kōtaha
1. (modifier) sideways, askance.
Ohooho ana ngā kau, ina whakatuwhera ia i tō rātou taiepa, piri ana te hiore o tana kurī ki waenganui o ngā waewae ka titiro kōtaha mai, mehemea nei e whakaaro ana kei te riri rānei tana ariki, kei te pēhea rānei (TH 1/12/1859:3). / The cows are alert when he opens their paddock and his dog's tail is between its legs and it looks sideways to see whether his master is angry or how his mood is.
2. (noun) sling (for throwing stones), shanghai.
Heoi he kōtaha, he kōhatu tā Rāwiri, ā hinga ana i a ia te Pirihitini, patua ana e ia, mate rawa (PT 1Hamuera 17:50). / So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him.
3. (noun) spear propelling sling - a sapling of the hard mānuka wood, about seven metres long, roughly smoothed and pointed. The hinder end of this dart, the pere, was stuck lightly in the ground inclined at an angle towards the enemy. A short whip with a handle about half a metre long and a lash of thin string about a metre long was wound round the dart so that it would readily come untwisted. The operator, standing a little in front of the lash, with a powerful jerk dragged the dart out of the ground, which then flew a great distance. It was also used to propel darts carrying lighted material to set fire to roof thatch of houses in besieged pā.
He tokomaha te hunga mōhio o te iwi o Rongo ki te hāpai kōtaha; nā reira, hinga ana te taua i a ia (JPS 1911:104). / There were many of Rongo's people who knew how to cast the sling-spear, consequently he defeated the war party.
4. (noun) base of a chief's head-dress in which feathers were stuck.
Ka haere a Marutūāhu ki te uku i tōna māhunga ki te wai, hoki mai, e heru ana. Ka mutu te heru, e tia ana, ka herea te kōtaha, e rima tekau o ngā kākā, maka iho te kōtuku, te huia, hei whakapaipai mōna (NM 1928:115). / Martūāhu went to wash his hair with water and returned to comb it. When he had finished combing, he stuck feathers in and tied the base of the head-dress with fifty kākā feathers, putting in place white heron and huia feathers, to adorn himself.
5. (noun) profile, side view.
Ka kitea e koe i konei ngā kōtaha rohe pōti mō ia rohe pōti Māori e whitu (NZP 2017). / You can see here the electorate profiles for each of the seven Māori electorates.
Synonyms: whakaritenga
