| 85 | ʻAi nō ka ʻiole a haʻalele i kona kūkae. | A rat eats, then leaves its droppings. |
| | [Said of an ungrateful person.] |
| 180 | ʻAʻohe mālama pau i ka ʻiole. | No one who takes care of his possessions has ever found them eaten by rats. |
| | [When one takes care of his goods he will not suffer losses.] |
| 778 | Hemahema nō ka ʻiole, mikimiki ka ʻowau. | When the rat is careless, the cat comes around. |
| | [Be on guard.] |
| 891 | He piko pau ʻiole. | An umbilical cord taken by a rat. |
| | [A chronic thief. The umhilical cords of infants were taken to special places where the cords of other family members were kept for many generations. If a rat took a cord before it was hidden away safely, the child became a thief.] |
| 1411 | Ka ʻiole ʻaihue moa o Keauhou. | The chicken-stealing rat of Keauhou. |
| | [One who steals another’s sweetheart or mate. Any place name may be used, depending on where the “rat” is from.] |
| 1782 | Ke pau ka moa, kākā i ka nuku; ke pau ka ʻiole, ahu kūkae; ke pau ka manō, lanaō i ke kai. | When a chicken finishes [eating] he cleans his beak; when a rat finishes, he leaves a heap of excreta; when a shark finishes, he rises to the surface of the sea. |
| | [A description of the table manners of people. Some are clean like the chicken; others are unclean and careless, like the rat; and still others, like the shark, loll around without offering to help.] |
| 1822 | Kōkō ʻiole ka ua i ke kula. | Like the rat [-gnawed] net is the rain over the plains. |
| | [A Kaʻū saying. Makaliʻi, an ancient chief, once gathered all the food plants in a huge net and hung it up in the sky. The result was famine. A rat volunteered to go up to see what he could do about it. He ascended a rainbow and found the net, which he chewed. Down fell the contents, everywhere. So when the rain pours over the land and plants sprout everywhere, it is compared to the gnawed net that scattered food from the hills to the sea, bringing life to all.] |
| 1858 | Kū akula i ka pana a Pikoi-a-ka-ʻalalā, keiki pana ʻiole o ke kula o Keahumoa. | Shot by the arrow of Pikoi-[son] of-the-crow, the expert rat-shooter of the plain of Keahumoa. |
| | [Got his just deserts.] |
| 1963 | Leʻa ka ʻai a ka ʻiole, ua nui ka ʻili. | The rats joyously eat their fill, there are many skins [remaining]. |
| | [There were two Hilo brothers who lived at Kukuau and Puʻueo. The latter was very prosperous but neglectful of his needy brother. One day the Kukuau man decided to visit his wealthy brother and found many friends eating. After watching them for a while he made this remark. It was overheard by someone who reported it to their host. When he came to see who it was he found that it was his own brother. Sadly he realized then how he had neglected his own kin while outsiders enjoyed his weakh. This saying is sometimes used for one who does for outsiders but neglects his own.] |
| 2018 | Loaʻa pono ka ʻiole i ka pūnana. | The rat was caught right in the nest |
| | [The fellow was caught red-handed.] |
| 2610 | Pau kōkō a Makaliʻi i ka ʻai ʻia e ka ʻiole. | The net of Makaliʻi was all chewed up by the rat. |
| | [A total loss.] |
| 2880 | Unu pehi ʻiole. | Pebble to pelt rats with. |
| | [A person of no consequence.] |
| 2892 | ʻUī ka niho o ka ʻiole. | The rat gnashes the teeth. |
| | [The culprit has been caught and put where he can do nothing more than gnash his teeth.] |