e- (ki/bi) large hide/skin. cf. eddiba.
e- plur. amaliba (li /ma) skin; hide; cover (of a book or magazine). Lugaba yabuggyako eddiba. [t dawned. Dawn came, lit. God took the skin/covering off of (day, daytime, implied by -bu- = obudde). okufuna ekigulira Magala eddiba, to make money, get some money, get something profitable. Bwe batusiba mu ddiba erimu tuliyuza. We just do not get along. We are mutually incompatible, lit. if they tie us in one skin we will tear it open (an almost hopeless feat), cf. ^akaliba, ekiriba.
e- (li/ma) egg. amagi amasii ke, fried eggs, kukuba za ku magi, to be a coward, act in a cowardly way, lit. strike the hens (enkoko is implied by za) (who are sitting) on the eggs. Kiriba kya nsonyi bwe mulirya eggi. lit. It will be a shame if you eat the egg. This derives from the proverb okulya eggi okwesub.ya omuwula, to eat the egg and miss the meat. The implication is that if one allows an egg to develop into a chicken the gain will be greater. Bulijjo afuna magi mu kubala. He always gets zeros in arithmetic, cf. ekigi.
v. tr. caus. cook lightly/hastily; make short/brief. Nviirako ddala oba oli mugezi sikubanda- gaza effumu lyange Kiribaki. You will leave me alone if you are wise, else I will hurl my spear Kiribaki at you.
v.tr. caus. intens. force to play; tease; play around with. Olaba embvva ezannyiikiriza ekiriba ng eneekirya. (prov.) When you see a dog playing around with a hide (you know that) he will eat it. This is apparently a variation of the cat and mouse' theme. cf. kazannyirizi, ekizannyiro, oluzannva, omuzannyi, omuzannyirizi, omuzannyo.