The full dictionary
Every word, A–Z
A
A feed A meal, especially a satisfying one.… All good No problem, don't worry about it, you're welcome. The default response… Angus Someone with a short fuse; an angry person.… Arvo Afternoon. 'S'arvo' = this afternoon.… As The great Kiwi amplifier. Stick it after any adjective: cheap as, funn… At A sharp 'no' or 'whatever' — East Coast/Gisborne. One syllable, total …
B
Bach A holiday home, traditionally small and rustic. Pronounced 'batch'. So… Bey / Bae East Coast / Gisborne term of address, roughly 'bro'. Pronounced 'bay'… Bo A briefly fashionable replacement for 'bro'. If you used it, you know.… Bogan Someone devoted to black jeans, metal, and a modified Holden. Worn as … Bol Another regional stand-in for 'bro', heard in parts of the North Islan… Bonnet The hood of a car.… Boot The trunk of a car.… Bottle shop Liquor store. Often 'the bottle-o'.… Botz Acting up, showing off, or being over-the-top. 'What botz guy.'… Bring a plate An instruction to bring food to share — NOT an empty plate. Foreigners… Bro Universal term of address for anyone — mate, stranger, taxi driver, th… Bugger all Very little; almost nothing.… Buggered Exhausted; or broken. You can be buggered and your car can be buggered… Bung Broken or not working; sometimes drunk. A bung knee is a Kiwi institut…
C
Can't be bothered Too lazy or unwilling to do something. Variants: can't be stuffed, can… Che / Chea A cousin of chur — 'nice one', 'oh wow', 'neat alright'. Often just 'c… Chilly bin Insulated cooler for keeping drinks and kai cold. The centrepiece of e… Chocka Completely full — a room, a car park, or your stomach. Full version: c… Choice Good, cool, excellent. A one-word blessing on any plan or object.… Chook A chicken — the live, clucking kind or occasionally the roast.… Chur Cheers, thanks, cool, no problem, or just hello. Doubles up as 'chur c… Crook Sick, unwell. 'Feeling a bit crook' is the standard sickie phone call.… Cuppa A hot drink, usually tea or coffee, always an invitation to sit down a… Cut a track To leave, head off.… Cuz Short for cousin, but rarely means an actual relative. A warm, casual …
D
E
E hoa Maori for 'friend'. Also the likely origin of the exclamation 'ow'. If… Eftpos The debit card payment system, and by extension the card itself. 'Eftp… Egg Gentle insult for someone acting like an idiot. More affectionate than… Egg on / crack up 'Crack up' = extremely funny, or to laugh hard. 'That's crack up.'… Eh / Aye The famous sentence-ending particle: seeks agreement, expresses surpri…
F
Faaa Elastic exclamation of surprise, joy or despair. The longer the 'faaa'… Fizzy drink Any carbonated soft drink.… Flash Fancy, upmarket, impressive-looking. 'Nothing flash' is the standard K… Flat A shared rental house, and the people in it. 'Going flatting' is a Kiw… Flogged Stolen; or thrashed/beaten badly. Two meanings, both painful for someb… Fulla A bloke, a guy. Phonetic spelling of 'fella'. Often 'that fulla' when …
G
Gap it To leave quickly; to run away.… GC Short for 'good c***' — printable initials for the highest character r… Gizza 'Give us a' — which means give ME a. Gizza look, gizza go, gizza hand.… Good bastard High praise for a generous, reliable person. The profanity is the poin… Gumboots Rubber boots. Rural NZ's national footwear; Taihape holds an annual gu… Gummon 'C'mon!' with a hard G — protest at a weak excuse or soft effort. Born… Gutted Deeply disappointed, deflated. Also shortened: 'guts to be you'.…
H
Hangi pants Someone who gets around romantically. A hangi feeds everyone; you can … Hard case A funny, eccentric character; someone who cracks you up.… Harden up Toughen up, stop complaining. Traditionally paired with 'take some con… Hardout Extremely (hardout cold), enthusiastic agreement (hardout!), or a hard… Heaps Lots, very, a large amount. Kiwis say it heaps.… Honest to who 'Really?' — with the traditional reply 'honest to G', escalating to fu… Hori Describes something scruffy, rough or done cheap-and-nasty. Use with c… Hot chips French fries — usually thick-cut, from the fish'n'chip shop, eaten off… Howzit A greeting — 'how's it going' compressed into one word. No answer requ… Hungus Someone who eats everything in sight, or takes more than their share. … Huss Depends where you are: tacky/hussy-ish in some regions, or (Christchur…
J
K
L
M
Macca's McDonald's. The only name anyone actually uses.… Mahi Work, effort. 'Doing the mahi' means putting in the graft — and 'do th… Mean High praise: excellent, awesome, impressive. 'The meanest' is the best… Metal road A gravel road. 'Metal' means the loose gravel surface, which confuses … Mince Ground beef. The foundation of half of NZ home cooking.… Mint In perfect condition, or just excellent.… Mish A mission — any journey or task requiring effort. 'Keen for a mish?'… Mufti Casual clothes worn on a non-uniform day. 'Mufti day' funds every scho… Munted Broken, wrecked, or extremely drunk. A phone, a fence or a mate can al… Munter A fool, a clown, someone acting munted.…
N
O
O for awesome A legendarily wrong answer from a NZ celebrity spelling segment, now u… On the piss Out drinking, having a big night.… Oosh An exclamation for something impressive or a big hit — 'oooosh!'… Op shop Opportunity shop — a second-hand/charity store. Op-shopping is a natio… Out of it Wildly drunk or wasted; also, in older usage, something unbelievable.… Ow An exclamation stapled to the end of a sentence for emphasis, often wi…
P
Pack a sad To sulk or throw a tantrum; also used when machinery gives up.… Pakaru Maori for broken or busted. Often anglicised as 'puckeroo'.… Palangi Samoan word for a European/white person, common across NZ. Usually fri… Pash To kiss passionately. A 'pash' at the school disco is a rite of passag… Piece of piss Extremely easy. NZ's answer to 'piece of cake', with less cake.… Pissed Drunk. Not angry (that's the American version — a rich source of confu… Primo First-rate, excellent, the best.…
R
S
Scull To down a drink in one go without stopping.… Seagull Someone who hovers around scavenging your food — like the bird, but in… She'll be right It'll be fine; no need to worry — the load is secure, probably. The na… Shot Thanks, nice one, or well done — all in one syllable. Also 'hard shot'… Shout To pay for someone else — your round, their lunch, the whole table.… Sick Awesome, impressive. Standard youth praise, fully naturalised in NZ.… Sickie A day off work while allegedly sick. 'Chucking a sickie' when you're f… Singlet A sleeveless top. Called a vest in the UK, which causes chaos.… Skite To brag or show off. 'Stop skiting.'… Skux Someone smooth, stylish, and suspiciously successful with the opposite… Smoko A work break — originally for a smoke, now for anything. Morning smoko… Snapped Caught in the act. 'You got snapped.'… Squiz A quick look. 'Have a squiz at this.'… Stally Someone stingy; not generous.… Stink Bad luck, disappointing, or lame. 'Stink one' offers condolences; 'a s… Straight up As a question: are you serious? As an answer: yes, completely serious.… Suss Two opposite jobs in one word: to sort something out (suss it out), or… Sweet as OK, no problem, all good. The most famous Kiwi phrase. Note: nothing c…
T
Ta Thanks. Two letters, job done. More common with the older generation.… Taking the piss Mocking someone, joking around, or not taking something seriously. NOT… Tea Confusingly, dinner. 'What's for tea?' is about food, not beverages.… The wops The middle of nowhere; deep countryside. Full version: the wop wops.… Tiki tour The scenic route — or a euphemism for getting lost. Any indirect journ… To the days Suffix meaning 'extremely' or 'to the max'. Auckland high-school vinta… Togs Swimwear of any kind. Togs, togs, togs... undies (if you're too far fr… Trolley A shopping cart. Some Kiwis say trundler, which is even better.… True Drawn out as 'truuue' — acknowledgement, agreement, or 'oh really'. Of… Try-hard Someone straining for status or coolness they haven't earned.… Tu meke Maori for 'too much' — used to mean awesome, outstanding, overwhelming… tunning flirting… Tutu To fiddle or meddle with something you probably shouldn't. 'Stop tutu-… Twink Correction fluid (white-out). A brand name that became the word — and …
U
W
Wag To skip school. 'Wagging' is the activity; detention is the sequel.… Wanna hiding? A threat: do you want a beating? Between mates it's banter; from a str… Whanau Family — including the extended, chosen, everyone-who-matters kind.… What a sad guy Commentary on someone doing something uncool or mean-spirited.…