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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

ruriruri

1. (verb) to stagger, tremble, totter, walk unsteadily.

Ko te waha kei te pai noa iho ki te kōrero, ko ngā waewae ia kei te ruriruri (TP 11/1909:8). / The mouth functions quite well with speech, but the legs stagger about.

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2. (noun) short love ditty.

Ka kite au i ngā tāngata me ngā wāhine e puta hurori mai ana ki waho, hāmama ana ō rātou māngai, puta ana ngā kupu a tētahi ki tētahi, tau mai ana te whakamā ki ahau; tū ana ngā haka me ngā ruriruri, he nui atu te kino o ngā kōrero, ānō kua rēweratia (KO 17/5/1886:4). / I saw men and women staggering out, shouting to each other, and I was ashamed; they performed haka and bawdy ditties and what they said was terrible, as if they had been taken over by the devil.

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Synonyms: ruri

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