Kiwi Lingo
AA - New Zealand Automobile Association provides road information and roadside help to members of the organisation
All Blacks - National rugby team
Bach - beach or weekend cottage
Barbie - short for barbeque
Beehive - Parliament House
Big Wednesday - mid week lottery
Big Smoke - large town or city
Bludge -accept something and give nothing back
Booze - alcoholic drink
Bull - nonsense or untruth
BYO - bring your own, usually means you can take wine to an unlicenced restaurant
Coaster - person from the West Coast
College - High School
Chilly-bin - Portable cooler
Choice - wicked -great, unreal, cool
Crate - wooden box to carry beer
Crib - South Island term for a beach or weekend house
Crook - sick, dishonest
Cuzzies - cousins, relatives
Dag - amusing person or thing
Dairy - corner shop or grocery store
DOC - Department of Conservation
Down Under - New Zealand and Australia as viewed from the Northern Hemisphere
Fair Go - fair chance
Fish & Chips - Terakihi, Cod or Hoki, cooked in batter, with plenty of tomato sauce
Fortnight - two weeks
Gidday - greeting or hello
Godzone - New Zealand, as in God’s own
Good as Gold - Very good
GST - goods and services tax
Handle - glass of beer with a handle
Hangi - traditional Maori feast, complete with wild pork and kumara
Hard case - resolute, independent, wild, amusing
Hen’s teeth - scarce
Hokey Pokey icecream - Unique NZ flavour with honeycomb crunch
Hoon - hooligan
How’s it goin’ mate? - New Zealand greeting
Instant Kiwi - Lottery scratch card
Is It What! - Strong agreement
Jandals - thongs and sandals, flip flops
Jersey - jumper, pullover
Judder Bar - speed hump to slow traffic
Jug - large container for beer, also means kettle
Kai - Maori word for food
Kia ora -traditional Maori greeting
Kiwi - New Zealanders (from Rugby League reps early this century)
Knock back - rejection
Lollies - Sweets, candy
Mate - friend, pal
Mozzie - mosquito
Ocker - Australian, Ossie
OE - overseas experience, typically the young New Zealander’s working holiday overseas
Pakeha - Term for non Maori
Pavlova - a meringue dessert filled with fruit and cream. Once the national dessert on both sides of the Tasman.
Pom - English person
Scrap - Fight
Scroggin - trampers’ light-weight energy food
Scull - drink quickly
Skite - boaster
Spot ya later - Goodbye
Steinie - Steinlager brand of beer
Stuffed - exhausted
Ta - thank you
The Barrier - local name for Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf
Tramping - hiking, walking
Varsity - university
Wacky backy - marijuana
Wop Wops - Out in the middle of nowhere