I mentioned a while ago that I'd try and help all my American friends out by supplying you with a NZ word dictionary of sorts. The list is by no means complete.
(some) New Zealand words and phrases
chocka - full, as in 'my schedule is chocka today'
jandals - what Americans call flip-flops and Aussies call thongs
chilly bin - what Americans call a cooler or ice box and Aussies call an eskie
knackered - (1) tired, feeling worn out ('I'm knackered'); (2) kaputt, broken ('my car is knackered')
cheerio - (1) 'Goodbye'; (2) a cocktail sausage
tramping - hiking
strewth - actually more an Aussie word than NZ, an exclamation meaning 'wow', corrupt form of 'truth'
having a yak - talking, gossipping, gasbagging
footy - football. In NZ and Australia this means different sports: in Australia AFL (Aussie Rules) or rugby league; in NZ always rugby union.
rattle your dags - means 'hurry up'. Originates from sheep farming...
common as muck - very common, nothing special. 'Around Stanford, BMW's are common as muck'.
hard yakker - hard work
hit the sack - go to bed
making a racket - making a noise. Note that in NZ the word 'racket' is never used of a tennis or squash racquet.
fluffing around - mucking around, causing a delay. 'Sarah's in the bathroom, fluffing around'.
stonkered - full (especially with regards to overeating)
tucker - food
yonks - ages, a long time. 'He was away on holiday for yonks'
drongo - idiot. 'Stop being a drongo'
packing a sad - pouting. 'Whenever my brother didn't get his own way, he'd pack a sad'.
piker - someone who opts out of an activity. 'We went to the beach but Joe didn't go swimming, what a piker'.
pong - bad smell
skite - (v) bragging, boasting; (n) someone who skites. 'Tom was skiting about his new car'.
sook - wuss, wimp, piker, crybaby.
squiz - to look at something. 'I had a squiz at the menu.'
blobbing out - relaxing, chilling out.
spanner - Americans call 'wrench'. e.g. crescent spanner. Distinct from an Allen key, which Americans also call a 'wrench'.
put a spanner in the works - causing complication. 'We wanted to go to town but the buses weren't running, so that put a spanner in the works.'
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2 comments:
Yikes, I'll never remember these, it almost seems like anyone can just make up an expression and say "oh, don't you know, it's NZ talk..."
When we say "tramping" i think of loose women. also knackered, reminds me of snockered (drunk).
thongs are strictly uncomfortable underwear. and finally "squiz" is like "he's having a squiz ON the menu, he couldn't help it wil all the green tea he drank"...sounds like wiz.
i think i could never be a tourist in New Zealand because i'd be lost and ask for directions and someone would say "get on the roady-bin and make a scally wag to the cogo hut and you'll almost be at the rattletrap. Hurry! Chockablock! No time to waste getting your dags in a huffy!"
Haha... I don't really expect you to remember them! Think of it more like a NZ culture appreciation class.
Hope I haven't put you off coming to visit :(
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