| 112 | A! Loaʻa akula iā ʻoe nā niu o Kaunalewa. | Ah! Now you have the coconuts of Kaunalewa. |
| | [Your worldly possessions are gone. An impolite saying with a play on Kau-nā-lewa (Hang-suspended), as if to say, “Now all you have is a hanging scrotum.” Kaunalewa was a famous coconut grove on Kauaʻi.] |
| 131 | ʻAʻohe e loaʻa, he uhu pakelo. | He will not be caught, for he is a parrotfish, slippery with slime. |
| | [Said of a person too wily and wise to be caught.] |
| 132 | ʻAʻohe e loaʻa Niu-a-Kāne iā ʻoe. | Youll never be able to reach Kāne’s coconuts. |
| | [Said of something unattainable. Niu-a-Kāne is a rock islet in the sea at Hāna, Maui.] |
| 145 | ʻAʻohe ia e loaʻa aku, he ulua kāpapa no ka moana. | He cannot be caught for he is an ulua fish of the deep ocean. |
| | [Said in admiration of a hero or warrior who will not give up without a struggle.] |
| 152 | ʻAʻohe i nalo ka ʻulaʻula o ka lepo, loaʻa hou nō ka wahine. | The redness of the earth hasnt even vanished when a new wife is obtained. |
| | [Said in scorn of a person who takes a new mate shortly after the death of the old one.] |
| 173 | ʻAʻohe loaʻa i ka noho wale. | Nothing is gained by idleness. |
| 182 | ʻAʻohe māna ʻai loaʻa i ka mea make. | Not even a mouthful of food can be obtained from the dead. |
| | [Consider the living, who may be kindly host or friend.] |
| 213 | ʻAʻohe ʻulu e loaʻa i ka pōkole o ka lou. | No breadfruit can be reached when the picking stick is too short. |
| | [There is no success without preparation.] |
| 251 | E ʻai i ka mea i loaʻa. | What you have, eat. |
| | [Be satisfied with what you have.] |
| 312 | E ʻimi wale nō i ka lua o ka ʻuwaʻu ʻaʻole e loaʻa. | Seek as you will the burrow of the ʻuwaʻu, it cannot be found. |
| | [A boast of one’s skill in lua fighting, of the depth of one’s knowledge, or of a skill that isn’t easily acquired. A play on lua, a burrow, a pit, or an art of fighting. The burrow of the ʻuwaʻu bird is often deep. Birdcatchers inserted a piece of aerial root of the ʻieʻie, gummed at one end, to catch the fledglings.] |
| 326 | E kuʻi ka māmā a loaʻa ʻo Kaʻohele. | Let your fastest runners run in relay to catch Kaʻohele. |
| | [Let us make every effort to attain our goal. Kaʻohele was a chief and warrior and in his day there was none swifter than he. It was only by running after him in relay that he was caught and killed.] |
| 340 | E! Loaʻa akula ke kalo, ʻo ka ʻapowale. | Say! You’ll obtain a taro, the ʻapowale. |
| | [You are wasting your time. A play on ʻapo-wale (grasp-at-nothing), a variety of taro.] |
| 341 | E loaʻa ana iā ʻoe ka mea a Paʻahao. | Youll get what Paʻahao has. |
| | [Paʻahao, a native of Kaʻiā, was often teased by his neighbors because when annoyed he would snap, “Naio!” (“Pinworms!”) This amused his tormentors. When annoyed, one might say, “You’ll get what Paʻahao has.” Paʻahao lived in Waiōhinu, Kaʻū, during the late 1800s and early 1900s.] |
| 346 | E mālama i ka mākua, he mea laha ʻole; ʻo ke kāne he loaʻa i ka lā hoʻokahi. | Take care of parents for they are choice; a husband can he found in a day. |
| | [Parents should be cared for, for when they are gone, there are none to replace them. One can marry again and again.] |
| 349 | E mālama o loaʻa i ka niho. | Be careful or you’ll be caught by the teeth. |
| | [A warning to watch out lest one become a victim of sorcery. A person who practices sorcery is said to have teeth; that is, his sorcery “bites.”] |
| 358 | E nānā wāhine aʻe nō, ʻaʻole ʻoe e loaʻa. | Women can be observed, [but] you cannot be matched. |
| | [One may look at other women but none can be compared to you.] |
| 367 | E ʻoluʻolu i ka mea i loaʻa. | Be contented with what one has. |
| 446 | Hana a lau a lau ke aho, a laila loaʻa ka iʻa kāpapa o ka moana. | Make four hundred times four hundred fish lines before planning to go after the fighting fish of the sea. |
| | [Be well prepared for a big project.] |
| 514 | Hea ʻia mai kēia kanaka, malia he inoa i loaʻa iā ʻoe. | Call an invitation to this person, perhaps you know the name. |
| | [A request to be called into someone’s home, usually uttered by a passing relative or friend who would like to pause and rest but is not sure that he is recognized by the others.] |
| 545 | He ʻaʻo ka manu noho i ka lua, ʻaʻole e loaʻa i ka lima ke nao aku. | It is an ʻaʻo, a bird that lives in a burrow and cannot he caught even when the arm is thrust into the hole. |
| | [Said of a person who is too smart to be caught.] |
| 607 | He iʻa laka ka loli kaʻe, he loaʻa wale i kāheka. | The loli kaʻe is easy enough to gather, for it is found in sea pools. |
| | [Said of a cross, dissatisfied person who becomes grumpy. A play on kaʻe (grumpy) in loli kaʻe (sea cucumber).] |
| 609 | He iʻa loaʻa wale nō hoʻi ka poʻopaʻa. | A poʻopaʻa is a fish easy to catch. |
| | [Hard-headed people are fairly common. A play on poʻopaʻa (hard-headed).] |
| 613 | He iʻa no ka pāpaʻu, he loaʻa wale i ka hopu lima; he iʻa no ka hohonu, noho i kaʻeaʻea. | Fish of the shallows are easy to catch with the hands; but fish of the depths keep the fisherman wet with sea sprays. |
| | [Ordinary folks are easy to find but an outstanding one is not.] |
| 631 | He ʻimi aliʻi, he aliʻi nō ke loaʻa; he ʻimi kanaka, he kanaka no ke loaʻa. | When a chief is sought, a chief is begotten; when a commoner is sought, a commoner is begotten. |
| | [A reminder to a chief seeking a mate to consider the rank of his offspring.] |
| 726 | He lawaiʻa no ke kai pāpaʻu, he poʻopaʻa ka iʻa e loaʻa. | A fisherman in the shallow sea can only catch poʻopaʻa. |
| | [An untrained, unskilled person is limited in what he can do.] |
| 753 | Hele nō ka lima; hele nō ka ʻāwihi; ʻaʻohe loaʻa i ke onaona maka. | The hand goes; the wink goes; nothing is gained by just looking sweet. |
| | [Keep the hands occupied with work, then one can afford to make eyes at the opposite sex. Just looking attractive isn’t enough.] |
| 832 | He naho manini mai kēia e loaʻa ai ka lima i kōkala. | This is a ledge under which the manini hides [and one should not be hasty lest] the hand be poked by the sharp points on the dorsal fin. |
| | [A boast. Also, a warning not to make trouble.] |
| 834 | He naio ka loaʻa. | Pinworms are all one will get. |
| | [One will get nothing worthwhile.] |
| 935 | He pūmaiʻa: loaʻa i ke kīkīao, hina. | A banana stump: when a gust of wind comes, it falls. |
| | [A weakling who is blown down by every trouble that comes.] |
| 1169 | I ʻike ʻia nō ʻoe i ka lā o ko loaʻa; i ka lā o ka nele pau kou ʻike ʻia mai. | You are recognized when prosperous; but when poverty comes, you are no longer recognized. |
| | [Fair-weather friends gather when one is prosperous and scatter when prosperity is gone.] |
| 1170 | I ʻike ʻia nō ʻoe i ka loaʻa aku o kāu. | You are recognized as long as yours is received. |
| | [A warning about fair-weather friends who are friendly as long as they continue to benefit.] |
| 1627 | Ka ʻulu loaʻa ʻole i ka lou ʻia. | The breadfruit that even a pole cannot reach. |
| | [Said of a person of very high rank.] |
| 1867 | Kuhi nō ka lima, ʻāwihi nō ka maka, ʻo ka loaʻa nō ia a ka maka onaona. | With a hand gesture and a wink, an attractive person can get whatever he desires. |
| 2014 | Loaʻa i ka lāʻau a Kekuaokalani, ʻo Lehelehekiʻi. | You will get Kekuaokalani s club called Lehelehekiʻi. |
| | [You will find nothing but disappointment. Kekuaokalani was a nephew of Kamehameha I, to whom the latter entrusted the care of his war god after his death. Kekuaokalani had a club called Lehelehe-kiʻi (Lips-of-an-image). One meaning of Lehelehekiʻi is “to get around doing nothing but ʻlip’,” that is, talking.] |
| 2015 | Loaʻa i ka piwa lenalena. | He has caught the yellow fever. |
| | [Said of one who is extremely lazy. A play on lena (lazy).] |
| 2016 | Loaʻa kāu o ka niu-niu. | You will have yours, the coconut-coconut. |
| | [You’ll have nothing for all your trouble! A rude remark warning one that double disappointment (niu-niu) is to be expected. A dream of coconuts is a sign that any project planned for the following day will meet with failure.] |
| 2017 | Loaʻa ke ola i Hālau-a-ola. | Life is obtained in the House-of-life. |
| | [One is happy, safe, well again. A play on ola (life, health, healing, contentment, and peace after a struggle).] |
| 2018 | Loaʻa pono ka ʻiole i ka pūnana. | The rat was caught right in the nest |
| | [The fellow was caught red-handed.] |
| 2049 | Mai hōʻaʻano aku o loaʻa i ka niho. | Don’t go daring others lest [you] be caught between the teeth. |
| 2051 | Mai hoʻomakamaka wahine, he hūpē ka loaʻa. | Do not make friends of a woman lest you blow your nose with weeping. |
| | [Advice to a bride. Be too friendly with another woman and she may hecome too friendly with your husband.] |
| 2079 | Mai nānā i ka lāʻau maloʻo, ʻaʻohe mea loaʻa o laila. | Do not pay attention to a dry tree for there is nothing to be gained from it. |
| | [Nothing is learned from an ignoramus.] |
| 2230 | Na ka mikimiki mua nō ka loaʻa. | The first on the spot is the one who receives. |
| | [The Hawaiian equivalent of “First come, first served.” Also expressed as Na ka ʻoiʻoi mua ka loaʻa.] |
| 2282 | Nā ʻOle ka pō, ʻo nā ʻOle ke ao, he ʻole ka loaʻa. | The nights are ʻOle, the days are ʻOle — nothing to be gotten. |
| | [The tide is high in the ʻOle period and no fish are caught.] |
| 2348 | Nui kalakalai, manumanu ka loaʻa. | Too much whittling leaves only a little wood. |
| 2435 | ʻO ka poʻe e ʻai ana i ka loaʻa o ka ʻāina he lohe ʻōlelo wale aʻe nō i ka ua o Hawaiʻi. | Those who eat of the product of the land merely hear of the rains in Hawaiʻi. |
| | [Said of absentee royal landlords who reap the gain but know nothing of the difficulties in the land where the toilers work.] |
| 2446 | ʻO ka ʻulu o lalo he loaʻa i ka pinana, ʻo ka ʻulu o luna loa he loaʻa i ka lou. | A breadfruit that is low can he reached by climbing, but a breadfruit high above requires a stick to reach it. |
| | [A mate of low station is easy to fmd, but one of higher rank is less easily acquired.] |
| 2457 | ʻO ke ʻehu kakahiaka nō ka wā loaʻa. | The time to catch anything is in the early morning. |
| | [When you want to do something, don’t wait. Get at it as early as possible.] |
| 2461 | ʻO ke keiki he loaʻa i ka moe, ʻo ka pōkiʻi ʻaʻole. | One can produce a child by sleeping with a mate, but he cannot produce a younger brother or sister. |
| | [Great affection between brothers and sisters, and especially for younger siblings, was not rare in olden days. This saying is a reminder to treat younger ones with love and respect.] |
| 2514 | ʻO nā hōkū o ka lani kai ʻike iā Pae. Aia a loaʻa ka pūnana o ke kōlea, loaʻa ʻo ia iā ʻoe. | Only the stars of heaven know where Pae is. When you find a plover’s nest, then you will find him. |
| | [Said of something so well hidden that it will not be found. Pae was a priest in the reign of ʻUmi. He was so lucky in fishing that the chief desired his bones for fishhooks after his death. When Pae died, his sons hid his bones so well that none of the chiefs and priests could find them. The sons would say, “When you find the nest of the plover, then will you find him.” But ʻUmi enlisted the help of a noted priest of Kauaʻi, who saw the ghost of Pae drinking from a spring in Waimanu Valley. Thus were the bones of Pae found and made into fishhooks for the chief. The sons of Pae were reminded that the chief was using their father’s bones for hooks by his constant cry, “O Pae, hold fast to our fish!”] |
| 2722 | Puhipuhi lāʻau a kahuna, ka maunu loaʻa a ka pupuka. | By blowing the medicine given by a kahuna, can the ugly gain his desire. |
| | [Said of one who resorted to the prayers and ceremonies of a kahuna hana aloha to gain the love of his desired one. The person consulting the kahuna ate pilimai and manulele sugar cane after the kahuna had dedicated them to Makanikeoe, the love god. Then he blew in the direction of the desired person. The god, who also had a wind form, bore the mana along, and when it touched the one desired he or she became very much in love with the sender. When used with evil intent — for revenge or to humiliate — the sender is spoken of as an ugly person who has no charm of his own, hence he must resort to sorcery.] |
| 2726 | Puka ka maka i waho, loaʻa ka hale kipa aku, kipa mai. | A [new] face appears out [of the mother], someday to be a host as all visit back and forth. |
| | [Said of the baby of a relative or friend — it will someday host visiting relatives.] |
| 2769 | Ua ʻai au i kāna loaʻa. | I have eaten of his gain. |
| | [Said with pride and affection by a parent or grandparent who is being cared for by the child he reared.] |
| 2820 | Ua loaʻa akula ka iʻa o ka ʻūʻū. | The ʻūʻū fish is now caught. |
| | [A play on ʻū (to sigh or grieve) in the name of the fish. One now has cause to grieve.] |
| 2821 | Ua loaʻa i ka heu o ka pānini. | Caught by the fuzz of the cactus fruit. |
| | [Has something to be irritated about.] |
| 2884 | ʻUʻuku ka hana, ʻuʻuku ka loaʻa. | Little work, little gain. |