All Nyaudzosingwi

Figurative Expressions

• sununuKuti sununu sununu describes a person just walking along without looking where they are going.
• supfuVariant spelling of "suku".
• surududuDescribes tilting or drooping the head to show sadness.
• suruvaDescribes feeling without joy, that is, feeling sad.
• sva-aUsed of driving away birds or goats so that they leave a place where they are not wanted.
• svaduDescribes swallowing something without chewing it. Compare tungarwi.
• svakuDescribes coming out of a house or a hole quickly. Compare svati, hovo, dhu.
• svapuDescribes the coming away of bark-fibre or bark from a tree.
• svata
• svatataDescribes the air going out of a ball or a car wheel. Compare svavata.
• svatuDescribes something springing or spattering up, as porridge does when it is thickening on the fire.
• svauDescribes the coming off of skin that has been burnt.
• svavataVariant spelling of "svatata".
• sve-eUsed of sucking or sipping up a drink.
• sve-eSaid to a person who is being rebuked for a mistake they have made.
• sveerere
• svetuDescribes drinking water or the like down in a single draught.
• svetuDescribes leaping up into the air. Example: when he reached a water-filled ditch he leapt and landed standing on the other side.
• svi-iDescribes a darkening, such as the sky growing dark outside, or of other things.
• sviyoDescribes whistling with the mouth.
• svorododoDescribes the slipperiness of something that is hard to hold. Example: when hair is washed with relaxer it becomes slippery in just this way.
• svotoDescribes the stripping of bark-fibre (gavi), or the peeling away of the skin of a person who has been burnt.
• svuThe noise you make when driving away goats or chickens.
• svunguruDescribes a person lying down or sleeping with no clothes on.
• swatuDescribes being straight, without a single bend or twist. Compare tasa.
• swi
• swi-iThe squeaking cry made by mice or rats.
• switiDescribes the falling to the ground of a soft, thick food such as nhopi or bota.
• switoDescribes a sudden turn from happiness into sorrow.
• taDescribes striking gently with the flat of the hand; also the popping or bursting of a fire.
• ta-aDescribes being filled right up to the top, as a container heaped full to the brim. Compare pfacha.
• tabvuVariant spelling of "tomu".
• tadaguDescribes striking hard with the palm or with the back of the hand.
• taduDescribes making shallow cuts, such as those made for nyora (incision marks). Compare nyedu, tudu.
• tadzuDescribes the plucking out of a feather. Also describes tearing off flesh with the teeth.
• taka takaDescribes spending a whole day or a long stretch of time doing something. Example: the day wore on while people threshed the grain.
• takanyaDescribes the crawling or contracting movement made by a caterpillar (grub).
• takararaDescribes a person standing without flinching, ready for whatever may happen.
• takarasimaDescribes carrying on with work or some other activity for a long time, as though unwilling to stop; also standing in one place without stirring at all. Compare sipiti.
• takuDescribes lifting something up from the ground and placing it somewhere high.
• tambanuDescribes spreading out something such as a blanket or a cloth so that its width and length can be seen.
• tanaDescribes refusing outright, refusing completely.
• tananaDescribes standing with the belly thrust right out, usually said of a thin person.
• tananaDescribes a person standing unshaken, immovable. Compare sipiti, twi.
• tanandaDescribes the swelling or bulging of something into which other things are being packed.
• tanangaDescribes standing with the legs spread apart, so as not to tread on a person or other things beneath you.
• tananguDescribes removing from a place something that is not wanted, or something that has been obstructing.
• tanararaDescribes standing up straight, or standing with the legs spread slightly apart.
• tandabvuDescribes the getting up of a person who had been lying down on the ground.
• tandabvu tandabvuDescribes the walking of a large animal, covering ground little by little.
• tandazaDescribes walking along with nowhere to hurry to, thoroughly at one's ease.
• tandeDescribes getting up and heading straight for where one is going. When they heard the cry turii, VaMuchakata got up and went tande straight there.
• tanhauDescribes the removal of the feathers from a chicken's body.
• tanhauDescribes stripping groundnuts or bambara nuts off the stalk.
• tanyaDescribes a person sitting with the legs astride.
• tanyararaDescribes sitting or lounging sprawled out with the legs opened apart. Compare -dhanyarara.
• tanyuDescribes forcing open something that is joined together, using a great deal of strength. Also wanyu.
• tanzvuDescribes carrying something on the shoulders, propped up with a stick or some other thing.
• tapaThe falling of a soft lump such as sadza or mud.
• tapitapiDescribes the sweetness on the tongue produced by sugar or other such things.
• taramuDescribes shifting or edging backwards.
• tareDescribes the swelling up of a vein, or the straightness of a line. Example: the lightning went tare, cutting across the sky.
• tariDescribes swallowing food without chewing it.
• tari tariDescribes failing to walk properly upright, most often because of being drunk.
• tasanuDescribes the straightening of what is crooked.
• tashuUsed of a sack: when it says tashu, it is filled right up to the top.
• tasveDescribes climbing up and going over to the other side of the thing one has climbed.
• tasvuDescribes pulling a shrub or a maize stalk out of the soil, with no force needed.
• tatabvuDescribes tearing something off with the teeth. The little old woman tried to tear the meat with her teeth, but it would not give way.
• tatana tatanaDescribes a stiff, laboured manner of walking, with the legs held as though rigid.
• tatara tataraDescribes staggering because of carrying something heavy, or because of failing to step properly. Example: Grandfather mis-stepped and went tatara tatara off in that direction.
• tatararaDescribes dragging something heavy, such as a sledge; also the scraping along of something that is stuck fast.
• tatataDescribes spreading things out in the sun so that they dry.
• tatava tatavaDescribes walking about full of self-importance, the body held stiff.
• tatyaDescribes lying sprawled out on the ground with the arms and legs flung away from the body.
• tau tauDescribes the flapping and thrashing of a fowl or an animal that has been cut, or that is dying.
• tau tau
• tava tavaDescribes a laboured, forced way of walking, brought on by a person's old age.
• taya tayaDescribes hanging things out in the sun so that they dry.
• tazuDescribes the stomach being so full that it is bloated. Example: if you eat boiled cowpeas, you go to sleep with your stomach tazu. Also describes opening the eyes wide in astonishment.
• tebveDescribes dipping a finger into something soft or moist.
• tedeDescribes the sinking in of something as it enters a soft place. The arrow went tede into the baboon's belly.
• tededeDescribes sinking down into water, going deeper and deeper.
• tedegu tedeguDescribes walking with the stomach thrust out in front.
• tefuDescribes the softness of a bed one sleeps on. Compare dhefu.
• tegaDescribes taking aim, levelling a gun or catapult at an animal or anything else one intends to shoot.
• tegemuDescribes striking hard with the fist. Also tigimu.
• teka tekaDescribes the struggling walk of a person carrying something heavy. Compare tsega tsega.
• tekaiDescribes walking with the legs held stiff.
• tekeDescribes drawing water hurriedly.
• tekeduDescribes paint or the like coming away from the surface it was stuck to. A clod fell on the pot and a piece of the clay came off tekedu.
• tekenyeUsed of the way a maggot moves along.
• tekerereDescribes the swelling out at the sides of something that is full, as with the belly of a well-fed cow.
• tekesheDescribes rejoicing carelessly, without regard or decorum. Also describes the great extent and size of a place: long ago people are said to have lived spread out tekeshe over the land, as they pleased.
• tekeshuDescribes striking a painful blow, one that injures badly.
• tekuVariant spelling of "svaku".
• temaDescribes fleeing while running very hard. Compare svati, hovo.
• temba tembaDescribes the lifting of a heavy object, done by many people together.
• tembenuDescribes letting a rope that was taut go slack.
• tendeDescribes sitting down on the ground.
• tendere
• tendeshereDescribes sitting down just anywhere one pleases, without regard for whether one has sat on somebody or not.
• tendeuDescribes looking back at the place you have come from.
• tendezhereDescribes falling into water against one's will.
• teneneDescribes sitting without any care for the manner in which one is seated.
• tenengaDescribes a person standing with both arms stretched out to the sides. In the form tenenge, describes being tall, as a mountain or a tree is, towering above everything else in the area.
• tenga tengaDescribes the lifting of a heavy object by many people.
• tenheDescribes shaking a beehive or a branch covered with bees, so that they begin flying off in all directions.
• tepeDescribes hanging something up so that it is left swinging by the end that points downwards.
• tepenuDescribes lifting a soft, wet vessel or object that is stuck to the ground.
• tepfuDescribes the springy sagging of something like a bed.
• tepuDescribes the springing to and fro of something like a rafter or lath when it is shaken.
• tepuDescribes the bending or twisting of a green branch of a tree without it breaking.
• teruDescribes the movement of something that has been pushed and is travelling downwards to a lower place.
• tesheDescribes sprouting or growing up so as to fill the whole place; also of simply sitting down with nothing at all to do, or of sitting down without caring whether the spot is clean or not.
• tesvaDescribes sinking deep into mud or into other soft things. Compare pesva.
• tesva tesvaUsed of moving about in a place where one has no business being, at unexpected times and without any purpose.
• tetenuDescribes eating hard things with a crunching, cracking action.
• tetereDescribes a person or animal fleeing or going away for good.
• teteteDescribes the trembling or quivering of something that is being shaken.
• tetsuDescribes bringing forth many at one time. Example: our pig produced twelve piglets at one go.
• tetu tetuDescribes the repeated scratching of the ground by a hen searching for food.
• teuDescribes water escaping downwards from where it had been stored. Also used of the sun sinking behind the mountains. Compare pote.
• teva tevaDescribes walking with short steps, like a duck.
• tezuVariant spelling of "pogo".
• tibaDescribes falling forwards or onto one's face. Also used of covering something over.
• tibiduDescribes the lifting and turning up of the soil when one is ploughing with a plough.
• tibuDescribes the rising of dust up into the air.
• tibvuDescribes kicking something soft, such as a ball that does not have enough air in it.
• tidiga tidigaDescribes the forceful, heavy walk of a short, sturdy person.
• tifaVariant spelling of "pasha".
• tifuUsed of bringing up through the mouth what one has eaten.
• tiga tigaDescribes walking with heavy, thudding footfalls.
• tigimu
• tikaDescribes sinking a spear or a stake into flesh.
• tikiVariant spelling of "tiringindi".
• tiki tikiDescribes a hard object going into something soft. Example: the peg went tiki tiki into the mud.
• tikibvuDescribes nudging someone with the elbow, either in annoyance or to draw their attention to something else.
• tikishi tikishiSame as tidiga tidiga.
• tikizhizhi
• tikuUsed of vomiting up what one has eaten.
• timbinuDescribes sinking the hoe into the soil as though about to lever or turn it up.
• timhaVariant spelling of "tiba".
• tindi tindiThe sound of a drum beating.
• tindindiDescribes the lying stretched out on the ground of a person who has died.
• tindirikishiDescribes sitting down carelessly, with no regard for how one sits or for where one has sat.
• tindizaDescribes running with a definite purpose that one wants to accomplish.
• tingini
• tinhiDescribes seasoning relish or tea beyond the proper measure.
• tinhimaDescribes the way a person of large body sits down squarely just so, as if to declare that they are present.
• tinhuDescribes causing a set trap to be released or sprung. Compare dinhu.
• tinyaDescribes pressing or packing things down tightly into a basket or a pot.
• tipi tipiDescribes animals or people going into one and the same place. Compare piti piti.
• tiringindiDescribes trying to do something but it will not budge at all. Example: a weightlifter tried the sack of salt and it would not move, and he failed to lift it. Compare tiki.
• tiririDescribes many people fighting all at the same time.
• tiririUsed of starting something off in a fit of anger.
• titimuDescribes all the people getting up at once. Compare dzvamu.
• tomuDescribes leaping up from the ground into the air.
• tsipi
• tsirikitiDescribes grabbing hold of something by pouncing on it, for fear that it might escape.
• tsiuUsed of shaming or embarrassing another person; also of warning someone about the harm that may result from his behaviour.
• tsivararaDescribes lying stretched out on one's stomach, facing the ground.
• tsokonyoDescribes stripping the grains off the cobs. Also used of putting things into a sack or into some other container.
• tsororoDescribes the pouring or trickling out of something liquid, like water, a little at a time.
• tsoteDescribes falling to the ground hard on one's mouth. Compare nyondo, tiba. Tsote is also an animal that does not bear young. Compare mhanje 9, ramba 5.
• tsotsonyoDescribes poking a log in the fire hard so that it drops embers.
• tsuduguDescribes removing something that has become stuck fast to a place.
• tsudunu
• tsuguDescribes the slipping down of something that had been propped up, once its support is removed. Compare tsenhu.
• tsukuDescribes shifting a very heavy object from its place after having failed to move it at first.
• tsuku tsuku
• tsukunuDescribes the bones of the body going out of place against each other.
• tsukunyuDescribes the coming loose of something that was fixed fast and would not budge.
• tsumhi tsumhi
• tsumwaDescribes the nodding of the head of someone who is dozing off.
• tsunyeDescribes pinching a person's skin painfully between the fingers.
• tsurundundu
• tsutsutaDescribes gripping firmly whatever you are holding in your hands.
• tsva-aDescribes becoming very dark or very black.
• tsvabi
• tsvaduDescribes felling a tree or other thing with a single stroke. Also used of paring a surface down so that it becomes smooth.
• tsvaruDescribes striking or scratching lightly.
• tsve
• tsve-eDescribes the slipping of someone who has walked over a slippery place.
• tsve-e
• tsveda
• tsveduVariant spelling of "tsvedemu".
• tsvedzuDescribes failing to keep one's footing after stepping on a slippery place.
• tsvemere
• tsvendaDescribes sitting with one side of the body raised and the other lowered. Also used of the bending of a sapling or a piece of metal. Compare peya.
• tsvereketeVariant spelling of "tsve".
• tsverere
• tsveruDescribes touching a person gently in order to give them a warning.
• tsveruDescribes being greatly ashamed or embarrassed.
• tsvetsverere
• tsvetsveya tsvetsveyaDescribes walking without treading properly, because of a sore leg or for other reasons.
• tsvetuDescribes running the tongue over something; also of whetting or sharpening a knife so that it cuts well.
• tsveya
• tsviDescribes stopping suddenly. Example: he slammed on the brakes, having seen a huge snake in front of him.
• tsvi-iDescribes whistling to urge a dog on so that it chases an animal.
• tsviki tsviki
• tsvikitiUsed of a person being very strong indeed. Also used of things being present in great quantity and of good quality.
• tsvikuDescribes picking something up off the ground and making off with it.
• tsviku
• tsviririThe sound metal makes when it is scraped forcefully. Also used of staring at a person or something with the eyes wide open.
• tsvituDescribes being held so firmly that one cannot walk; also of falling down while holding things in one's hands.
• tsvo-oDescribes pouring water or some other thing a little at a time, but in a large amount overall.
• tsvo tsvo tsvo
• tsvororoThe sound of the flowing of the little water left in a river.
• tsvotiDescribes pouring out a small quantity of oil or water. Compare tsvungu.
• tsvukuruDescribes being of a colour somewhat like that of blood.
• tsvukuruku
• tsvunguVariant spelling of "tsvoti".
• tswa tswa tswaThe sound made by dry leaves when they are trodden on.
• tswakata
• tswanyuDescribes crushing or destroying something, especially under the sole of the foot. Compare pwanyu.
• tswatiDescribes the bursting or cracking open of an egg or something similar.
• tswi
• tswikitswikiDescribes trees pressing against one another because they have grown far too close together (compare tswitswitswi). Also the sound made by a bed or by a wheel that rubs.
• tuDescribes striking with a whip. Also used of an injured spot, which when it goes tu is badly swollen.
• tu-u
• tubaDescribes the fullness of a vessel with grain or water. Example: the container was brim-full of beer. Compare tudu.
• tubuDescribes the quick pulling out of a thorn or of a peg driven into the ground. Compare tuba.
• tubvu
• tuchaDescribes being full right up to the top. Also describes suddenly finding oneself at a place: "I suddenly realised I was right at the graves."
• tucheDescribes striking with a switch or cane.
• tudu
• tuduVariant spelling of "tuba".
• tudyuDescribes stabbing with a knife or another sharp implement. Compare dhudyu.
• tudzuDescribes a person suddenly appearing on a raised spot, as in seeing someone perched on top of an anthill. Also used of standing taller than everything else, as a large bank's headquarters towers over the city of Harare.
• tuguDescribes smoke or dust rising up into the air. Also the sound of a gun going off or a bomb exploding.
• tuguduDescribes lifting out things such as sweet potatoes, a root or a log that are buried in the soil. Also used of opening the eyes so that they bulge right out.
• tuku tukuDescribes the making of small heaps of soil or of other things that can be gathered together. Also used of squeezing oneself into a place where there is no room, as a thief forcing his way through the branches of a hedge, and of heaping a plate full of sadza or other food.
• tukuma
• tukunu tukunuDescribes the rapid swelling of an injured part of the body. Also describes many stones coming out all together, as when a tipper truck arrived and tipped out stones where the drift was being built.
• tukunyuDescribes a person suddenly emerging from where he was hiding, or the bringing out of something that had been hidden. Also of getting up, as when someone rose during the hearing of a case and simply left without speaking to anyone.
• tumbiDescribes standing still in a way that shows astonishment, or that one no longer knows what to do. "We found him just standing there at the station, the bus having gone."
• tumbi tumbiDescribes going about searching for what you want without any expectation of finding it (compare tuwa tuwa). Also used of standing around aimlessly with nothing definite to do.
• tumbi tuzuUsed of a person who just stands there, at a loss as to what to do.
• tumbwa tumbwaDescribes the bobbing up and down of a dry stick floating on water.
• tuna tunaDescribes people simply standing about without knowing what to do. Compare tumbi tumbi.
• tundumaDescribes the raised swelling of a place that is swollen (compare tunduru). Also used of a person who is unhappy, with the mouth twisted up and saying nothing (compare tundururu).
• tundumwaDescribes keeping one's mouth fixed to a vessel from which one is drinking.
• tunduruDescribes sitting or being situated in a very high place. Compare tunduma.
• tunduruVariant spelling of "tunduma".
• tungeDescribes lighting a fire with a match or something similar so that a flame comes out at once.
• tunguzuzuDescribes standing still without knowing what to do. Compare tuzu.
• tunguzuzuUsed of a person sitting in silence, usually in a sulk.
• tunhumaVariant spelling of "tunduma".
• tuniDescribes looking up into the sky.