Kiwi slang

New Zealand Slang

Ads - TV commercials, advertisements
Anklebiter - toddler, small child
Aotearoa - Maori name for New Zealand meaning land of the long white cloud
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. (A&P = Agricultural & Pastoral)
Arse - rear end, butt
Arvo – afternoon

Bach - holiday home
Banger - sausage, as in bangers and mash
Barbie - barbecue
Beaut - great; good fun; "that'll be beaut mate"
Big smoke - large town or city
Biscuit - cookie
Bit of dag - hard case, comedian, person with character
Bitser - mongrel dog
Bloke - man
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 birds/budgies - cheerful, happy, very good
Boxing day - the day after Christmas Day.
Braces - suspenders
Brassed off - disappointed, annoyed
Brekkie - Short for 'breakfast'
Brickie - bricklayer.
Brilliant - excellent; great; wonderful
Brown eye - to flash your naked butt at someone
Bring a plate - means bring a dish of food to share
Bugalugs - a bit like "mate" as in "how's it going bugalugs"
Bugger - damn!
Bugger all - not much, very little; as in "I know bugger all"
Buggered - exhausted
Bugger off - p1ss off, shove off, get out
Bum - rear end, butt
Bumper - fender
Bun-fight - social gathering with food
Bungy - kiwi slang for elastic strap, as in Bungy Jumping
Bun in the oven - pregnant
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  
Cast - immobilised, unable to get to your feet
Cheerio - goodbye
Cheerio - name for a cocktail sausage
Cheers - goodbye or thanks or good luck.
Chemist - pharmacy, drug store. Also a euphemism for druggist.
Cheque - check
Chick - slang word for woman/female
Chilly bin - sealable, usually polystyrene insulated box, for keeping beer & food cold
Chips - crisps (see Hot chips)
Chippy - builder, carpenter
Chocka - full, overflowing
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
Chrissy pressies - Christmas presents
Chuffed - pleased; as in "he was dead chuffed"  
Chuddy - chewing gum
Chunder - vomit, throw up
Cockie - farmer
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
Corker - very good
Cornflour - cornstarch
Cotton buds - Q-tips
Courgette - zucchini
Cracker - very good. See also wee cracker

Creek - small stream
Crib - small holiday home mainly in South Island. ?Also known as ?bach?.
Crikey dick! - gosh! wow!
Crisps - potato chips
Crook - sick, unwell
Cuppa - cup of tea, as in cuppa tea
Cuz - cousin, family

Dag - hard case, joker; comedian, as in "Joe Blow's a bit of a dag isn't he?" ?
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.
De facto - name used for a couple who are not married but are living together
Ding - small dent in a vehicle
Dole - unemployment benefit
Dodgy - bad, unreliable, not good
Doing the ton - Driving really, really fast! Doing 100mph.
Down the gurgler - failed plan
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
Drongo - stupid fool, idiot
Drop your gear - take your clothes off, get undressed
Dummy - pacifier
Dunny - toilet, bathroom, lavatory
Duvet - quilt, doona

Ear bashing - someone talking incessantly
Eh - pronounced as 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"? Also used as a substitute for "pardon"? or "what"? i.e. "eh"?
Entree - appetizer, hors d'oeurve

Fagged out - see knackered
Fancy - hanker after somebody
Fanny - A warning to Americans, take care how you use this phrase in New Zealand! A "fanny" refers to female genetalia; fanny is not the same as butt!
Far out - ?Oh my gosh! Expression of amazement.
Fizzy - soda pop
Finger stalls - back seats at the movie theatre, where adolescents take their girlfriends (but not to watch the movie!).
Fizz Boat - small power boat
Fizzy drink - soda pop
Flannel - wash cloth, face cloth
Flash - sensational or "that?s flash" meaning it looks really good
Flat - apartment, name for rental accommodation that is shared
Flicks - movies, picture theatre
Flog - steal, rob
Footie - rugby union or league, as in "going to watch the footie"
Footpath - pavement or sidewalk
Frenchie - condom
Fringe - bangs
Frock tart - It?s TV/Movie industry slang for someone who involved in making 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"
Full tit - going very fast, using all your power, as in "he was running full tit"

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!?"
G'day - universal kiwi greeting, also spelled ?gidday?.
Get off the grass - exclamation of disbelief; equivalent to "stop pulling my leg", "get outta here", and "no way"
Get the willies - overcome with trepidation
Gimme - abbreviation for "give me..."
Give your ferret a run - have sex
Gizza - abbreviation for "give us a..."
Going bush - take a break, become reclusive
Good on ya, mate! - congratulations, well done, proud of someone
Good as gold - feeling good, not a problem, yes
Greasies - fish and chips
Gridiron - American football. ?
Grizzle - whine, whinge, often done by children who are unhappy
Ground floor - first floor. Very confusing for Kiwi visitors to the States!
Gumboots or gummies - rubber boots, wellingtons
Guts for garters - in big trouble; as in "I'll have your guts for garters!"

Handle - pint of beer
Happy as larry - very happy
Hard case - amusing, funny person
Hard yakka - hard work
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
Hollywood - to fake or exaggerate an injury on the sportsfield
Home and hosed - safe, successfully finished, completed,
Hoon - Young adult driving fast, boy racer
Hooray - the Kiwi "Goodbye"
Hot chips ? chips/fries
Hottie - hot water bottle
Hosing down - heavy rain, raining heavily
How's it going mate? - kiwi greeting
Hunky dory/honky dory - everything's fine, as in "my life is hunky dory"

Iceblock - popsicle, Ice Stick

Jandals - thongs, sandals,flip-flops,
Jersey - sweater
Judder bar - speed bump
Jumper - sweater, jersey

Kiwi - New Zealander
Kiwifruit - Brown furry skinned fruit, Zespri, Chinese Gooseberry
Kick the bucket - die
Knackered - exhausted, tired, lethargic
Knickers - underwear
Knuckle sandwhich - a fist in the teeth, punch in the mouth

Laughing gear - mouth, as in wrap your laughing gear around this,
L&P - Fizzy soda water
Lemonade - 7Up
Lift - elevator
Lolly - candy, sweets
Long drop - outdoor toilet, hole in ground
Loo - bathroom, toilet
Loose metal - gravel road
Lorry - truck
Lurgy ? flu

Mad - crazy
Mad as a meat axe - very angry or crazy
Main - primary dish of a meal
Maori - indigenous people of New Zealand
Mate - buddy
Metal road - a country road (usually) with a gravel or shingle surface
Morris club - a very exclusive group or club of New Zealand males who call each other "Morris", and in doing so it can cause a great deal of confusion to outsiders when they greet one another by the same name; as in "How's it going Morris?" replied with "Good thanks Morris, and you?" Membership is by invitation only.
Motorway ? freeway
Munted ? stuffed, useless

Naff off - go away, get lost, leave me alone
Nana - grandmother, grandma
Nappy - diaper
North Cape to the Bluff - from one end of New Zealand to the other
Nought - zero

OE - Overseas Experience, many students go on their OE after finishing university, see the world
Offsider - an assistant, someones friend, as in "we saw him and his offsider going down the road"
Old bomb - old car
Oldies - parents
On the never never - paying for something using layby, not paying straight away
Open slather - a free-for-all

Pack a sad - bad mood, morose, ill-humoured, broken , as in "she packed a sad"
Pakeha - non-Maori person
Pash ? kiss/snog
Patties - burgers
Pav - pavlova, dessert usually topped with kiwifruit and cream
Perve - to stare
Petrol - gasoline, gas
Piece-of-piss - easy, not hard to do, as in "didn't take me long to do, it was a piece of piss"
Pikelet - small pancake usually had with jam and whipped cream
Piker - someone who gives up easy, slacker
Pike out - to give up when the going gets tough
Pinky - little finger
Pinky bar - a chocolate-covered marshmallow confection
Piss around - waste time, muck around
Pisshead - someone who drinks a lot of alcohol, heavy drinker
Piss up - party, social gathering, excuse for drinking alcohol
Pissed off - annoyed, angry, upset
Plonk - cheap liquor, cheap wine
Pong - bad smell, stink
Postal code - zip code
Pram - baby stroller, baby pushchair
Pressie - present
Pub - bar or hotel that serves liquor
Puckeroo - something that is broken, buggered or otherwise disfunctional
Pudding - dessert

Pushing up daisies - dead and buried

Quack - Medical doctor
Rack off - go away (angry), piss off
Rark up - telling somebody off
Rattle your dags - hurry up, get moving
Rellies - relatives, family
Root - have sex, get sex
Ropeable - very angry
Ring - to telephone somebody, as in "I'll give you a ring"
Rust bucket - decrepit motor car

Scarce as hens teeth - very scarce, rare
Scarfie - university student
Scull - consume, drink quickly
Scroggin - trampers high energy food including dried fruits, chocolate
Shark and taties - fish and chips
Sheila - slang for woman/female
She'll be right - not a problem, it'll be O.K.
Shippie - prostitute "working" the ships docked at our international ports
Shit a brick - exclamation of surprise or annoyance
Shoot through - to leave suddenly
Shout - to treat, to buy something for someone, as in "lunch is my shout"
Sickie - to take a day off work or school because you are sick
Skite - to boast, boasting, bragging
Smoko - break, rest period
snarky - mixture of sarcastic and nasty
Snarler - sausage
Snotty - snooty, ill-humoured, packing a sad
Sook - cry baby, wimp
Sparkie - electrician
Sparrow fart - very early in the morning, sunrise
Spinner - usually used to describe a female who is a little flakey/stupid (an air-head), as in "she's a real spinner!".
Spit the dummy - to throw a tantrum or get mad.
Sprog - child
Spud - potato
Squiz - take a quick look
Steinie - bottle of Steinlager, brand lager
Strapped for cash - low on cash, no money
Stubby - small glass bottle of beer
Stupid as a two bob watch - used to describe a person who behaves irrationally
Suck the kumara - to die or otherwise cease
Sunnies - sunglasses

Ta - thanks
Take a hike - expression of anger, as in; "Go away!" "Get lost!"
Tea - evening meal, dinner
Tiki tour - scenic tour, take the long route
Togs - swimsuit, bathing costume
Tramping - hiking
Trots - horse racing with a buggy
Trots - diaorrhoea as in "having a dose of the trots"
Trundler - shopping trolley
Twink - white-out
Two sammies short of a picnic - used to describe a person who is a "bit thick".
Up the duff - pregnant
Ute - small pickup truck
Veges - vegetables
Walkshorts - dressy shorts for men
Wally - clown, silly person
What are ya! - "Are you mad?" or "You're taking the piss!"
Whinge - complain, moan
Wobbly - to have a tantrum
Wop-wops - situated off the beaten track, out of the way location
Yack - to have a conversation with a friend, to talk
Yonks - forever, a long time ago, ages; as in "I haven't seen them in yonks".
You ain't wrong - that's right, yes
You can't help bad luck - contrary to the wording, the phrase quite often means congratulations!, also a dismissive phrase for "too bad" or "who cares"

[Bermy Girl]

Just had to share the new slang I picked-up when I was in NZ in March...

Hop on...to have sex!!!

[kokopeli]

Not so much slang, but our six year old had a spelling test at school last week. I'll try to use appropriate phonetic spellings so you get what happened. The teacher asked the class to spell a word that sounded like 'PIER' to English ears.

When they marked them, my six year old had got that wrong, but he was adament the word was spelled 'p i e r' so he went up to the teacher. "Oh no" she said, "I meant a 'pier of shoes" .

[Welshgirl]

lol that good old Kiwi accent - he will get used to it, I promise

Another slang word that we learned when Taffy's boss used to come over for a visit was 'durry', which means cigarette - he always used to say "I'm just nipping out in the garden for a quick durry" - always made us chuckle

[Welshgirl]

Originally Posted by Bermy Girl

Just had to share the new slang I picked-up when I was in NZ in March...

Hop on...to have sex!!!

And just HOW did you learn that phrase BG???

[MotherBear]

Originally Posted by Welshgirl

And just HOW did you learn that phrase BG???

I must admit I've been meaning to ask the same question since it was first posted, but kept forgetting. You've saved me the trouble WG.

[bstar]

I made the mistake of saying that I was having a root (I was looking for my wallet in my bag).....there was a lot of sniggers in the room.... very embarassing...