Re: Another look at the Hawaiian meaning of Lua

[Bertrand Mansion <lua@...>]

On Tue, Mar 3, 2009 at 8:25 PM, Bertrand Mansion <lua@mamasam.net> wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 3, 2009 at 7:32 PM, KHMan <keinhong@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Stefan Sandberg wrote:
>>>
>>> As far as I know, 'lua' became slang for restroom in hawaii after
>>> portuguese explorers used it to ask for the bathroom,
>>> hinting at the carving of a crescent moon often decorating the door.
>>>
>>> No idea where the origins of the martial art comes from though, but I
>>> doubt it's related, no :)
>>
>> [Sorry in advance if this is getting to OT]
>>
>> In the old days, outhouses are huts that have a hole in the ground. Hole ==
>> lua. Why would anyone carve a crescent moon on the door of an outhouse?
>> Mythology around the Pacific had a lot to say about 'princesses on the moon'
>> kind of myths, so it is highly unlikely one would do something so negative
>> as to associate a crescent moon with an outhouse. Also there is no intuitive
>> match in meaning from crescent moon to outhouse.
>>
>> Are you sure someone wasn't pulling your leg? :-) Some independent
>> confirmation of the story would be a good thing.
>
> Lua means hole or pit in Hawaiian. I guess Hawaiians, like many other
> people, use holes for toilets, so if you want to go to the toilets
> there, you ask for the hole. It doesn't mean lua means toilets... It
> has nothing to do with the Portuguese crescent moon although that made
> me laugh :)
>
> <http://ulukau.org/elib/cgi-bin/library?c=andrew&a=p&p=frameset&p2=search&p3=word&r=1&t=0&q=lua&summarise=1&l=en&w=utf-8&t=1>

Actually, I have found a definition that fits Lua perfectly, even in Hawaiian:

LU-A, s. See LUA, adj. A second; an equal; an assistant; a copy of a
writing. Kanl. 17:18.

Doesn't this sound like the perfect embedded language :)

<http://ulukau.org/elib/cgi-bin/library?e=q-0andrew-000Sec--11en-50-20-frameset-search-lua-1-011utfZz-8&a=p&p=frameset&d=D0.3.8.31&toc=0>

-- 
Bertrand Mansion
Mamasam