Spoon – koko
An old woman spoons cocoa out of a tin and into a cup.
Cup – ipu
A creature shaped like the letter E takes a cup, puts it on the floor and does a poo in it. In the cup is an E poo.
Door – tatau
A man shows off a tattoo on his arm. It is of a door that looks as though it leads to extradimensional places.
Oven – umu
A man tries to wrestle an emu into an oven.
Fork – paoka
A man is eating a casserole with a fork. Another man asks him what he’s eating, and he answers “Pork.”
Knife – naihi
A woman takes a knife and cuts her own knee.
Kettle – tīkera
(loan) A woman boils a kettle to make a cup of tea that has a carrot in it. The kettle boils the water in which floats the tea carrot.
Frypan – parai
A frypan is stuck to stovetop, so a woman tries to pry it off with a crowbar.
Towel – tāora
A princess is wearing a tiara on her head and nothing but a beach towel around her body.
Plate – pereti
A plate says to a woman “You are very pretty.”
Saucepan – hōpane
Someone knocks the bottom out of a saucepan and affixes it to a basketball backboard, where it serves as the hooping.
Broom – puruma
A puma is cleaning its house with a broom.
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The above is an excerpt from the upcoming Learn Maori Vocabulary With Mnemonics, by Jeff Ngatai, due to be published by VJM Publishing in the summer of 2017/18.