"Mkasi mbovu"

Translation: The broken pair of scissors

[Babu-G]

In British English we usually use the name "scissors" rather than "pair of scissors"

[Catriona28475]

I agree. Reported 9 May 2018

[ZackReagin]

In American English "scissors" is far more common than "pair of scissors" as well, though both are used.

[frank856835]

broken scissors should be acceptable

[phb2013]

"Broken scissors" was accepted on Jan. 2, 2019.

[sonjasennfrieden]

???????????

[wmmunting]

broken scissors still not accepted??????????????

[Catriona28475]

Don't hold your breath! They may not get round to fixing it for months. They are volunteers and hardly any students are paying for the course (how many times have you seen "PLUS" after someone's name?) so we can't really complain.

[EdwardThor2]

They shouldn't be volunteers. They should be paid. Isn't that one reason we're putting up all these ads?

[EdwardThor2]

Not

[Simon725845]

Why do everyone here suggest that broken scissors should be accepted?! In my opinion only functioning scissors schould be accepted!

[MBG266009]

Haha!

[MBG266009]

My complaint is that "bovu" means rotten, spoiled, or useless. If something is broken, it usually IS useless, but "useless" does not mean "broken". My language helper could not think of a Swahili adjective that specifically means "broken", only ones that mean "bad" and other more general adjectives like that, and like useless, "bovu". To say broken, she could only think of the verb, and say, "It has been broken" (vimevunjika)