wavy margin. Commonly cultivated for hedges. Also called rautāhiri and tāwhiri.


6. (noun) chickweed, Stellaria media - a common weed found in gardens, pastures, crops and wastelands across the country. Native to Europe and was probably introduced to Aotearoa/New Zealand by the early settlers who prized chickweed for its herbal properties and its use as a cheap vegetable. A prized food of chickens and other birds.

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