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prettygoodwordkahuna (kuh-HOO-nuh) - n., a priest or priestess of the traditional Hawaiian religion; (surfing) an expert surfer; (slang) an important person (often as "big kahuna").
Many English dictionaries claim that in Hawaiian a kahuna is a priest or shaman, but some correctly (backed up by dictionaries of Hawaiian) says it's an expert in any profession, in particular used for doctors, dentists, and the like, as well as priests. It's been used in English in that narrow first meaning since the 1880s. The surfing meaning was popularized by the Gidget novels, movies, and tv series with the character the Big Kahuna, from which the slang sense apparently also springs.
---L.
Many English dictionaries claim that in Hawaiian a kahuna is a priest or shaman, but some correctly (backed up by dictionaries of Hawaiian) says it's an expert in any profession, in particular used for doctors, dentists, and the like, as well as priests. It's been used in English in that narrow first meaning since the 1880s. The surfing meaning was popularized by the Gidget novels, movies, and tv series with the character the Big Kahuna, from which the slang sense apparently also springs.
---L.
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Date: 2025-12-09 09:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-12-09 10:53 pm (UTC)Yup — especially a senior professor.