New Zealand Life

New Zealand Words and Expressions

Directory of words and expressions commonly used in New Zealand with their equivalent definition. Many words and phrases listed here are common to New Zealand, Great Britain and Australia.

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., or used when referring to someone you like, as in; "That bloke, Joe Smith, is a really nice guy".
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".
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
brekkie: Short for 'breakfast'
brickie: bricklayer. From JT
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
bugger that: forget it, no way, not going for it
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
chips: french fries
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. See also wee cracker
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
doing the ton: Driving really, really fast!
dodgy: bad, unreliable, spoiled; as in "that fish is a bit dodgy". From JT
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.
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.
fagged out: see knackered
fancy: hanker after somebody
fanny: A warning to Americans, from an American, Jody Tompson : 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!)
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
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. And expanded by Jonathan:- 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 - as in Q: "Do you mind if I pay for this later"? A: "Good as gold mate, good as gold".
greasies: common term for fish and chips, probably because they usually are! (greasy that is)
gridiron: American football. 
ground floor: first floor. Very confusing for Kiwi visitors to the States! When using lifts (elevators) they 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. From Jenni with thanks.
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: or 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!)
knickers: underwear
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
long-drop: outhouse, outdoor loo, shithouse (blushing as I type that)
loo: bathroom
loose metal: gravel road (see also metal road)
lorry: truck
mad: crazy
main: primary dish of a meal
Maori: indigenous people of New Zealand. Phil Lyall also pointed out that this word translates to "The People". I personally wouldn't know, but I'm sure we'll both be corrected if it's wrong :-)
mate: buddie (common term, and can be used even with strangers) as in "how's it going mate" for "how are you", but it is NOT used to the same extent as spoken in Australia where every second word seems to be "mate".
metal road: a country road (usually) with a gravel or shingle surface (see also loose metal)
morris club: a very exclusive group or club of New Zealand males who call each other "Morris"
motorway: freeway
Mum: Mom
naff off: get lost!
nana: female grandparent
nandy: MY male grandparent
nappy: diaper
netball: game somewhat similar to basketball
nought: zero
pack a sad: become morose, ill-humoured, moody. Also suggested as meaning "broken or died" i.e. the fridge "packed a sad"
pakeha: non-Maori person
panel beater: auto body shop
pavement: sidewalk
petrol: gasoline
pie cart: affection term for a road-side or side-show food seller's converted mobile caravan, from which you can buy predominantly fast food take-aways such as pies, burgers, hot-dogs, fish and chips and such-like tasty treats.
pike out: to give up when the going gets tough
pikelet: small pancake often served with jam and whipped cream
piker: one who gives up easily (see pike-out)
pinky: little finger
pinky bar: a chocolate-covered marshmallow confection
piss: beer, as in "get on the piss"*
pissed: drunk, inebriated
pissed-off: angry, as in "I'm really pissed off!"
pissing down: raining heavily
piss around: waste time or effort in a futile manner a.k.a. fart about
piss-up: social gathering with alcohol
plaster: band-aid
plod: friendly term for local policeman
pong: bad smell
power cut: outage
postal code: zip code
pottle: a small tub (with hot chips in!)*
pony tail: as in hair tied at the back of one's head
pram: baby carriage, stroller
prang: minor vehicle accident, or a major one as in "that was one hell of a prang"
pub: bar, hotel were liquor is served
puckeroo: Something that is broken, buggered, rooted or otherwise disfunctional.
push bike: bicycle
pushing up daisies: dead and buried
quite nice: a term used when you can't really think of anything better to say ; as in "her hat is quite nice", and you often mean the opposite!
rack off: go away (angry), piss off
raining cats & dogs: raining heavily!
randy: horny, feeling sexy
rark up: give somebody a good telling off
rattle your dags: hurry up; get a move on
rellies: family, relatives
root: to have sex
ring: phone somebody; as in "I'll give him/her/them a ring"
roadway: pavement
rubber: eraser
rubbish: trash or garbage; as in "should I throw this in the rubbish?"
sarnie: sandwich
scull: drink beer rapidly
scarfie: university student, particularly from Universities of the South Island
sealed road: paved road
serviette: A napkin made of either fabric or absorbent paper
shandy: drink made with lemonade and beer
she'll be right: not a problem, it'll be O.K.
shippie: prostitute "working" the ships docked at our international ports
shorts: clips from up-coming movies
shufti: as in "Take a Shufti at this, mate", meaning "have a look at this". From Jeff Law with thanks.
skiting: bragging; showing off
sickie: as in "Throw a sickie":- to take time off work "officially" for illness, but more likely for a fun day!
skint: short of money
squiz: as in "Have a squiz":- to take a look at something; "Giz a Squiz":- ask for a look at something. smoko: break, rest period
snarky: mixture of sarcastic and nasty
snotty: snooty, ill-humoured, packing a sad
sook: kindly description of someone who is being silly, or behaving like a softy or scaredy cat. As in:- "you're being a sook"... "just a big sook" and so on... More often than not the phrase is used as a term of endearment
sparkie: electrician
spew: to throw up
sparrow fart: very early in the morning - the crack of dawn. From Niki
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. From Niki
sprog: a child
sticking plaster: band-aid
stirrer: trouble-maker, agitator
strapped for cash: short of money
strewth: expletive showing frustration.
strop: go for a strop, go for a burn, speed with reckless disregard
stroppy: a fighter; easily provoked to anger; fiercely protective
stubby: small bottle of beer
stuffed: really tired
stupid as a two bob watch: used to describe a person who behaves irrationally
suck the kumura: to die or otherwise cease
sunday driver: Driving really, really slow
sunnies: sunglasses
super loo: massive automated public toilet complex
suss: to figure out
sweet-as: a term people say instead of "cool" or "awesome". ("That car over there is sweet-as!")
ta: Thanks
tata: goodbye, usually when speaking to a child
take-aways: New Zealand term for "take-outs" or food "to go".
take the piss: to ridicule
take a hike: Expression of anger, as in; "Go away!" "Get lost!"
tasty cheese: sharp cheddar cheese
tea: dinner - generic name for evening meal
tea towel: dish rag
thick: not too smart
tights: pantyhose
tiki tour: roundabout way to get somewhere; scenic tour
tinned goods: canned goods
tip: dump or recycling depot
tracksuit: sweats
tramping: hiking
togs: swimsuit, bathing suit
tomato sauce: catsup
torch: flashlight
trolley: cart (as in a shopping cart)
trots: horse racing with a buggy
trots: diarrhea as in "having a dose of the trots"
TT2: am I the only one who remembers TT2's? (Tip Top Iceblocks)
twink: white-out
two sammies short of a picnic: used to describe a person who is a "bit thick"
tyre: tire
underpants: undershorts
up the duff: pregnant
ute: truck
valet: a person who cleans vehicles... NOT parks them!
verge: grassy area on the side of the road, bern
vest: undershirt
vegemite: spread for toast or bread. A spread the color of dark molasses, the consistency of cold honey and the flavor of yeasty soy sauce. A flavor that is acquired
walkshorts: dressy shorts for men
wally: clown, loser
wardrobe: clothes closet
wee cracker: From Keith Goetzman, with thanks. "A Kiwi mystified me with this one morning while I was tramping at Nelson Lakes." "Wee cracker of a day, isn't it?"
wet blanket: Someone who spoils the fun of others; someone who doesn't get into the "swing" of things, particularly at a social occasion
wellies: gumboots
what are ya!: "Are you mad?" or "You're taking the piss!" And it implies doubt about "manhood" when a male shows fear
wharfie: stevedore
whinge: complain
windscreen: windshield
wobbly (pack a wobbly): become angry, get snotty
wonky: crooked
wop-wops: out of the way location
yonks: forever, a long time ago, ages; as in "I haven't seen them in yonks".
yarn: spin a "tall story", tell a joke
yack: general conversation held between friends; as in "have a yack".
yank: An american
yoo-hoo: Hello, I'm here. Can I come in?
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"
zed: Z; zee; the last letter of the alphabet.