Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The Maori name of the mutton-fish: also used as the name for Maori fish-hooks, made of the paua-shell, the same word being adopted for fish, shell, and hook.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A large, edible
abalone , Haliotis iris, native toNew Zealand , whoseshell is used to make jewelry. - noun The shell of this
mollusc . - noun A fish hook made from this shell.
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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That was then and now is now, when younger and more-tender farmed abalones are almost invariably what you are likely to get, unless you consort with poachers in New Zealand and they give you some of the paua they pry from the ocean floor with stealth and special iron tools.
A New Shell Game 2008
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May 21, 2008 at 11:52 pm btw paua shells mek great eshtrays but not soo nommable IMHO whitebait also quite scarey nom – now kumera – drollxxxxxx
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That was then and now is now, when younger and more tender farmed abalones are almost invariably what you are likely to get, unless you consort with poachers in New Zealand and they give you some of the paua they pry from the ocean floor with stealth and special iron tools.
Abalone delicious 2008
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Sammon in paua shud get fishes foar teh whole grouper cheezfrends ohn here.
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Debra gave me a couple of belated birthday presents -- a large bar of kiwi chocolate and a lovely lovely pendant made of pewter inlaid with paua shell -- and showed me her gifty for cleanskies -- a doll with moving legs which she'd covered with more paua shell on top, and a Louise Brooks bob haircut apparently synthetic hair is difficult to cut so good on you cos it was a great haircut.
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Down came the tightly knotted golden hair, all its pins put into a paua shell on the bureau.
The Thorn Birds McCullough, Colleen 1977
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Stretching, Padraic closed his book and put his pipe into the huge iridescent paua shell which served him as an ashtray.
The Thorn Birds McCullough, Colleen 1977
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Club (_patu_) of wood, inlaid with _paua_ shell and carved.
John Rutherford, the White Chief George Lillie Craik 1832
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'MTV's Guide to New Zealand' sees Scribe taking MTV to his favourite restaurant in Christchurch before paua diving up the coast in Kaikoura and cooking for the crew.
NZ On Screen 2010
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Growing oysters, mussels and paua sets up this region to provide high quality, high value product to markets around the world.
NZ On Screen 2010
mollusque commented on the word paua
A kind of abalone from New Zealand. Maori chieftains used to exchange the paua shells with the ritual words maora paua tuya, which is the origin of the phrase "more power to you", a mishearing by the British colonists.
November 8, 2007
yarb commented on the word paua
This is one of those etymologies (more power to you) that's too good to be true. I want, want to believe it, but I'm not sure I can.
November 8, 2007
skipvia commented on the word paua
I know, yarb. My first thought was that this was uselessness in disguise trying to put over one of his madeupical etymologies.
Still...
November 8, 2007
uselessness commented on the word paua
I'm uselessness and I approve this message. ;-)
November 8, 2007
sionnach commented on the word paua
My first thought was that this was uselessness in disguise trying to put over one of his madeupical etymologies.
People make stuff up on Wordie?! I am shocked, shocked... :-)
November 8, 2007
mollusque commented on the word paua
Busted! Should I apologize, when I retro-etymologize? ; )
November 9, 2007
uselessness commented on the word paua
Heavens no! The trick is to make your etymologies more subtly plausible, so no one but you knows what a filthy rotten liar you are. ;-)
(See also: archerent)
November 9, 2007
skipvia commented on the word paua
Mollusque: Apologize? Heavens no--this is a mark of honor on Wordie.
November 9, 2007
skipvia commented on the word paua
Hey, U: One of us should list "heavens no," it seems.
November 9, 2007
uselessness commented on the word paua
Heavens yes! We totally should. :-P
November 9, 2007
reesetee commented on the word paua
Uh huh. I see what's happening here. Uselessness is training ninja madeupical etymologists for his own Useless Secret Service, and mollusque is applying for a position.
Hey, we weren't born yesterday.
November 9, 2007
uselessness commented on the word paua
Quick, grasshopper. We've been discovered. Strike swiftly!
November 9, 2007
mollusque commented on the word paua
No worries, master. The world is our oyster.
November 9, 2007
skipvia commented on the word paua
Mollusque, you should be aware that many of us believe that uselessness himself (herself? itself?) is entirely madeupical as well.
November 9, 2007
uselessness commented on the word paua
I think, therefore I am madeupical. So much for pleading my case.
November 9, 2007
reesetee commented on the word paua
But of course he's madeupical. He's the product of our own fevered minds. That's what makes this so darn much fun!
Right, uselessness?
Right.
November 9, 2007
uselessness commented on the word paua
Nothing like mass hallucinations to brighten up a web site.
November 9, 2007