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Kiwiisms
Kiwiisms
Kiwiisms, idioms, slang, kiwi glossary, kiwi speak, vernacular.
Here are some kiwi phrases and words that you might like to know about.
- across the ditch
- in Australia (or New Zealand depending on which side or the Tasman Sea you are on). Also "over the ditch"
- ANZAC
- Australia and New Zealand Army Corp[1], a person from Australia or New Zealand
- Aotearoa
- New Zealand
- arvo
- afternoon
- Aussie
- Australian
- bach
- holiday cottage or cottage. See also crib
- back of beyond
- far away from civilisation, amenities, help, or assiatance. See also wops
- balls up
- mistake
- bang on
- exactly right
- banger
- sausage. "Put the banger on the barbie".
- barbie
- barbecue
- beauty
- or beaut. someone who has done exceptionally well. "You beauty". Also an exceptional looker
- bloke
- man
- bludge
- to free load; to not contribute
- bog
- toilet
- bonk
- to have sex with. "bonk buddy"
- boot
- car trunk. "put it in the boot"
- born in a tent
- someone who leaves the door open
- box of fluffies
- feel great; 100%; perfect
- brassed off
- frustrated; annoyed
- bring a plate
- bring a plate of finger food to a gathering
- brouha
- fuss; also brouhaha
- bush
- forest
- bushed
- tired, exhausted
- bust a gut
- work or try very hard. "Bust a gut to get it done"
- by hook or by crook
- will get a task completed or a problem solved no matter what it takes
- BYO
- bring your own; wine to a restuarant, food to a barbie, plate of food to an afternoon tea
- cadge
- to borrow or get for free. "can I cadge a ride off you"
- cark
- die. "The mower carked it yesterday". Also kark.
- carry on
- fuss; naughty behaviour
- chemist
- pharmacy; drug store
- chin wag
- chat; talk
- chips
- fries
- cheerio
- goodbye; cocktail sausage. See also hooray, snag
- chocka
- full; overflowing; chock-a-block
- chocker
- full; replete
- chocolate fish
- marshmallow fish chocolate coated, often given or offered as a reward
- choice
- great, excellent
- chuffed
- happy; satisfied. "chuffed to finish it"
- chunder
- vomit; allegedly from 'watch under' on sailing ships. See also spew
- clanger
- mistake, often verbal. "dropped a clanger"
- claytons
- poor or weak substitute, from the 70s "drink you have when you're not having a drink"
- clobber
- clothing; gear; beat something
- cockup
- mistake
- cocky
- farmer
- college
- high school
- cracker
- very good; excellent. "Its a cracker"
- crib
- holiday cottage; cottage, used in South Island; see also bach
- crook
- sick, ill; also burglar, dishonest person
- courgette
- see zucchini
- dag
- a character. "She's a dag, isn't she"
- dairy
- corner store
- dear
- costly
- dock
- to remove an animals tail
- dodgy
- suspect; unreliable
- down under
- where New Zealand and Australia are
- dunny
- toilet
- dutch
- to share the bill or cost equally or pay for own portion. "Let's go dutch"
- duvet
- doona, quilt
- eh
- interrogative. "What do you think of this, eh?"
- fancy
- very good. "that's a bit fancy"
- flash
- smart. "that's a bit flash for you"
- flicks
- movie; cinema
- flog
- to steal; to sell off. "It was flogged, and now it'll be flogged off"
- full tit
- as fast as possible. "We were running full tit"
- gander
- look. "Have a gander at this"
- garage sale
- yard sale
- gidday
- hello
- good as gold
- fine; OK
- greasies
- fish and chips
- greenstone
- Pounamu, New Zealand Nephrite Jade
- grotty
- worn, dirty, dilapidated
- gumboots
- wellingtons; wellies; waterproof rubber boots
- gurgler
- closed; lost; wasted. "Gone down the gurgler"
- guts for garters
- in a heap of trouble. "I'll have your guts for garters"
- gutted
- very disappointed. "I'll bet she's gutted"
- hangi
- food from, and the māori earth oven it is cooked in
- hapū
- sub tribe
- hard yakka
- hard, generally physical, work. "It was hard yakka"
- home and hosed
- finished successfully
- hooray
- goodbye
- hottie
- hot water bottle
- hui
- meeting, gathering
- hump day
- Wednesday, ie over the hump and all downhill to the weekend; little hump day - Thursday
- iwi
- tribe[2](approve sites)
- jack up
- arrange. "I'll jack up a barbecue"
- jandals
- thongs; flip-flops
- jumper
- woollen jersey; sweater
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- ka pai
- OK; good
- kai
- food
- kaimoana
- seafood
- kark
- die. "The car karked it on the Paraparas". Also cark.
- kaumātua
- old person with knowledge and wisdom
- kia ora
- hi; informal greeting; literally be healthy or well[3]
- kiwi
- New Zealand bird; New Zealander
- knackered
- tired; exhausted; worn out
- koha
- donation, gift
- kumara
- sweet potato
- left in the lurch
- let down
- lift
- elevator
- loo
- toilet
- make a fist of it
- make the best of it; give it a good go
- marmite
- a dark yeast based spread used on bread or toast - eaten by kiwis. See also vegemite
- mum
- mom, mother; to keep quiet. "she stayed mum"
- munted
- damaged; broken. "Its munted". Also stuffed.
- naff off
- leave; go away; get lost
- no worries
- OK, doesn't matter
- OK
- fine; yes
- out of the box
- perfect (as in brand new)
- out of the blue
- totally unexpected; surprise
- paddock
- farm field, rugby field
- pakeha
- non-māori person
- piece of piss
- easy; trivial
- piker
- non-participant, person who doesn't or won't join in. "She's a bit of a piker"
- pinch
- steal
- pissing down
- torrential downpour of rain
- pong
- bad smell
- pot luck
- bring a dish of food to a meal
- prang
- accident involving moving and another object
- rark
- tell off; stir up. "She needs a good rarking". "Its time things were rarked up".
- rattle yer dags
- hurry up
- rooted
- knackered, munted
- rotary hoe
- right-oh. "Rotary hoe, off we go".
- rubbish
- garbage; trash.
- sheila
- woman
- shoot through
- leave quickly. "I'll shoot through if they find out"
- shout
- to treat; to pay for. "Its my shout"
- skint
- broke, having no money
- slash
- urinate. "I'm going to have a slash"
- snag
- sausage; problem
- snagged
- caught on something, generally referring to a fishing line or rope
- she'll be right
- it will work out OK in the end
- skite
- boast, show off
- sorted
- to fix; to work out; to understand. "You better get it sorted"
- sparrow fart
- before sunrise; very early in the morning
- spew
- vomit. See also chunder
- spit the dummy
- loose control or temper
- stoked
- feel great, very pleased
- stuffed
- worn out; broken. Also munted.
- sweet as
- OK, good
- sweets
- confectionary, candy, lollies
- ta
- thankyou
- taihoa
- slow down, wait, stop
- tāne
- men
- take-aways
- food purchased to be eaten elsewhere, food 'to-go'
- throw a wobbly
- loose control or temper
- throw your toys out of the cot
- loose control or temper
- ticketty-boo
- all right, smoothly. "Everything is ticketty-boo".
- tin-arse
- lucky, fortunate
- togs
- swimming costume; bathers; budgie smugglers (Aussie slang)
- tomato sauce
- ketchup
- tough bikkies
- nothing can be done about it, get over it
- tramping
- hiking; hill walking
- tupping
- when the ram is put in with the ewes
- ute
- pickup truck; utility vehicle
- varsity
- university
- vegemite
- a dark yeast based spread used on bread or toast - eaten by Australians. See also marmite
- wāhine
- women
- waiata
- song
- waka
- canoe
- whanau
- extended family
- wharepaku
- toilet
- wet blanket
- a person who doesn't take part or finds reasons not to do something
- whakapapa
- genealogy, family tree
- whare
- building, house
- wops
- wop-wops; a long way from anywhere; far from a city or town. See also back of beyond
- yack
- chat; talk
- yarn
- conversation; exchange stories
- yonks
- a long time ago. "I haven't seen them for yonks"
- zucchini
- see courgette
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See also
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in te reo Māori and English
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a ā A Ā
e ē E Ē
i ī I Ī
o ō O Ō
u ū U Ū
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