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Idioms

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Loan words

Historical loan words

kororā

1. (noun) little penguin, little blue penguin, blue penguin, fairy penguin, Eudyptula minor - the smallest penguin, has slate-blue underparts with white below. Breeds on rocky coasts but the nest can be several metres inland. Spends daylight hours at sea.

Kātahi ka pātai te hunga i noho atu, "He aha te ngako o tō koutou motu?" Ka utua atu, "He tuna, he hāpuku, he manu, he kākā, he kūkū, he tītī, he kororā (kāore e rere tērā manu)." (JPS 1901:70). / Then the people who lived there asked, “What are the fat things of your island?” They replied, “Eel, groper, birds, kākā, New Zealand pigeon, mutton bird and blue penguin (that bird does not fly)."

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2. (stative) be bluish grey, grey.

He kororā te tae o ngā huruhuru o te kōkako. / A kōkako's feathers are bluish-grey in colour.

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