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Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

kūnakunaku

1. (modifier) disorganised, shambolic, chaotic.

Kua kite hoki ia i ā mātau mahi kūnakunaku, takahi i ngā tikanga o te tapu (EM 2002:122). / He had also seen our shambolic activities in abusing the protocols of tapu.

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2. (noun) shambles, muddle, mess, chaos.

Tērā te kūnakunaku o tēnā rā, i riro ai mā te manuhiri e tohu i te tūnga ake o Tāmati Wharehuia o Tapuika, Te Arawa, ki te kohukohu mai ki ngā ihu hūpē o Te Pahipoto mō te tapahi i ngā whaikōrero (EM 2002:91) / That day was a shambles and it was left to the visitors to sort it out when Tāmati Wharehuia of the Tapuika tribe of Te Arawa stood up to reprimand the novices of Te Pahipoto for cutting off the speeches.

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Synonyms: tīrangorango, tīwekaweka, powhiwhi

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