All Nyaudzosingwi

Figurative Expressions

• baSometimes you are suddenly faced with the unexpected. The moment I saw the snake, I ran as fast as I could, nearly breaking a leg.
• babanduTo crunch is to grind hard food with your teeth, making a noise that can be heard by those nearby.
• badara badaraWhen a person repeatedly says 'badara badara,' they are usually expressing extreme grief and anguish, especially after experiencing bereavement.
• baduDescribes the splitting or cracking open of things like bambara nuts, groundnuts or anything else that breaks into segments. Also used of something like a plate or pot striking the ground and shattering when it falls, and of slapping a person with the open hand.
• bamuTo shatter is to break something leaving it with many fragments.
• barabadaDescribes the sudden getting up or waking of a person or animal that had been lying asleep, as though startled.
• bebenuVariant spelling of "bhebhenu".
• benemeneDescribes the clearness of a sky without even a single cloud.
• bengenuVariant spelling of "pengenu".
• bepeDescribes the neat, even spreading out of something like a reed mat or a blanket.
• bepetuUsed of a person who drinks a beverage straight down and finishes it without pausing once.
• bepuUsed of a person who comes to suddenly, starting up out of a faint, out of sleep or the like.
• beraUsed of a person who sits down in a place where he is not expected to sit, as when a child plants himself on his father's chair.
• berebeduDescribes biting repeatedly at something, leaving parts of it uneaten, or leaving it full of holes.
• besvuDescribes the way a person sits with the legs spread very wide apart, so that what is underneath is exposed.
• beteteDescribes sitting comfortably and fully at rest, like the way one relaxes seated on a sofa.
• bezaDescribes a person sitting quite silent, saying nothing.
• bhaThe sound of 'bha' is what happens when something is hit hard.
• bha bha bhaThe onomatopoeic word 'bha bha bha' represents the sound of a bird's wings as it flies.
• bhabhanguDescribes swimming while beating the water forcefully with the legs.
• bhabhanuDescribes the unfolding of something such as a cloth or a sheet of paper that had been folded up.
• bhadhuUsed when one has been struck with an open hand on the face or on the head.
• bhaguDescribes striking something hard and with a heavy thud, as in: I hit him badu and he fell to the ground.
• bhagu bhaguThe sound of water being splashed about by a person who is swimming.
• bhambanguThe sound of a large drum sounding.
• bhanguDescribes a person splashing about, beating the water noisily.
• bharangandaDescribes the glint of the outdoors when it rains while the sun is shining. Of a person, it describes having a look about the eyes that shows alertness or cleverness.
• bheUsed of things that have been done thoroughly and properly.
• bhebhenuDescribes the opening of something that was shut. See bhedhenu.
• bhedhenuDescribes the folding back or opening out of something that had been closed.
• bhenemeneVariant spelling of "ngwerewere".
• bherengendeDescribes opening a door and walking straight in without pausing at all.
• bherereThe sound of sheep bleating.
• bhesheThe noise made by a person walking in sand. See zhwau.
• bheuUsed of a door that stands open: if a door has gone bheu, it is open. Example: I found the door blown wide open by the wind.
• bheuTo vomit is the overturning of something.
• bhiDescribes something falling to the ground with a heavy thud.
• bhi bhiDescribes walking with heavy, thudding footsteps.
• bhibhiriDescribes the repeated stamping of the ground by someone fighting with another person. See biribidi.
• bhidha bhidhaUsed of a person stamping hard on the ground in a way that shows they are angry. Example: I left father stamping about the yard, waiting for the boys whose cattle had grazed his field.
• bhidhiri bhidhiriDescribes the rolling of a heavy object that makes a loud rumbling noise. Example: The drum went bhidhiri bhidhiri along the ground as the children rolled it.
• bhigiDescribes treading heavily on the ground, as cattle or a horse does.
• bhikiririDescribes walking slowly, little by little, in a way that shows the person is feeling lazy.
• bhimhiDescribes striking a person a single blow with the fist on the back, the chest or the stomach. Example: Don't punch the child in the stomach, you will injure him.
• bhimhuDescribes striking someone on the back with the fist.
• bhinyiUsed of a person walking in a manner that shows they are angry at that moment.
• bhoDescribes striking something a single blow, or bumping up against something. Example: When I turned round to see who was calling me, I walked straight into a tree that was beside the path.
• bho-oDescribes bellowing; when a cow goes bho-o it is making a loud lowing noise. Example: The cow bellowed as it called for its calf that had gone missing.
• bhodho bhodhoDescribes the slow, little-by-little walk of a person who thinks highly of themselves.
• bhodyoDescribes piercing or boring through something quickly.
• bhofoDescribes the piercing of something soft.
• bhogoDescribes cooking a large quantity of something at one time, such as maize or many pumpkins. Also describes the snapping of sweet reed or sugarcane.
• bhoko bhokoDescribes walking a little, moving only a short distance.
• bhoto bhotoDescribes walking through mud or over ground that has just been ploughed.
• bhovhoDescribes the piercing of something soft or soggy. Also describes weeping with tears running down because of pain.
• bhovoDescribes doing something to completion, finishing it off thoroughly; e.g. when cooking boiled maize one makes the fire blaze up fully under the pot so that it cooks quickly. Also used of boring a hole right through so that it comes out on the other side.
• bhuThe sound of something bursting or exploding.
• bhuThe sound of air being expelled noisily through the mouth or from the rear.
• bhu bhuThe sound of chewing hard things, such as roasted maize snacks.
• bhu bhu bhuThe noise made by a bird's wings as it flies up into the sky; also the threshing of grain such as millet, or the repeated beating of something to knock the dust off it, as in: Go and beat that sack outside so that we can sit down.
• bhu bhu bhuDescribes the clapping of hands done respectfully.
• bhu-uDescribes noisily breaking wind from behind. As in: Who has broken wind and wants to make us smell it while we are eating?
• bhubhunuDescribes the chewing of hard things such as bones.
• bhuchaDescribes something falling and splashing whatever lies where it lands.
• bhudhiDescribes fighting, usually the fighting of cockerels.
• bhudhiri
• bhugujuDescribes beating the water with the legs while swimming. Compare bhabhangu.
• bhugumuDescribes knocking against a container holding something so that it breaks or spills. As in: I knocked over the bottle of cooking oil and it spilled all over the house.
• bhukuDescribes walking in which a person makes a noise with the feet, as someone wearing heavy boots does.
• bhumuDescribes the spilling out of contents after someone has broken the vessel holding them.
• bhurukutuDescribes flopping down or sitting down by throwing oneself down out of tiredness. As in: When he came back from work he just flopped down on the ground from exhaustion.
• bhurukutu bhurukutuDescribes a way of walking that shows tiredness.
• bhururuDescribes the taking off of winged creatures as they rise into the sky. The eagle went bhururu and then perched on the branch of a tree.
• biThe sound of something falling with a thud, as a monkey-orange fruit does.
• bi bi
• bi bi biDescribes the running of a person with a large body.
• bibinuDescribes many things coming out all at once from where they were. As in: When the meeting ended the people streamed out of the grounds.
• bibiriUsed when something has fallen to the ground and become covered in dirt; also of driving or chasing things away so that they leave where they were, as in: The cat sent the mice scattering and they went back into the nest they had come out of.
• bida bidaUsed of a person walking bida bida, swinging the hips rapidly from side to side.
• bidinuDescribes heaving a heavy object up out of where it lay; also bringing out something that had been hidden, as when a teacher unearthed tobacco and beer hidden by schoolchildren. Also used of rummaging through many things while looking for what you want, and of something emerging from a hole tail first.
• bidiriDescribes something falling and then rolling about until it is covered in dirt.
• bidiri bidiriDescribes running with heavy, thudding footfalls, especially as done by a horse. Compare gagachi gagachi.
• bidyuDescribes lifting and carrying something heavy. As in: Mother hoisted up the sack of maize and set off for the grinding mill.
• bikuDescribes the snatching up of something that is somewhat heavy.
• bindiDescribes straightening one's clothes, or adjusting the way one is seated, so as to look presentable.
• binduDescribes searching for something forcefully and with great eagerness.
• bingiUsed of a person who is asking deep, probing questions.
• biribidiDescribes a person falling heavily after being tripped, as in: I tripped him and he went biribidi into the dirt. Also describes the repeated stamping of the ground by a person fighting another. Compare bhibhiri.
• bizuDescribes doing work that requires a great deal of strength.
• boDescribes striking someone on the mouth; closing the mouth with it full of food; tossing food into the mouth; blinking the eyes as a person does when being threatened; and breaking something weak in the middle.
• bo bo boDescribes the clapping of hands, as a son-in-law does before his mother-in-law.
• bo bo boDescribes keeping one's mouth shut, staying silent.
• boboDescribes drops of water falling from a height.
• boboboDescribes the closing of the eyes, as a person does when falling asleep.
• bocheDescribes receiving what you are given while showing ingratitude. Also used of many people arriving together at once.
• boche-eDescribes slipping quietly past people so that they do not see you, as in: He slipped along behind the cattle kraal so as not to be seen by those in the yard.
• bochiDescribes tossing food into the mouth. He was going bochi as he ate the fruit.
• bodiDescribes shutting the eyes, usually as a sign of contempt towards the person you are with; also simply closing the eyes.
• bodo
• boiThe sound of birds calling noisily in high-pitched voices. Also describes quarrelling with raised voices.
• boi boiDescribes blinking the eyes rapidly. As in: We saw his eyes blinking and knew that he was still alive.
• bokoDescribes peeping inside or outside, as in: Peep outside and see whether they are coming back; also of vomiting because of nausea, as in: That pregnant woman, as soon as she caught the smell of meat, went outside and vomited.
• bomoDescribes striking the mouth. The mother struck the crying child's mouth bomo to silence him. Also describes telling something inaccurately, leaving out some parts and adding others.
• bondokotoDescribes the way a person sits when they have nothing, or when they do not know what to do.
• bongoDescribes craving food or drink.
• bongomoUsed of a person who is crying out in a loud, raised voice while in distress.
• bongozozoDescribes a person sitting in a way that shows they are in distress or suffering.
• bonhoDescribes striking a tree and stripping the bark off it, as in: He kept stripping the tree, throwing the bark down on the ground.
• bonoDescribes the blinking of the eyes of a person who is at a loss for what to do.
• booThe sound a cow makes when it bellows as though it has been gored by another.
• bopoBopo is rain that has fallen in very great quantity; describes an exceptionally heavy downpour.
• boveDescribes putting a piece of food into the mouth all at once.
• bovovoDescribes entering a place where one is not permitted to go.
• buA thing is said to go bu when it falls to the ground with a thud. To say bu is also to clap the hands once.
• buThe sound of striking something noisily. A person is also said to go bu when they open their eyes wide to show they have been startled, or when they shut their mouth and say nothing.
• bu buDescribes the cracking or splitting of hard things with the teeth.
• bu bu buDescribes clapping, as people do where punishments are being administered.
• bubuduDescribes a person filling a small container with things.
• bubuduUsed of a person chewing hard things.
• bubunduDescribes the chewing of hard things, such as nyimo nuts.
• bubunyuDescribes the chewing of things such as roasted nyimo nuts.
• buduDescribes the snapping or breaking of something soft.
• bufu
• bugumuDescribes dropping a vessel on the ground, such as a water pot, so that it breaks.
• bukuDescribes vomiting that happens suddenly and on the spot, when the person did not expect that they would vomit.
• bumaTo say buma is to show astonishment.
• bumauDescribes brushing or swiping a hand across someone's head in order to provoke them.
• bumbunuDescribes a person regaining strength again after an illness.
• bumu pumuDescribes the manner in which one kills a chicken or some other creature.
• bundukuUsed of a person throwing themselves down on the ground in a way that shows distress.
• bundunuDescribes a person regaining strength after an illness.
• bungaTo say bunga is for a person to fold the arms.
• buriUsed of a person leaving the company of others in a hurry.
• burnDescribes coming down from a high place to the ground.
• burn burn
• burumbuDescribes speaking in a way that cannot be understood.
• buruzuzuDescribes sitting about as though one does not know what to do, like a foolish person.
• busunguTo say busungu is to do things quietly.
• butiputiThe sound made by dry maize as it is being roasted into popcorn.
• buuDescribes the piercing or boring through of something.
• bvabvamataDescribes a person sitting about with nothing to do. Compare pwasha.
• bvabvanyuDescribes a person tearing off meat with the teeth.
• bvajuDescribes the tearing open of a sack or of paper that has things in it, so that the contents spill out.
• bvambuTo say bvambu of something is to tear it off with the teeth.
• bvandanuDescribes separating things that are in a bundle or packed together. Also given as bvanganyu.
• bvangaDescribes meeting or coming upon another person or a thing unexpectedly.
• bvanganyuDescribes the scattering of things that were joined together or arranged together. Variant: bvanyangu.
• bvangaraDescribes digging up soil and scattering it about.
• bvanyanguDescribes the way a person disarranges things that had been neatly arranged; also bvanganyu.
• bvanzuDescribes the severing of something such as meat. Compare bvambu.
• bvaranyuDescribes removing small pieces from a larger one by tearing them off.
• bvaruDescribes the splitting or tearing of something such as paper so that it becomes two pieces.
• bvatu
• bvauDescribes the way the heart beats when a person is startled.
• bveDescribes the blazing of a bright fire; compare nyeku nyeku.
• bveWhen a thing is said to go bve, it has left a place quickly.
• bve bve bveThe noise made when a person is grinding.
• bvebvemaDescribes the manner in which a person conducts themselves so as to show off or act proudly.
• bvebvevaDescribes a person sitting about showing unhappiness.
• bvembereDescribes running about or dodging repeatedly so as not to be caught or seen.
• bvenduDescribes giving or providing a great deal; also describes arriving at a place unexpectedly.
• bvenyuTo say bvenyu is to scratch or scrape gently.
• bvereUsed of a person sitting in a way that shows they are at ease or settled.
• bveru
• bveruDescribes a person sitting showing composure. Compare tendekeshe, dedede.
• bveveveDescribes sitting down in a place where one would not be expected to sit. Example: he went and sat bveveve where the place was full of rubbish.
• bviDescribes inserting a thing onto or into another thing.
• bvo-oTo say bvo-o is to thrust a burning brand, or something else alight, onto or into something else, as in: he plunged the firebrand into the water and it went out.
• bvodyoDescribes making a hole quickly. Example: the hyena went bvodyo into the pen and ate two goats.
• bvojoUsed of a person who has suddenly and unexpectedly said something improper.
• bvokochoThe sound made by something that has been thrown into a dense cluster of trees at one spot.
• bvooDescribes stabbing or piercing something right through, so that it comes out on the other side.
• bvorototoDescribes the escaping of air from a bicycle tube or a ball as it goes flat.
• bvovoDescribes speaking about what one knows exactly as it really is.
• bvuDescribes the sound of many people bursting into laughter at the same time, as when everyone laughed when he fell off the bicycle; also used of wearing a long garment that covers everything, of things lying spread out or scattered about in quantity, and of a person who is utterly exhausted.
• bvu bvu bvuDescribes being in a weakened state of health: the body felt bvu bvu bvu because of illness. Also describes something shaking its body, as of a bird that went bvu bvu bvu and then flew off.
• bvubvumaDescribes sitting with the back hunched over, showing laziness.
• bvubvuvaDescribes huddling or hunching oneself up, showing that one is ill or feeling the cold.
• bvuchu
• bvugadaDescribes sitting on one's knees as a show of respect.
• bvujuDescribes entering a pool of water by plunging in. He went bvuju into the water and began to swim. Compare bvuva.
• bvujuDescribes a large quantity of things pouring out of a container that has burst open. The sugar went bvuju and spilled all over the ground.
• bvujunuDescribes disturbing or spoiling the arrangement of things that were standing in good order.
• bvukuDescribes shaking something.
• bvukuchuDescribes the softness of something; a hide that has been rubbed and worked is what is bvukuchu.
• bvukutuDescribes snatching something out of another person's hand without agreement. Compare bvutu.
• bvumbunuDescribes bringing out something that had been buried or hidden away. Compare vhumbunu.
• bvumburuDescribes rolling about in the soil, as donkeys do.
• bvunduDescribes stirring up liquid things that had settled, so that what was at the bottom ends up rising to the top.
• bvungunjuDescribes beating something so that it is crushed or mashed to pieces.
• bvureDescribes many people sitting together in silence, as is done at a place of mourning. Also bvurere.
• bvure bvure
• bvurubvujuDescribes the sudden startling of an animal.
• bvurukutuDescribes suddenly falling to the ground.
• bvururuDescribes things lying scattered about all over the place, as in: the groundnut shells lay scattered in the yard.
• bvutuDescribes taking something forcefully and in great haste.
• bvuuDescribes shaking something so that the dirt comes off it. Give my jacket a bvuu so the dust comes off.
• bvuuDescribes being seized by fear, as in: when I saw the lion, my heart went bvuu.
• bvuvaDescribes the falling of a person, an animal or an object into water.
• bvuveDescribes soaking something in water for a long time. Also describes beating with a switch.
• bwaDescribes stabbing with a knife, forcefully and deeply.
• bwa bwaDescribes folding up the legs so as to sit with them tucked or bent under one.
• bwa bwaDescribes speaking quickly.
• bwadabwadaDescribes becoming soggy or mushy from having too much water, as in: these pumpkins held so much water that when cooked they turned out bwadabwada. If something is bwadabwada it is ripening or already going soft, as fruits do.
• bwadaguUsed of a thing that, when struck against a hard surface, splits and cracks apart. A pumpkin fell out of the cart and went bwadagu.
• bwagaDescribes snapping or breaking into pieces. To be said bwaga is to be crushed by something.
• bwagamuDescribes smashing something down onto the ground.
• bwaiDescribes opening the eyes and closing them again.
• bwaibwaiDescribes the repeated blinking of a person's eyes when at a loss for ideas or taken by surprise; also the flickering of a light as it keeps going out and coming back.
• bwandiDescribes arranging the clothes one is wearing when about to sit down, so that they do not expose what is underneath.
• bwari bwariDescribes weeping that only sheds tears, without making any noise.
• bwata bwataDescribes walking softly, sometimes on tiptoe, in order to creep up on something.
• bwazhamuDescribes breaking something — he went bwazhamu on the clay pot his grandmother had moulded; also used of striking a person or animal with a small switch from which the leaves have not been stripped.
• bwazhauDescribes crushing something that is easily crushed.
• bwazuDescribes knocking down something that is in another person's hand.
• bweDescribes being afraid.
• bwebweDescribes saying things that give offence to another person.
• bwedere bwedereDescribes talking nonsense, as in: don't babble bwedere bwedere near me, I will hit you with a stick.
• bwengeUsed of food or drink that is there in great quantity.
• bwengezuDescribes snatching something out of another person's hands in haste.
• bwerekesheDescribes a person flopping down on the ground showing that strength or ideas have failed them, as in: he came into the house and slumped down, not saying a word to anyone because of hunger.
• bwesheVariant spelling of "bwerekeshe".
• bweshuDescribes breaking off a chip or fragment of something, such as a piece that might come off a clay pot before it has been fired.
• bwiDescribes letting out foul air from behind, with an audible sound, when one does not wish to. Compare bhu.
• bwi bwiDescribes the flashing of lightning outside.
• bwibwiUsed of something that is swollen up enormously. When he was punched on the eye, it went bwibwi with swelling.
• bwibwimaDescribes showing sadness on the face, as in: I saw the look of gloom on his face and knew at once that something bad had happened to him.
• bwichiDescribes the falling of something from a height down to a lower place, without any noise.
• bwindiDescribes falling over and striking the ground face first. Compare nyondo.
• bwinguA flash is to show light quickly and then immediately extinguish it. Nyetu.
• bwinyuDescribes the flashing of a light that shines only for a brief moment.
• bwiruDescribes gulping down thick, lumpy or powdery food quickly. When he did so with powdered milk it choked him, so that mucus and tears came out.
• bwitiUsed when something is sinking into water, as in: when the float went bwiti, sinking into the water, I knew I had caught a fish. Compare pwiti, nya-a.
• bwititi
• bwititiDescribes the movement of many people in a group, going off in different directions or making a commotion.
• bwoDescribes the easy snapping of the branch of a tree that has only just budded.
• bwodoDescribes talking nonsense, saying things of no substance.
• bwodomoDescribes talking nonsense, saying things of no substance. Compare bwodo, bvotomo.
• chaThe sound made by something that has fallen into water. Also describes snatching something from a person's grasp quickly and by force.
• chabhu chabhuVariant of chabwi chabwi; see that entry.
• chabvuDescribes washing clothes without soap. An orphan with no one to provide for them often washes their clothes this way.
• chabwiDescribes walking into water so that some of it splashes up into the air. Example: we reached home going chabwi chabwi through the mud left by the rain.
• chabwi chabwiThe sound of a person walking through shallow water or through puddles and mud. Example: We simply heard a chabwi chabwi as feet stepped into water, though we could not see in the dark.
• chachachaThe sound of drops of water falling on a spot that is already wet. Drizzling rain falls making this sound all night long.
• chachachaUsed of water: when it goes chachacha it is falling from a height down to the ground.
• chachamaSaid of a person who refuses to change his mind, holding that what he thinks is the truth. Example: The father-in-law stood chachama by his word that he wanted the whole bride price there and then. Compare chacharara.
• chachananaDescribes making a place at a flooded river where it is possible to cross on foot or by some other means. Compare chachananda.
• chachanandaVariant spelling of "chachanana".
• chachanuDescribes seeds that have been soaked in water all sprouting at one and the same time. Example: The grain soaked for the beer of a bira sprouted chachanu within three days. Also used of taking something out of water by dragging it out.
• chachapuDescribes snatching from someone what they are holding, quickly and with force. Compare chapu, chachapuru, bvutu.