papa holua
n.— «Papa Holua is not the father of the hula hoop. It’s the name of an ancient Hawaiian sport that literally means “to slide into the pit” in Hawaiian.» —“Hawaii’s Insane and Ancient Downhill Sport, Papa Holua” Khalsa News Network Apr. 5, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What’s the official state fish of Hawaii? It’s the humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa. The name translates as “little triggerfish with a small snout like a pig,” puaʻa being the Hawaiian word for “pig.” The triggerfish is named for the large spine on its back...
Daniel Mendelsohn is a widely acclaimed author, critic, classicist, and professor at Bard College. A few years ago, when he was teaching an undergraduate seminar on The Odyssey (Bookshop|Amazon) his 81-year-old father, Jay, decided to sit in on the...