LL-L "Lexicon" 2005.12.28 (03) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 28 December 2005 * Volume 03
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From: "Hugo Zweep" <Zweep at bigpond.com>
Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2005.12.21 (11) [E]

Sorry Tom. Benefitting from the holiday presence of my son (Melbourne) and
son in law (Sydney) I understand that the phrase "big kahuna" is, albeit
infrequently, used in a typically Australian sardonic and mocking way to
describe someone who THINKS he is the boss or big cheese.

My son believes it came to Australia by way of American surfing films in the
late 1970s.

By way of slight variation, I remember a waiter looking for me at a large
family gathering by asking "where is the big cheese?"  One of my children
responded by pointing at me and saying "The wallet is over there".  Just
another way Australians have of making sure no-one has ideas above their
station.

Hugo Zweep

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Lexicon

Hi, Hugo!

Good to hear from you and to know you've been (hopefully) enjoying a bit
of a family huddle.  And thanks for letting us know the fate of "big
kahuna" and "big cheese" down under.  It would not surprise me in the
least to find it confirmed that the expression "big kahuna" entered
Australia by way of surfing films.  But don't forgot, either, that many
Australian surfers at least used to visit Hawaii for big events or even
for lengthy periods, and that a lot of Americanisms entered Australian
English in the 1970s, especially on the East Coast.  (Do you remember
those put-on American accents of popular radio show announcers, especially
in "Synny"?)

Perhaps it doesn't surprise you all that much to hear that the mere
mention of the word "kahuna" caused me to fall into a sudden, albeit brief
kahunic trance and vision quest for your Hawaiian name:

'Oluwahinoholalolipo
(< *Koruwafinoforaroripo)
lalo: beneath
lipo: southern star, southern sky
noho: dwell, reside
'olu: contented, happy, satisfied
wahi: place
wahinoho: place of residence

And your nickname came with it:

'Ekedālā-Ka'apeha
(< *Kete+{dollar}-Takapefa)
dālā: dollar, cash, money
'eke: sack, pocket, bag, basket; bag-shaped fish net; scrotum
'ekedālā: money bag
'eke'eke: small sack/bag, purse; scrotum
'eke'ekedālā: wallet
ka'apeha: impressively large

Hau'oli makahiki hou! (~ Hapenūia!)
Happy New Year!

Aloha mai Kapalakiko, Kaliponi, i 'Aukekulelia (~ Nuhōlani)!
Regards from San Francisco, California, to Australia!

Reinhard/Ron

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