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What’s a Sun Shower and “Pineapple Juice”

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bath-body-pineappleWait, what? Spoon University says that a “Pineapple Juice” is Hawaiian slang for a “sun shower.” I sorta guessed what a sun shower is which is pretty much any day in Hawaii where you could see sunshine while still being rained on. But pineapple juice? I’ve never ever heard that phrase around here as related to weather. I would have guessed that a “Pineapple Juice Sun Shower” was a Bath and Body shower gel.

I do know that adding pineapple to any food item does make it magically Hawaiian though.

Chee!

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According to Kicks HI in collaboration with NMLS World, Chee! means:

The state of being stimulated, refreshed, or elated.
An exclamation of excitement that really has no real meaning said down here in Hawai’i. If you know, you know.

Chee!

And I’ll take their word for it, especially with awesomely designed duds emblazoned with Chee! Everyone needs some Chee! in their lives, and I doubt there can there be too much Chee!

Hawaiian Slang: Cheehoo!

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Now here’s an interesting one – cheehoo! This exclamation is a fairly recent addition to the Hawaii kine vernacular. It’s not old school pidgin since by no means did Andy Bumatai shout out cheehoo! in All in the Ohana. There’s a Samoan origin to cheehoo! but what does cheehoo! mean? It doesn’t matter what cheehoo! means since it’s a colloquial exclamation in today’s Hawaiian slang. Think of it like yahoo, wahoo, woohoo, or yee-haw. It’s just something you say when you’re excited or when you’re celebrating.

Notice too that I list cheehoo! with an exclamation point. The one thing with cheehoo! is that you have to say it from deep down. If you’re going to cheehoo!, you have to go for it and commit. Cheehoo! comes from the soul and isn’t for the meek. Watch local deejay, Slick Vic, demonstrate the proper cheehoo! to Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie when the Today Show visited the islands. Jump to 2:13 for the cheehoo! demonstration.

When done properly, a cheehoo! is truly a force. Witness a hearty cheehoo! stop the most powerful man in America. Not only did a cheehoo! interrupt President Barack Obama, it broke his train of thought, needing some time to regain his composure. Cheehoo!

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Huffington Post Features 27 Words to Learn Before Visiting Hawaii

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Oh snap, the Huffington Post has just outdone me with today’s article 27 Words To Learn Before You Visit Hawaii. My popular Pulpconnection post only features 21 Slang Words You Should Know Before Visiting Hawaii. Oh wait, I can’t count it seems. I have Parts 1 and 2 of the series with a total of 24 words, but still I’m three short!

Let’s quickly compare our lists of words you need to know before visiting Hawaii. Here’s HuffPo’s 27 words with Pulpconnection matches bolded:

  1. Aloha
  2. Mahalo
  3. Kōkua
  4. Mauka
  5. Makai
  6. Poke
  7. Windward
  8. Leeward
  9. Pono
  10. Vog
  11. Haole
  12. Howzit
  13. Honu
  14. Ohana
  15. Ono
  16. Malasada
  17. Da kine
  18. Kamaʻāina
  19. Keiki
  20. Lanai
  21. Pau
  22. Wahine
  23. Kāne
  24. Lei
  25. Pupu
  26. Auntie & Uncle
  27. Shaka

So we have eight matches of our respective lists. My other local phrase contenders are:

  1. lua
  2. shark bait
  3. “small world”
  4. “where you went grad?” or “what school you went?”
  5. poho
  6. Zippys
  7. lolo
  8. pakalolo
  9. mahu
  10. malo, mawashi, or mankini
  11. sukebe
  12. brah
  13. B-52 cockroach
  14. fut
  15. ainokea
  16. talk story

Of course, I’m preferential to my Pulpconnection lists, but it’s all good or is it “it’s all pono.” 😉

Mo bettah, I stay go make Part 3 of da kine list wit dese ones:

  • Au-rite
  • Mean
  • Can/No can
  • Shoots
  • We go
  • No ack
  • Scrap
  • K den
  • Hapa
  • Bobora
  • K-bar
  • Small kine
  • Moke
  • Choke
  • Okole
  • Like/No Like
  • chillax’n

The Meaning of Mahu Now Available

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Now available on local newsstands is the March 2014 issue of Mana. The feature – the meaning of mahu.

mana-mahu
The Meaning of Mahu

Seemingly, the subject of mahu is highly sought after, reviewing the analytics and popular search terms for Pulpconnection. Can’t believe how many visitors view my post, 21 Slang Words You Should Know Before Visiting Hawaii (Part 1), looking for a definition of mahu.

Shoots, den! Go take a look.

Interesting Searches for Hawaiian Slang

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A quick review of recent searches here at Pulpconnection reveal some interesting sought for terms. There are searches for howlie, maho, and shoots. I can only guess, but “howlie” has to be haole aka the white person as explained in 21 Slangs Words You Should Know Before Visiting Hawaii (Part 1).

“Maho” I’m assuming is the transvestite mahu. I doubt the search was looking for the Hawaiian garb “malo.”

And then there’s “shoots.” Not chutes but shoots. Coincidentally, I recently used shoots in an informal email to a coworker. It was mot juste so I went with it, but I began thinking about the term and wondered where it came from. Basically, shoots is akin to an affirmative used to acknowledge or agree with something.

Example

“I going stop by your house around 5.”

“Shoots.”

While shoots can stand alone, it’s frequently preceded by “k’den” or followed by “then” or “brah” – “k’den shoots” or “shoots brah.” What’s the etymology of this word, I have no guess. Just go with it okay? (And this is the part you reply back with “shoots!”).

21 Slang Words You Should Know Before Visiting Hawaii (Part 2)

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In Part 1 of 21 slang words you should know before visiting Hawaii, I went over basic, cultural, and dining slang. In Part 2, we talk terms off the beaten path and only in Hawaii.

Off the Beaten Path

da kine – the ultimate catch phrase that can mean just about anything. A smart haole coworker told me “da kine” is an idiomatic expression. Still confused? Let local tweeter @parkrat explain it to you.

lolo – crazy, dumb, stupid.

pakalolo – marijuana, pot, weed. See lolo.

mahu – a male who dresses like a female, a transvestite. Some mahus really, really look like women but remember that they are guys with a da kine.

malo, mawashi, or mankini – these articles of clothing are best depicted.

malo-mawashi-mankini

Malos are typically worn during hula performances, mawashis are adorned by sumo wrestlers, and mankinis are just da kine. In any case, you should not be caught in public wearing any of these.

sukebe – perverted, lewd. If you’re feeling adventurously sukebe in Hawaii, just remember this is a small world and you just might not live down your lolo actions.

Only in Hawaii

brah – Hawaii’s variation of bro/brother and the informal, local-style way of calling someone. A typical Hawaii welcome, “Howzit, brah!” But tourists should not say brah since it just doesn’t sound right. “Brah” is not the women’s undergarment that Victoria’s Secret will soon be supporting the sun-kissed bossoms of the wahine of Hawaii (sorry, did that sound sukebe?).

B-52 cockroach – those huge flying roaches Hawaii is famous for, remiscent of the B-52 bomber aircraft.

fut – fart, pass gas, flatulate. Everyone gotta do it, even Julianne Hough from Dancing with the Stars futs… on live television.

Without futs, how would you do the Dutch Oven?

ainokea – say it slowly, and you’ll recognize “I no care” as in “I don’t care.” This slang phrase has since become a popular brand name seen on shirts and logos around Hawaii.

talk story – to chat, chew the fat, shoot the breeze, converse (special request by KT Cat)

pau – done, finished like this list.

Hope you enjoyed parts 1 and 2 of 21 24 slang words you should know before visiting Hawaii. If not, then ainokea!