In a previous post, I explored the madimikira (idioms) found in the Shona novel Imbwa Nyoro by Renny M. Mumvuma. The use of idioms in the story adds richness and depth, creating vivid imagery that helps the reader picture scenes more clearly and enjoy the narrative even more.
There were so many idioms that trying to capture them all in one post felt like a disservice to you, the reader. So I decided to split them into two parts. Here’s the second batch of madimikira I came across as I continued reading.
- Kubata jongwe muromo
- Kugumirwa napasi
- Kutonhodza mwoyo
- Kupona napaburi retsono
- Kuva nemudzimu wacho
- Kupinda tsvuku
- Kupfeka zvinomisa vazhinji munzira
- Kuisa matope
- Kuva nechitupa chekunyepa
- Kuzvarwa
- Kuwira semazhanje
- Kuputsika misoro
- Kugumanisa (vanhu) misoro
- Kuwira nemuromo
- Kusunga muromo
- Kutsvaga nemaziso matsvuku
- Kukasika kumedza kutsenga uchada
- Kuita chekuda kuchera mwena nemuromo
- Kutaurira (munhu) chakatadzisa imbwa kuseka kunyenama ichigona
- Kutemwa nerisingapinzi
- Kufurwa nemhepo
- Kuzvisungirira
- Kubvunzira
- Kupazirwa musha
- Kutadziswa kukura
- Kubata maoko
- Kudya naJudas
1. Kubata jongwe muromo
Kumuka mangwanani-ngwanani.
To rise very early in the morning.
Kunaka had started spending nights at Sekai’s house, returning to his own home at the crack of dawn. As had become his routine, the next morning akabata jongwe muromo — he rose very early and quietly made his way back to his house.
The idiom subtly reveals Kunaka’s need for secrecy and fear of being discovered.
2. Kugumirwa napasi
Kutarisana nemamiriro ezvinhu anotyisa, anonetsa kana anonyadzisa zvekuti hauzive zvekuita.
To be completely overwhelmed by panic, helplessness, or shame.
After a bomb exploded during the night in Sekai’s neighbourhood, people ran out of their homes in panic, some barely clothed. Varume vaisiya vakadzi vavo kuSakubva vachiuya kumayadhi vakagumirwa nepasi zuva iri.
This idiom captures a powerful sense of being emotionally or mentally undone — of reaching a breaking point. In this moment, the panic was so intense that people abandoned all caution and dignity. The phrase vividly expresses how frightening and disorienting the experience was.
3. Kutonhodza mwoyo
Kuzvidzikamisa.
To calm oneself down.
After Kunaka sped off following the explosion, he was still visibly shaken when he arrived home. He saw Aunt Kurauone and Hazvinei outside and immediately asked Hazvinei for some water, achida kutonhodza mwoyo wake.
The idiom expresses the deep need to calm one’s heart or mind after being unsettled.
4. Kupona napaburi retsono
Kupotswa nenjodzi kana tsaona.
To escape narrowly.
As Kunaka reflected on the evening’s events, he worried whether anyone had seen him or noticed the clothes he left behind. He also wondered if Sekai was safe after the blast. In that moment, he thought to himself, ‘nhasi ndapona nepaburi retsono.’
Later, the idiom is used again when Chamunorwa tells the divine healer that although he lost his children, their mother vakatopona nepaburi retsono.
This idiom vividly captures the experience of escaping danger by the smallest margin.
5. Kuva nemudzimu wacho
Kureva kuti chinhu chine munyama.
To mean that the thing is unfortunate.
On hearing the news that Mary had lost the baby, her aunt, Aunt Kurauone started weeping and cried out to he ancestors on how they had forsaken them. She was so troubled and verbalised her grief. Chisina kudetembwa naVaKurauone zuva iri chaive chino mudzimu wacho.
The idiom here suggests that Aunt Kurauone spoke at length – it seemed there was nothing left unsaid.
6. Kupinda tsvuku
Kuva panguva yakaoma zvekuti unoshaya zvekuita.
To be in a trying situation.
When Kunaka went to see Sekai after the bomb explosion, he narrated his ordeal — how he’d returned home without any clothes and found Aunt Kurauone and Hazvinei outside. Reflecting on it, he said, ‘Mudiwa, nhasi ndapinda tsvuku.‘
The idiom captures a moment of deep discomfort or helplessness — being caught in a situation with no easy way out.
7. Kupfeka zvinomisa vazhinji munzira
Kupfeka zvinotaridzika zvakanaka, zvinoyevedza.
To dress exceptionally well.
Tsitsi was married to Chamunorwa, and she dressed with great style and confidence. Aipfeka zvaimisa vazhinji munzira.
The idiom paints a picture of someone whose appearance is so striking, it stops people in their tracks.
8. Kuisa matope
Kuvhiringidza chinhu kana kutoti uwane chinoshoreka pachinhu.
To ruin something or find fault with it.
Chamunorwa asked his wife Tsitsi if she was not worried about what people might say. She replied, ‘Ko munhu anotevedzwa? Kana ukaita zvakanaka anotoisa matope chete, saka zvevanhu hazvitevedzwi.‘
The idiom vividly captures how people can spoil or tarnish good deeds by finding faults or spreading negativity.
9. Kuva nechitupa chekunyepa
Kuva munhu anogara achinyepa.
To be a chronic liar.
After Tsitsi began her affair with Kunaka, she frequently made up stories to leave the house and meet him. Tsitsi akanga atove nechitupa chokunyepa — she already had a ‘certificate of lying.’
The idiom humorously suggests someone is so used to lying, it’s as if they have official proof of it.
10. Kuzvarwa
Kuva munhu akanaka pachimiro nepachiso.
To be very attractive and appealing.
As Kunaka mused over his success with Tsitsi, he confidently remarked to himself, ‘Ini ndakazvarwa nhai?‘ — a rhetorical way of acknowledging his own exceptional appeal.
This idiom highlights Kunaka’s self-assuredness and pride in his attractiveness.
11. Kuwira semazhanje
Kuwanika vanhu vazhinji vachida munhu, uye zvichiitika nyore.
For many to be easily be attracted to someone.
Kunaka boasted to himself that vakadzi vava kuwira pandiri semazhanje — women are falling for him as easily as ripe mazhanje fruit dropping from a tree.
The idiom vividly expresses how effortlessly Kunaka believed women were drawn to him, emphasizing his charm and success in romantic conquests.
12. Kuputsika misoro
Kuita semunhu wadzimaidzwa nepamusaka perudo kana kuda chinhu.
To be so into something that your head is messed up — overwhelmed or crazed by desire or emotion.
Kunaka thought, ‘Mhandara, nevanamai veruwadzano vese vaputsika misoro ndini.’ Young women of marriageable age and older women from his church were all so infatuated or obsessed with him that they were losing control, so he believed.
This idiom suggests a state of emotional or mental overwhelm, emphasizing the intensity of attraction Kunaka presumed he provoked.
13. Kugumanisa (vanhu) misoro
Kuita chinhu chinosanganisira vanhu vakasiyana uchiita zvine kunyengedza mukati nekusavabudira pachena.
To confuse or mess with several people at once.
Kunaka continued absorbed in his thoughts, ‘Ndichawagumanisa misoro vakadzi ve’mwaMutare,‘ meaning he was going to juggle and confuse the women of Mutare.
The idiom evokes the image of multiple heads colliding, symbolizing the deliberate chaos or confusion caused by someone who is playing with others’ emotions or intentions — in this case, Kunaka’s manipulative schemes.
14. Kuwira nemuromo
Kunyengedzwa nyore nemashoko.
To be easily won over by charm or words.
‘Tsitsi ndiye abvira kuwira pandiri nemuromo,’ Kunaka thought — meaning Tsitsi had quickly fallen for him simply because of his smooth, persuasive talk.
This idiom highlights the power of words and charisma in winning someone’s affection. It suggests that Tsitsi offered little resistance to Kunaka’s advances, emphasizing how swiftly and effortlessly she surrendered to his wooing.
15. Kusunga muromo
Kunyarara kana kuramba kutaura nemunhu, kazhinji nekuda kwekugumbuka kana kusafara.
To become silent or tight-lipped, usually out of anger or displeasure.
When Kunaka finally arrived at Sekai’s house after standing her up, she was visibly upset and wouldn’t speak. He asked, “Ko, muromo kuzosunga zvaita sei Sekai?‘ — questioning why she wasn’t speaking to him.
This idiom paints the image of someone “tying” their mouth shut, suggesting emotional withdrawal or silent protest. It captures how silence itself can communicate displeasure more loudly than words.
16. Kutsvaga nemaziso matsvuku
Kuda chinhu zvikuru zvekuti unochitsvaga nemwoyo wese, zvimwe kusvika pakushushikana kana kurwadziwa.
To desperately search for or long for something — to seek with intense desire, even pain.
When the doctor confronted Sekai for allegedly attempting to abort her pregnancy, he rebuked her sharply: ‘Hauzivi here kuti pane vamwe vari kutotsvaka vana nemaziso matsvuku vachishaya?‘— meaning, ‘Don’t you know there are others desperately trying to have children and failing?’
This idiom emphasizes how precious the thing being sought is — in this case, a child — and contrasts Sekai’s situation with those who are suffering in their desire for the same.
17. Kukasika kumedza kutsenga uchada
Kukurumidza kutora danho usati wanyatsonzwisisa zviri kuitika.
To rush to conclusions or act hastily without fully processing things.
After Sekai accused Kunaka of trying to kill her, he denied everything, claiming ignorance and dismissing her accusations as premature: ‘Sekai uri kukasika kumedza kutsenga uchada.‘— literally, “You are rushing to swallow before you finish chewing.’
This idiom warns against impulsiveness and premature judgment. In this context, Kunaka uses it defensively, suggesting that Sekai is reacting emotionally without considering the facts.
18. Kuita chekuda kuchera mwena nemuromo
Kuita kuita chinhu usina kunyatsofunga zvakanaka, zvichizopedzisira zvakuomera.
To do something ill-advised that leads to trouble.
When Sekai refused to let Kunaka leave and grew more aggressive, he began to panic. As he tried to calm her down, he deeply regretted ever getting involved with her: ‘Ndakaita chekuda kuchera mwena nomuromo chokwadi.‘— ‘I truly brought this on myself by digging a hole with my mouth.’
The idiom implies that through speech or reckless actions, one creates a trap or difficult situation for themselves. In this context, Kunaka is blaming himself for having spoken or acted in a way (perhaps flirting, making promises, or starting the relationship) that now leaves him stuck in a mess of his own making.
19. Kutaurira (munhu) chakatadzisa imbwa kuseka kunyenama ichigona
Kupfidzisa munhu.
To fix someone.
Sekai was unmoved by Kunaka’s pleas and threats. She went on to threaten him that she would make his life miserable. ‘Rwendo rwuno ndichakutaurire chakatadzisa imbwa kuseka kunyenama ichigona,‘ she said.
When someone says this, they are warning that they will do something so devastating that it silences, exposes, or completely humbles someone. Sekai’s use of it shows her intent to hit Kunaka where it hurts — she’s no longer begging or explaining. She’s promising consequences.
20. Kutemwa nerisingapinzi
Kushungurudzwa kana kurwadziswa zvakanyanya, zvawanga usingatarisiri.
To be deeply hurt or betrayed in an unexpected and painful way.
Upon seeing what had happened, Chamunorwa was in shock and cried out:
‘Maiwe! Ndiani aita basa iri baba iwe Soko? Ndiani anditema nerisingapinzi?‘
— ‘Who has done this, oh, Soko my father? Who has struck me with a blade that doesn’t cut?’
This idiom expresses the agony of emotional or psychological pain. Chamunorwa’s cry shows that he feels broken by what has occurred, hurt in a way that lingers and confuses.
21. Kufurwa nemhepo
Kumbotora zororo kuitira kuti umbozorodza muviri kana pfungwa.
To take a breather or relax .
Kunaka drove until he reached a common hangout spot. Trying to keep Sekai calm and unsuspecting, he said: ‘Sekai ngatimboburuka zvedu, timbofurwe nemhepo.‘ — ‘Sekai, let’s briefly get out of the car so we can be refreshed by the breeze.‘
The phrase suggests a desire to ease tension or fatigue — a casual way of expressing the need for a short break, especially during a long drive or stressful situation.
22. Kuzvisungirira
Kuita chinhu chinogona kuzokuipira.
To put oneself in a situation that could end badly.
After one of the police officers suggested they head to the spot Sekai had described, his colleague was skeptical and warned him against it. ‘Makoni, uku kunonzi kuzvisungirira kwauri kuda kuita. Munozoendako mangwana,‘ he said.
(‘Makoni, what you’re trying to do is called hanging yourself. You can go there tomorrow.’)
While the literal meaning of kuzvisungirira is ‘to hang oneself,’ the idiom is commonly used to warn someone that they are walking into a situation that could bring them serious trouble, danger, or regret.
23. Kubvunzira
Kutsvaga tsananguro kana rubatsiro kuburikidza nemasvikiro kana n’anga.
To consult a spiritual healer or medium for answers or help.
Chamunorwa, his parents, and his wife’s parents visited a divine healer kundobvunzira kuti chii chakanga chapaza musha waChamunorwa.They were seeking spiritual insight to understand the root cause of what had happened to Chamunorwa’s family.
The idiom conveys a culturally embedded response to unexplained or repeated tragedies, especially in family settings — seeking out a traditional or spiritual authority for clarity.
24. Kupazirwa musha
Kuwirwa nenhamo huru mumhuri.
To have one’s household devastated by severe misfortune.
‘Takapazirwa musha Vasekuru,‘ Chamunorwa said.
The phrase expresses deep misfortune — the sense that something tragic (like repeated child deaths) has broken the harmony or safety of the home.
25. Kutadziswa kukura
Kuvharirwa mukana wekuva nemhuri kana kuti kuzadzisa zvinotarisirwa muhupenyu.
To be blocked from growing into full adulthood — often marked by the ability to have a family.
‘Chanditadzisa kukura chinyi vasekuru?‘ asked Chamunorwa.
Here, Chamunorwa is seeking to understand what has spiritually or supernaturally hindered his growth as is shown by a family, following the sudden death of his children. He is referencing the cultural and spiritual expectation that one becomes a full adult through establishing a family and producing descendants.
The idiom reflects a belief that stagnation or repeated failure isn’t always random — it could be tied to spiritual causes, family curses, or ancestral displeasure.
26. Kubata maoko
Kunyaradza munhu anenge ashayikirwa nehama yake.
To offer condolences to someone who has lost a loved one.
When Kunaka arrived at Chamunorwa’s house, Mary began to wail loudly. Neighbours who heard the sound thought perhaps some relatives had come kuzobata maoko — to offer their condolences.
In traditional Shona culture, kubata maoko often involves shaking hands solemnly with the bereaved and saying phrases such as ‘nematambudziko,’ ‘nenhamo,‘ or ‘nedzinoparadza’ — all expressions acknowledging the loss and offering comfort.
The idiom captures more than just a gesture of sympathy. It reflects the communal and spiritual nature of mourning in Shona culture, where grief is shared, and the bereaved are supported both emotionally and ritually.
27. Kudya naJudas
Kuvimba nemunhu anozosvika pakukutadzira zvine runyengedzo mukati.
To trust or share with someone who ultimately betrays you — akin to the biblical Judas.
Chamunorwa could not believe that Kunaka, someone he had deeply trusted, had betrayed him. In disbelief, he said: ‘Handina kuziva kuti ndaidya naJudas.‘
— ‘I did not realize I was dining with Judas.’
This idiom draws from the story of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus despite their close relationship. It is used to express shock, hurt, and disappointment when someone trusted turns out to be a traitor or backstabber.
The rich use of madimikira in Imbwa Nyoro does more than add colourful language; it reflects deeply rooted cultural values, emotions, and worldviews. Each idiom carries layers of meaning that help readers connect with characters’ experiences, expressing complex feelings and social realities in vivid, memorable ways.
Exploring these idioms gives us insight not only into the story but also into Shona ways of thinking and communicating — where language is artfully woven with culture, spirituality, and everyday life. As we unpack more madimikira, we continue to discover how language shapes identity and storytelling in Zimbabwean literature.