I have failed, kinnemye; (in exam.) okugwa. f. of one's word, okujwaŋŋanya. f. to score, okukubo busu. f. to obtain, okusubwa.
walk with the feet turned outwards; fig. fail to conform, be out of step; diverge on political issues; be unfaithful, be guilty of marital infidelity, cf. embaliga.
be lacking, lack; be at a loss for; lose. Yabulwa eky' okuddamu. He was at a loss for an answer. Nnali siyinza kubulwa ddoboozi lye. I could not be mistaken about/fail to recognize his voice. Bwe yamunoonya n'abulwa n' agenda. When he looked for him without success (lit. and he was missing) he went away. Omuntu bw'abulwa by'ayogera anuuna ne ku vvu. (prov.) When a person is at a loss for words he even sucks on ashes. (This is said of a person who talks for the sake of talking).
o- (bu/-) surface of a drum; empty space, nothing, kukuba busu, to miss, fail to hit. Ebyasi byakubye busu. The bullets missed the mark.
o- (bu/-) forgetfulness, failure to remember, cf. -erabira.
lit. became unmarriage able in the yard (of her parents). Ensi endibiridde. The whole world looks gloomy to me.
fail; be destroyed/ruined/wrecked; be exhausted/tired out.
lit. (strength, amaanyi, implied by ga-) failed me. Contr. nnaatuukirira.
v.tr. figure out, workout, t devise means for. Nnemeddwa okugerenge-tanya eky'okukola. I couldn't (lit. have failed to) figure out what to do. cf. omu- gerengetanya.
gobesa (-gobesezza) v.tr. caus. 1 & 2 cause to chase/go after; cause to be expelled; cause to arrive/land; cheat, kugobya nkaaga, to fail in one's attempt. Ennyana togigobya muggo munene gutyo! Do not go after the calf with such a a big stick.
nnumbudde) v.tr. run into (e.g., a hostile animal); fail prey to; be a victim of, contract (an illness).
a- (ka/bu) reluctance; misgiving; failure to be convinced; regret; defect, ng'asigaddemu akakenyera, and he was not quite convinced, cf. ^kenya, kenyera, enkenyera.
e- (ki/bi) question, interrogation; examination, kugwa bibuuzo, to fail examinations. cf. buuza.
e- (li/ma) -fruit of the mukobe q.v. (It has a thin skin, a texture resembling that of the potato and is eaten boiled.) Ekika ky'Ekkobe, the Kkobe Clan, kukomba ku kya kkobe eky'ettungulu kiwoomerera, to be frustrated in accomplishing one's objective; fail to obtain what one wants, lit. to lick at the skin (kikuta is implied, by kya) of the kkobe, (whereas) the skin of the ttungulu is the one that is sweet.
be slow in cooking; refuse to ripen (of fruit); be stunted in growth (of persons); be silent, refuse to answer; remain motionless (when expected to act); sulk, okukona ku musomo, to fail a course and be obliged to repeat. Embooge ekonye. lit. The mbooge (a green vegetable which cooks easily) has refused to cook. Things have gone completely wrong.
make the sound characteristic of a cock; fail to grow (of a banana tree). N'ezikookolima, gaali magi, (prov.) The(chickens) which are crowing were (formerly) eggs. From little acorns great oaks grow.
usually kootakoota (-koose- koose) v.i. (redup.) be bent/bent over; walk with a stoop, okukootakoota mu ga lumonde, lit. to bend over in the sweet- potato leaves (ga implies malagala, leaves), i.e., to try to hide, but to be found out; to want to do something but to fail because of the wrong approach/technique.
fail to develop; grow thin; fail to become well cooked, cf. omukunduggu.
nnemye) v.i. & tr. fail; be too much for. Talirema kujja. He will not fail to come. He will certainly come. Ekyo kyamulema okukola. He failed to do that. That proved too much for him. Eby'obufuzi bimulemye. He has been a failure in politics. As an aux. verb lema is used in the neg. imper. and in the neg. subj. Tuleme kwerabira. Let US not forget. Kwata ekitabo kyo kireme okugwa. Hold on to your book so that it does not fall.
lemesa (-lemesezza) v.tr. caus. 1 & 2 cause to fail; cause to give up/despair; be too much for, be too great a burden/task for; make powerless; hold back, hinder.
nnimbye) v.tr. lie to; cheat, deceive, v.i. lie; fail in an objective. Owange Ssemutikke, otulimba ki ebiro bino?
o- (lu/n) large packet of salt, kusi- tula lubaya, to lift a very heavy load; to attempt a very difficult task (esp. something in which others have failed). Anti laba, zitutte olubaya! Look who has just passed by (esp. of somebody disliked- zitutte = empewo zitutte, the winds have taken). See also ekkerenda.
nnunze) v.tr. season, flavor, add flavor to; salt, okulunga taba mu mmindi, to fill a pipe with tobacco, okulunga kintu mu mmindi, to lose out on, fail to get., Bw'otoolime nnyo pikipiki gy'osuubira oku- gula ojja kugirunga mu mmindi. If you are not diligent with your cultivating you can forget about the motorcycle you were hoping to buy.
o- plur. empombo (lu/n) a young leaf of the banana plant which, after being softened by exposure to the sun, is used in cooking vegetable sauces. The sauce is inserted into about four layers of empombo and then steamed in the pot along with the main food dishes. Amagezi luwombo, bwe luyulika ng'osala olulala. (prov.) Wisdom is a luwombo; when it gets torn you can always cut another one. If one method fails, a wise person will adopt an alternative solution. oluwombo okulufumitamu akati, lit. to pierce a luwombo with a stick, i.e., throw cold water on someone's plans, ideas, etc. cf. ekiwombo.
ndya...) v.i. & tr. cheat; defraud; deceive; fail to pay. cf. omu- lyazaamaanyi.
e- (n/n) dog. Yadduka za mbwa. He ran very fast. Ekika ky'Embwa, the Dog Clan, kusanga mbwa, to have miserable luck; to go on a trip and fail in one's objective, lit. to meet a dog (on the way, a bad omen), cf. obubwa, akabwa, ^olubwa, Wambwa.
e- (n/n) upper part of the back, oku- linnya ku nfeete or okutuula ku nfeete, to defeat, triumph over; to cause to fail.
try to produce. Sakiriza ku maanyi oveeko mu nnyumba. Try to pull yourself together so that you can come out of the house for a while. Yagezaako okusakiriza enseko naye ne zimubula. He tried to find something to laugh at but failed. cf. akasaka, ekisakiro, omusasi, ensaka.
v. (in game), okugoba, okunywa; fail to s., okukuba busu; (cut) vide scarify,
v.i., okubereesera, okukwata; (in mud) okwetubika; s. at (keep on), okunnyikira; (fail) okulemera; s. up, okukikinala.
pass, miss out on, fail to get/hit/succeed. Tosubwa omukisa guno. Don't miss this opportunity.
a nkalakkalira.
a- adv. near, nearby. Awampi walema ekk ere okubuuka. (prov.) lit. (To) a nearby place is where the big frog fails to jump. Too heavy for light work. cf. -mpi, kumpi.
apparently a var. of wuba, -q.v. Snoxall gives the following m 6 an m ^ s : be insufficient for; slip the memory of; be too little for; fail.
rnpubye) v.tr. slip by, slip out, get by (of an unintended act); be overlooked; miss, be missed; fail. Ekyo kya- mpuba buwubi, tonyigga. This was an unintentional mistake/just slipped by me, don't get angry.
be mistaken/wrong; make a mistake; fail; go astray, bwe mba nga siwubiddwa, unless i am mistaken.
wubisa (-wubisizza) v.tr. caus. 1 & 2 cause to miss/fail; cause to be mistaken; mislead, lead astray.
mpumidde) v.tr. run into, bump into; stumble upon; mistake, fail to see.
mpuuse) v.tr. sup, sip. kuwuuta buva, to do with the greatest of ease, lit. to sup like sauce (cf. enva). Ebibuuzo nnabiwuuse buva. I had no trouble in answering the questions (on the examination). Ekigezo kyamuwuuta buva. He failed the examination completely. cf. Kawuuta.
be poured out; spill; overflow; fall down, collapse; pour in (as a group of people); fail, come to naught (of a plan), okuyiikamu, to strike it rich; to have a stroke of good luck. Nva kuyiikamu. I have just been paid. Alina amaaso gayiika buyiizi. She has gleaming eyes.
njiye) v.tr. spill; pour, pour out/away. v.i. flow, flow out/into (of a body of water); develop a rash; break out of the hill (of termites), okuyiwa Olungereza, to speak English very fluently, okuyiwa amagezi, to spoil/ruin apian, okuyiwa olutiko, to develop goose pimples, okuyiwa ebigambo, to pour out a torrent of words/invective, okuyiwako essubi, to spread grass, okuyiwa(ko) omukono, to sign one s name. Kva nsonvi nnvo okumu- yiwa. It is a shame to fail/disappoint him. Mwana muwala yamuyiwa. The girl jilted him. Omwami yanji(i)yeemu. My husband gave me some money/a treat.
v.tr. be lost to. Ekitabo kimbuze. I have lost my book, lit. the book has become lost to me. obusungu ne bubula okumutta, and he became furious, lit. anger almost killed him. Akakiiko kaamaze ekiro kyonna nga kateesa, ne kabulako kye kamaliriza. The committee spent the whole night in discussion, but failed to reach a decision. Ebulayo eddakiika ttaano okuwera essaawa ettaano. It is five minutes to eleven, lit. there are lacking five minutes to eleven (five by Bantu time). Ennyumba ye yabadde ebulayo katono mu maaso. His house was a short distance ahead. Yajja abulidde mu mugugu. He came loaded down (lit. disappearing into) with a large bundle. Ssente te(zi)bula mukwate. Money is not lacking to one who is arrested/apprehended (i.e., a person charged with an offense will do everything possible to have himself exhonerated). gunaabula asala, lit. the case (omusango is implied by gu-) will lack any one who (can) pass judgment, i.e., it will be a cliff-hanger/a'thriller, ' a contest whose outcome is in doubt to the end or it will be pandemonium, sheer chaos/confusion.
fail to grow; fig. be brought to a halt (of a job, project).
v.i. be inattentive; be absentminded; grope about; fail to see.
waste away; fail to achieve progress/ growth.
v.i. become stuck; stay in one position; stagnate; become blunt; become frustrated; fail.
(-konnontezza or konnontezezza) make blunt; cause to fail; bring to a dead end. cf. -konnontevu.
go sour (e.g., of milk), kufa mwoyo, to become disheartened/depressed. kufaako nsonyi, to die of shame/embarrassment. (Ebintu) bifa bantu. You cannot always win/be successful/get what you want (said in self-commiseration after a failure). Akanaafa tekawulira nnombe. (prov.) lit. The little (animal, akasolo, implied) who is to die does not hear (the sound of) the horn. Danger comes unawares. The infinitive okufa or okufa obufi serves as an intensifier for a preceding verb. Yazina okufa. She danced a great deal/ with great intensity. Omuwala yafaanana Nnambi okufa obufi. The girl resembled Nnambi in every detail. She was the very image of N.
school); skip a day; fail to come; stay over, okwosa enkya, the day after tomorrow, enduulu ezitayosa, regular/constant alarms. Tayosa kusoma mawulire. He never misses reading the news. Omwana oyo ayosa nnyo okugenda okusoma. The child is very irregular in his school attendance. okwosa inf.
okubatika amatama, to fail to respond, remain speechless.
ekikere kyayaza ennyama ku mutwe. (prov.) That which is inedible does not fail to become more abundant, the the frog has more flesh on the head (than elsewhere). Perhaps = the best things are the least abundant. okwala inf.
fail in; be overcome by; be unable to deal with, experience difficulty in dealing with. Talina ky'alemwa. There is nothing he cannot do. Nnemeddwa omulimu. I cannot do/I have failed to do the job.
v.i. be partially cooked; fail to cook; fig. be stupid/ idiotic/senile. Gundi akaddiye n'okubugu- yala abuguyadde. So-and-so has gotten so old that he is even becoming senile.
ne wattira. (prov.) You cultivate a small area and it is well cared for. It is better to be successful in a small job than a failure in a big one.
invent keep one's word; distort words, distort the (stories, lies); ascribe falsely. okujwaŋŋanya ebigambo, to twist/distort truth, be lacking in credibility.
o- (mu/mi) large amount of grass; grassy area, okwokya omusubi, to run away; to race away at great speed (of a vehicle), lit. burn the grass, okumalamu omusubi, to flee, run away, okukuba omusubi, to strike the air (when using a stick); to miss the target, fail in one's aim. cf. essubi.
f-tiiriridde) v.tr. appl. 2 fail to defend one's leader/commander; fail to meet one's obligations to.
v.i. be silent/ taciturn; be at a loss for something to say; fail to express oneself when one is expected to; be dumbfounded; be incommunicative while maintaining a sheepish or foolish expression.
nga bwe is usually rendered as. Nga bwe batali wano, sirowooza nit tukyabalabye. As they are not here, I do not think we are likely to see them, ne bwe = although, even if. Sandi- genze Entebbe omwami ne bwe yandintu- myeyo. 1 would not have gone to Entebbe even if the master had sent me. bwe -ti, like this; bwe -tyo, like that. Kibuuka bwe kiti. It jumps like this. Toyogera bw'otyo. Don't talk like that. The rel. adv. bwe must not be confused with the copula bwe, is/are; the poss. adj. bwe his/her; or the rel. pron. bwe which. The last three are used only in association with nouns whose class prefix is bu-.
occur; fail (in an examination), kugwa butaka, to fail to hit the mark, fail, be unsuccessful, kugwa mu bintu, to hit upon a good thing, have a stroke of luck, get a high or rewarding position, kugwa nsimbi, to go bankrupt, kugwa muntu, to become enamored of/‘fall for' a person, kugwa ku muntu, to backbite/ slander a person in his absence, butagwa kintu, not to miss anything. Omukazi oyo tagwa mikolo. That woman never misses any big occasions, kukigwako, to experience misfortune/tragedy/disaster. Abaana abo bakiguddeko. Those children have really had their share of misfortune, kugwa mu ttaano, to finally receive/get what one has anxiously wished or expected, lit. to fall in five (fingers). Ku Lwomukaaga omu- fumbi w'ettooke ajja kungwa mu ttaano. On Saturday I am getting married/the girl will finally be mine, lit. the cooker of matooke will fall in my five (fingers), kugwa mu buwufu, to follow in the footsteps of; to follow what anotheris saying, ‘catch on.' Yali tannaba kumalayo bigambo ne mmugwa mu buwufu. I understood what he was saying before he was finished talking. Akabenje ak'amaanyi kaaguddewo olunaku lw'eggulo. A serious accident happened yesterday. Kino kyamuguddeko bugwi. This came to him as a great surprise. Ekigambo kino olwamugwa mu kutu... When she heard this..., lit. when this word fell in her ear. Abagenyi baatuguddeko bugwi. The visitors came to us unannounced/unexpectedly.
fail to adhere; fade. Okuttibwa kwe kwandekera enkovu mu mwoyo eterinaabuka. His murder left a scar in my heart which will not go away.
v. tr. appl. 2 fail to catch/grasp firmly; almost let fall; catch something toppling.
lacking in substance (e.g., of the inside of a fruit which has failed to develop). Oyo kisassalala. He is empty-headed/stupid.
ente ennume, bull. Yansimba ennume y'ekigwo. He threw me right down. He caused me to take a serious fail (as in wrestling), cj. eddume, sseddume.
tighten up the muscles (e.g., before receiving an injection). amagezi ne gannetippa, and 1 was at a loss/my wits failed me. cf. -etippu.