| ads: | TV commercials, adverts |
| A & P Show: | usually a 3 or 4 day event where farmers strut their stuff and win prizes for best cow, largest onion, best pikelet etc. Often has sideshows for the townies, with ferris wheels, dodgems and such like. (A&P = Agricultural & Pastoral) |
| arse: | rear end, butt |
| banger: | sausage |
| bach: | small holiday home, pronounced "batch" |
| beaut: | great; good fun; "that'll be beaut mate" |
| bit of a dag: | hard case; comedian; joker |
| biscuit: | cookie |
| bloke: | usually a man, and often used when referring to a stranger as in; "There's this bloke down the road who sells greasies from his pie-cart for $1 a bag, which is much cheaper than that bloke who has a shop", or used when referring to someone you like, as in; "That bloke, Joe Blow, is a really nice guy once you get to know him" |
| blow me down: | expression of surprise, as in: "Well! Blow me down, I didn't know that." |
| bludge: | to sponge off others; as in "dole bludger" |
| Bob's your Uncle: | roughly translates to 'there ya go - that's all there is to it!' Just press this big red button that says 'Launch Missile', and "Bob's your uncle". |
| bonk: | to have sex with |
| bonnet: | car hood |
| boohai: | awry; out of the way non-existant place. As in "up the boohai shooting pukeko's with a long-handled shovel": said in response to "Where are you going?", and meaning either "Mind your own business" or "I'm just wandering around". Or "up the boohai" (out of place; awry) |
| boot: | car trunk |
| box of budgies: | cheerful, happy, very good |
| boxing day: | the day after Christmas Day. This word comes from the custom which started in the Middle Ages around 800 years ago: churches would open their 'alms boxe' (boxes in which people had placed gifts of money) and distribute the contents to poor people in the neighbourhood on the day after Christmas. The tradition continues today |
| boy-racer: | Young hoon in fast car with unbelievably loud stereo! |
| braces: | suspenders |
| brassed off: | disappointed, annoyed |
| brickie: | bricklayer |
| brilliant: | excellent; great; wonderful |
| bugalugs: | a bit like "mate" as in "how's it going bugalugs" |
| bugger all: | not much, very little; as in "I know bugger all" |
| buggered: | exhausted |
| bugger off: | piss off, shove off, get out |
| bum: | rear end, butt |
| bumper: | fender |
| bun-fight: | social gathering with food |
| bun in the oven: | pregnant (also see) |
| bush: | small and large trees and native plants densely packed together - sort of like a small forest |
| bust a gut: | make an intense effort |
| cackhanded: | left handed, southpaw |
| candyfloss: | cottoncandy |
| capsicum: | green pepper |
| car park: | parking lot |
| caravan: | trailer, mobile home |
| cardy: | woollen button-up-the-front jersey (also cardie) |
| carked it: | died, kicked the bucket |
| chips: | french fries |
| cheers: | goodbye or thanks or good luck |
| chemist: | pharmacy, drug store. Also a euphemism for druggist |
| cheque: | check |
| cheerio: | good bye |
| chilly bin: | sealable, usually polystyrene insulated box, for keeping beer & food cold |
| chippy: | builder, carpenter |
| choc-a-block: | full to overflowing |
| chocolate fish: | a chocolate covered marshmallow fish. Also frequently given (literally or figuratively) as a reward for a job well done; as in "Good on ya, mate. You deserve a chocolate fish" |
| choice: | very good |
| chook: | chicken |
| chrissy: | Christmas |
| chuffed: | pleased; as in "he was dead chuffed" |
| chunder: | to vomit |
| cods wollop: | untrue statement or remark is referred to as a "load of lod cods wollop" |
| colly wobbles: | a feeling of nausea usually associated with nervousness; as in "bungee jumping gave me a dose of the colly wobbles" |
| corker: | very good |
| cornflour: | cornstarch |
| cotton buds: | Q-tips |
| courgette: | zuchini |
| cracker: | very good |
| crib: | small holiday home |
| crikey dick!: | gosh! wow! |
| crisps: | potato chips |
| crook: | sick, unwell |
| cuppa: | cuppa tea, cuppa coffee, cuppa milo |
| cuz: | as in male or female cousin |
| dag: | hard case; joker; comedian, as in "Joe Blow's a bit of a dag isn't he?" "A bit of a dag mate! - He's the whole sheep's arse!" (Perhaps you have to be a Kiwi to appreciate that one) |
| dairy: | "corner" store originally only selling milk, bread, papers, convenience foods and dairy produce, and until the past decade or so, the only shop allowed to open 7 days a week. Still is the only shop allowed to open on Christmas day and Good Friday, for a few hours, and without a special licence. |
| ding: | a small dent in a vehicle; as in "the prang caused a bit of a ding" |
| dole: | unemployment benefit; income support for the unemployed |
| dodgy: | bad, unreliable, spoiled; as in "that fish is a bit dodgy" |
| doing the ton: | Driving really, really fast! but corrected by Phil Lyall as "Doing 100mph" (and I agree, although only us "oldies" would remember the thrill of the possibility your car could actually go that fast!) |
| draughts: | checkers |
| dreaded lurgy: | alternative name for the flu or a head cold; used as an excuse for not going to work, as in "I can't come in today because I have the dreaded lurgy". Also slang for venereal diseases. |
| dressing gown: | bathrobe |
| dummy: | pacifier |
| dunny: | toilet, bathroom, lavatory |
| duvet: | quilt |
| entree: | appetizer or hors d'oeurve. Memories of limp lettuce & shrimp smothered with a disgustingly pink sauce always come to mind here. Thank goodness the Kiwi taste buds have finally "grown up" |
| eh: | pronounced as you would the letter "a" and often used at the end of sentences when expecting a response to a statement - it is not spoken as a question. i.e. "This would be a better gift eh", instead of saying "Do you think this would be a better gift"? Using it this way has become an everyday part of our conversation. It is also often used as a substitute for "pardon"? or "what"? i.e. "eh"? - but neither "what"? nor "eh"? are really acceptable and you would probably get a lengthy lecture about polite language if you tried using it too often (you would from me anyway!) |
| fagged out: | see: knackered |
| fancy: | hanker after somebody |
| fanny: | A warning to Americans, from an American, take care how you use this phrase in New Zealand! A "fanny" refers to female genetalia; fanny is not the same as bottom! |
| fizzy: | soda pop |
| finger stalls: | back seats at the movie theatre, where adolescents take their girlfriends (not to watch the movie!). Although these days they don't necessarily bother with the back seats! |
| flannel: | wash cloth |
| flash: | sensational or "thats flash" meaning it looks really good |
| flat: | apartment |
| flicks: | movies, picture theatre |
| flog: | steal, nick |
| footpath: | pavement or sidewalk |
| fortnight: | two consecutive weeks, derived from 14 days (nights) |
| french letter: | condom |
| frenchie: | condom |
| fringe: | bangs |
| frock tart: | without the persistance of Laura Straub the meaning of this phrase would have remained a mystery. Quote: Its TV/Movie industry slang (and it is Kiwi!) for someone who works on/designs/sews the costumes. The term came from a disclaimer at the end a rather costume intense version of 'Xena: Warrior Princess'. It read: "No frock tarts were killed during the production of this motion picture, however, many wished they had been" |
| gas guzzler: | large car, usually associated with older USA imports |
| gawk / gawking: | stare at; take a look at. As in "What are you gawking at!?" or "Take a gawk at this!" |
| get off the grass: | exclamation of disbelief; equivalent to "stop pulling my leg", "get outta here", and "no way" |
| gimme: | abbreviation for "give me..." |
| give your ferret a run: | have sex |
| gizza: | abbreviation for "give us a..." |
| going bush: | become reclusive; to take off for the bush and live for an extended period to "get away from it all" |
| good on ya, mate!: | congratulations, well done |
| good as gold: | a good job well done; not a problem; an affirmative answer; Question: "Do you mind if I pay for this later"? Answer: "Good as gold mate, good as gold" |
| greasies: | common term for fish and chips, probably because they usually are! (greasy that is) |
| ground floor: | first floor. Very confusing for Kiwi visitors to the States! When using lifts (elevators) we are always one floor out! |
| gumboots: | rubber boots, wellingtons, wellies |
| gummies: | gumboots |
| guts for garters: | in big trouble; as in "I'll have your guts for garters!" |
| hard case: | joker; comedian |
| hard yakka: | hard work, associated with labouring |
| heaps: | general expression to mean a lot, as in "miss you heaps", or try hard; "give it heaps" |
| hissy fit: | throwing a tantrum when things you don't get your way or when someone does something to offend you |
| hokey pokey: | 'sea foam' candy |
| home 'n hosed: | safe, completed successfully |
| hoon: | usually associated with young adults, fast cars, loud stereos and alcohol |
| hooray: | the Kiwi "Goodbye" |
| hosing down: | raining heavily |
| hottie: | hot water bottle |
| hunky dory/honky dory: | everything's fine, as in "my life is hunky dory" |
| ice block: | popsicle |
| jandal: | thongs, flip-flops |
| jersey: | sweater |
| judder bar: | speed bump |
| jumper: | woollen sweater |
| Kiwi: | New Zealander |
| kiwi: | an endangered flightless bird native to New Zealand |
| kiwifruit: | hairy skinned fruit with lime green flesh - formerly known as Chinese Gooseberry |
| kick the bucket: | die, cark it |
| knackered: | stuffed; fagged out; rooted, as in "I am knackered"; "that bike is knackered" and surplus farm animals go to the "Knackers Yard"! (This word has MANY uses - few of them being optimistic!) |
| L&P: | fizzy soda water, Lemon & Paeroa (L&P); originally lemon flavoured spring water from the town of Paeroa, but this is no longer the case |
| lemonade: | 7Up |
| lift: | elevator |
| lolly: | candy |
| loo: | bathroom |
| loose metal: | gravel road (see also metal road) |
| lorry: | truck |
Startseite