one who does not wish to dirty his fingers by doing work, lit. pretty-fingers. cf. engalo, nana.
spread over; go/ reach all over; get one's share, get enough; participate; be enough to go around (of food). Abaana bonna babunye. All of the children have gotten enough/their share. Amawulire geeyongedde okubuna wonna mu ggwanga. The news continued to spread all over the country, kubuna kkubo, to stagger along the road (like a drunken man). obudde ne bubuna emiwabo, and it was dawning, lit. was scattering in all directions. Eky'abangi kibuna engalo. (prov.) lit. Something used by many people has finger marks. What is used by many is soon spoiled.
make a crackling sound; go off (of a gun); burst, explode; thunder; ache (of bones); speak harshly, make an outburst, okubwatuka kw'engalo, a burst of applause.
etc.; cause pain (of an internal physical nature); break; beat. Omutwe gumbwatula. I have a splitting headache, okubwatula engalo, to applaud, break out into applause, okubwatula emiggo, to beat severely (with sticks/canes). cf. -bwatufu, kibwatukira.
v. (hands), okukuba mungalo, okuwaatula engalo.
engalo.
to place the palms together; to loaf around, do nothing. Tolikula oliwumba mmindi. You will never grow tip, lit. you will grow up molding clay pipes.
okuyanza engalo; I feel sick, emmeeme ensinduukirira.
engalo. little f., nnasswi. first f., olunwe, nvamumba. second f., kkwemmembekedde. thumb, ekinkumu.
okuwammanta, okuyanza engalo.
etc.; to rattle, okugalangatanya ekiwanga mu ngalo, to sleep, go to bed, lit. rattle the skull in one's fingers. Yagalangatanya ensimbi za Gavumenti, kati ali mu kkomera. He embezzled government funds and is now in jail. cf. omugalangatano; golongotana.
e- (li/ma) thumb, ow'eggalo, expert thief, cf. engalo.
e- (li/ma) afternoon; early evening; (with a past tense verb) yesterday afternoon. olw'eggulo, this afternoon or some particular afternoon. Essaawa ez'olw'eggulo tubeera ka. We are at home in the afternoon hours, jjo olw'eggulo, yesterday afternoon or (with a future tense) tomorrow afternoon, enkya olw'eggulo, tomorrow afternoon. Bwe nnaakukwatako engalo tujja kudda ggulo. When I get my hands on you we are really going to have it out, lit. we will return late in the day. cf. ekyeggulo.
omulimugw'engalo.
a- (ka/bu) small finger. Alina akagalo. He is light-fingered/adroit in stealing, cf. engalo.
a- (ka/bu) nerve, obusimu obuli mu ngalo, the nerves (which are) in the fingers.
a- (ka/bu) extremity; tip; point; pointed end; pointed tooth, canine tooth, obusongezo bw'engalo, the finger tips. cf. songa.
a- (ka/bu) small cloth; napkin; handerchief. akatambaala ak'omu ngalo, handerchief. akatambaala k'oku mutwe, head scarf, cf. ekitambaala.
e- (ki/bi) thumb, ebinkumu by'engalo, fingerprints.
ennyingo y'engalo.
identical with the above, v.tr. frustrate, block; incapacitate. okukonera oluggi, to refuse to answer the door. Mmukonedde ebigenge ngalo. I have frustrated his efforts. I have blocked him (as leprosy does to fingers). cf. konoona.
etc. v.tr. appl. be in charge of fa department, an organization); be older than. Ankulira. He is older than I or He is my boss, kukuliramu engalo, to have the habit of petty theft/pilfering.
uproot; pull up; pull out. kukuulawo muntu, to beat out/ excel over (an opponent, competitor). Bwe nnaakukwatako engalo, banaakunkuulako bukuuzi. If I get my hands on you, they will have to drag me away.
nnembese) v.tr. place, put (a vessel in position to catch a liauid): catch (a liquid) in a vessel, okulembeka engalo, to cup the hands.
ndeze) v.tr. nurse (a child); bring up, rear. Omwana bw'omulera era bw'akula. (prov.) lit. As you bring up a child, so he grows. An adult is the product of his childhood training, okulera engalo, to twiddle one's thumbs, be lazy.
o- (lu/n) finger, cf. engalo.
a- (li/ma) pincers, pliers, as the plur. o/eggalo, ugly, fat, dirty fingers. cf. engalo, nnamagalo.
e- (n/n) space(s), opening(s). empataanya z'engalo, the spaces between the fingers, empataanya z'oluggi, the opening in the door, cracks in the door.
clean up; colloq. get easy money, ‘clean up.' oku- naaba mu ngalo, to wash one's hands. Annaabamu. He makes fun of me.
<e- (n/n) kind of banana, ngalo za nkago, palms (of the hands) which are rather pale in color.
e- (n/n) bag; handbag; pouch; sack; pocket; fund, sum of money set apart for a specific objective, ensawo ey'omu ngalo, woman's pocketbook; briefcase, kukwatira nsawo, to be about equal. Mu bugagga Mukasa akwatira Musoke ensawo. Mukasa is about as rich as Musoke. cf. omusawo.
v., okukuba n'engalo, okukuba oluyi; s. the slips, okweswanta, okuswankula, okwenuguuna.
e- (n/n) CSu>.,Pers. ] telephone; telephone call; telegram, wire, okukuba essimu, to telephone; to send a wire, essimu empandiike or essimu ey'omu ngalo, telegram, ennamba y'essimu, telephone number.
tnpadde) v.tr. give, waayo (with the encl. -yo) give away; give up; offer, kuwa mukisa, to give a blessing to, to bless, kuwa ngalo, to applaud, kuwa mukongo, to wave down a vehicle with one's hand, kuwa mutwe mubi, to cause bad luck to. kuwa matooke bwala, to eat heartily, kuwa muntu mutwe, e.g., Mukasa mu kuvuga eggaali tewali amuwa mutwe. There is no one who can equal Mukasa in bicycle riding. Ompadde, ssebo! Thank you very much, lit. you have given me, sir.
beat, -hit. v.i. locc/chcd leaves, ukuM-aaiu'ia emiggo, to beat with sticks, okuwaatula oluyi, to slap, okuwaatula engalo, to clap the hands.
blaze; shine, shine brightly (of the sun); light up; fig. flare up in anger, be burned up;' suffer from great hunger or thirst. Omusana gwagenda ne gwaka e Kalongero okuyitirira, era kati abantu baayo baaka anti emmere tekyala- bika. The sun has been shining with great intensity at Kalongero and now the people are suffering from famine and food is not yet available, n'azikubamu ne zaaka omu- liro, and he clapped his hands excitedly, and he was shocked/stunned, lit. and he struck them (-zi- - ngalo = hands) and they burned like fire. okwaka inf.
nnyanjadde) v.tr. spread, spread out; spread over; overwhelm; expose, v.i, spread out, cover (an area). okwanjala amagulu, to spread the legs, okwanjala engalo, to be emply-hnnded, lose something, be missing something. Ekiswa kyanjadde. The termites are hovering preparatory to flight, also fig. The appointed time is drawing nigh. okwanjala inf.
etc. kwanjaza mu nsimbi kali, to be extremely rich, kwanjaza ngalo (or magalo), to finger everything indiscriminately. cf. yanja.
okufunya akagalo (or akamwa), lit. to bend the finger (or mouth), i.e., to refuse to provide a person with information or with something which he had desired, okufunya engalo, to clench the fists.
calm down; become indifferent, lose interest. Ekiwola bakikwasa engalo. (prov.) lit. That which cools down, they take a hold of it with the fingers. One should not respond to a difficult situation by panicky or impulsive action, engabi eyakula n'ewola, a full-grown bushbuck, lit. one who has grown and cooled.
kuliisa bijanjaalo mpiso, to be careless/indifferent about things, kuliisa bujiiko, to be high and mighty, be ostentatiously rich, be ‘highbrow,' lit. to eat with (European) teaspoons, kuliisa maaso, to look at carefully, kuliisa ngalo, to eat with one's fingers, kuliisa njala, to eat ravenously. Jjangu ondiiseliise. Come and keep company with me while I eat.
o- also omulemampangu kind of tree with very hard wood, Pappea ugandensis. century, with the -a of rel. modern, up-to- date. eby'okulwanyisa eby'omulembe, modern arms/armaments. The plur. emi- rembe has the additional meanings: peace; safety; as adv. safely. Twatuuka mirembe. We arrived safely, emirembe n'emirembe, for ever and ever. Emirembe ngalo. Things come and go, lit. generations are fingers.
to point the finger at. okusonga engero, to tell stories/p arables/pro verbs.
cf. amagalo, engalo.
smile (at). Bwe yandaba n'ansekera. When he saw me he smiled at me. kusekera mu kikonde, lit. to laugh in one's fist, to try vainly to suppress one's laughter (esp. after having beaten somebody at something), kusekera mu ttabi lya ngalo, lit. laugh in the spaces between the fingers = the foregoing.
v.tr. caus. cause to buy; sell; buy with/using. Omubbi aguza ngalo. (prov.) A thief makes purchases with his fingers.
e- (n/n) finger; hand, engalo ensajja, thumb. Yankutte mu ngalo. He shook hands with me or He took me by the hand. Baamukubira mu ngalo. They applauded him. Alina engalo. He is light-fingered, omuntu ow'engalo, thief, ow'eggalo, expert thief, kufunyira ngalo, to spoil (someone's) chances; to ruin (someone's) plans; to refuse (someone's) requests, cf. eggalo, akagalo, olugalo, amagalo, nnamagalo.
to resolve with determination, used in sentences of the following pattern: Bwe siikwase mmese eno olwa leero nga nziga ngalo. I'll be damned if I don't catch that rat today.
ente ensajja, bull, omukono omusajja, the right hand, ekigere ekisajja or eggere essajja, the big toe. engalo ensajja, the thumb, enjoka ensajja, gonorrhea. omwezi omusajja (= ddumbi, q.v.), the rainy season between August and November. cf. sajjakula, sajjawala, obusajja, olu- sajja, olusajjalala, olusajjasajja, amasajja, omusajja, nnasajja.
be cooked; fig. be pained/bruised. Engalo zinneefumbye olw'okukola ennyo. My fingers are bruised from too much work, okwefumba ku kintu, to struggle hard with something, undertake a difficult task. Emmeeme etefumba bigambo ekwogeza munno by'atalyerabira. (prov.) lit. A heart which does not cook its words makes you say what your friend will never forget, i.e., think before you speak.