NZ English to US English Dictionary, NZ language and culture, New Zealand Guide Book - weather, food, music, natural and political history.

NZ English to US English Dictionary

The following is an incomplete list of expression and words commonly used in New Zealand followed by the U.S. equivalent definition. Many of these words, phrases and expressions are of British or Australian origin.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

a into g: to get going (arse into gear)
adverts: TV commercials
afo / arvo: Afternoon (Australian)
afternoon tea: light meal of finger-foods and tea served between lunch and dinner
after match: social occasion after a rugby match
american hotdog: hotdog - frankfurter in a bun, (see hotdog)
anklebiter: toddler, kids
arse: rear end, butt, ass
asphalt: (Pronounced ash-felt) tar
aubergine: eggplant, bringal
banger: sausage
bach: small holiday home (see crib)
barbie: barbeque
bed sitter: a small flat or studio apartment where the bedroom and sitting room are all in one
big bickies: lots of money
biscuit: cookie
bloody-hell: all-purpose expletive
bludge: to live off the generosity of others, to sponge
bog-standard: Normal, average, usual. E.g."It was just a bog-standard Christmas, too much food, too much booze and not enough sleep."
bonk: to have sex with
bonnet: car hood
boot: car trunk
bomb: (referring to car) very old car in disrepair
box: cup (device for protecting male genetalia)
box of birds: cheerful, happy, very good
brekkie: breakfast
bugger all: not much, very little
bulk: Many, a lot ("there were bulk people there") - early 90's expression
bum: rear end, butt A NAME="bum-bag">
bum-bag: fanny pack
bun-fight: social gathering with food
bush: forest
bust a gut: make an intense effort
candyfloss: cottoncandy
capsicum: bell pepper
car park: parking lot
caravan: trailer, mobile home
carked it: died, kicked the bucket
caustic soda: lye
cellotape: scotch tape
chat-up: flirt, try pick-up lines on someone you "fancy"
cheeky: sassy, impish, insolent or impudent
cheers: good-bye; thank-you
chemist: pharmacy
chilly bin: cooler
chips: French fries
choc-a-block-full: very full
choice: very good
chook: chicken
chrissy: Christmas
chuffed: pleased
chunder: to vomit
claytons™: Erzatz, the drink (or whatever) you're having when you're not having a drink (or whatever). From a variety of alcohol free "spirit" like beverage. On all accounts, this beverage tasted even worse than one would expect alcohol free spiritous liquors to taste.
collywobbles: upset stomach
cor blimey: exclamation of disbelief, derived from "God blind me"
corker: very good
cornflour: cornstarch
cotton buds: Q-tips
cracker: very good
crib: small holiday home (see bach)
crisps: potato chips
crook: be sick, ill
dag: An amusing person or situation (colloq). The perianal section of a sheep's fleece.
dairy: convenience store
dairyfood: smooth, creamy, custard-like desert which comes in a pottle. Chocolate, banana, strawberry, caramel etc
a deal: a problem
ding: a small car accident (fender-bender)
dodgy: suspicious; a person with questionable motives
dole: unemployment benefit; state funded income support
draughts: checkers
dreaded lurgy: imaginary disease used as an excuse to get out of doing something
dressing gown: bathrobe
dummy: pacifier
dunny: toilet
duvet: quilt
Eketahuna: the archetypal small country city lacking amenities and which no one is expected to know anything about, similar to "timbuktu". This town does exist.
entree: appetizer or hors d'oeurve
evils: to give someone the evil eye
fancy: to find attractive, to have a romantic interest in someone
fanny: vagina, or girl's first name
fizzy: soda pop
flannel: wash cloth
flash: sensational
flat: apartment
football: rugby
fortnight: fourteen days, two weeks
French letter: condom
frenchie: condom
fringe: bangs
full on: intense
get off the grass: exclamation of disbelief; equivalent to "stop pulling my leg" and "no way"
give way: yield (traffic)
going bush: to drop out of society or become reclusive
Good as Gold: Everything's fine
Good on ya, mate!: congratulations
guts for garters: in big trouble
Gumboots: large rubber overshoes ranging from calf to knee height. These are usually black, although little children may wear colourful ones. Together with shorts and a black singlet, gumboots constitute the quintesential kiwi-joker or farmer's outfit.
Gummies: See Gumboots.
Hard case: witty person
heaps: general expression to mean a lot, as in "miss you heaps", or try hard; "give it heaps"
high dudgeon: feeling of deep disgust or irritability
hokey pokey: `sea foam' candy covered in chocolate
holiday: vacation
home and hosed: safe, completed successfully
hoon: gang member, a rough person
hooning: playing about, verb form of hoon
hooray: goodbye
hotdog: corndog, (see American Hotdog)
hottie: hot water bottle
ice block: popsicle
jam: jelly
jandal: thongs, flip-flops, slippers
Jeeze, Wayne!: exclamation, said to someone regarded as acting or speaking foolishly
jelly: Jello
jersey: sweater
joker: man
judder bar: speed bump
Kiwi: New Zealander
kiwi: an endangered flightless bird native to New Zealand
kiwifruit: kiwi (formerly known as Chinese gooseberry)
kia ora: Maori for hello
knackered: Exhausted (from Knacker, an archaic profession whose practitioners destroyed old horses)
Knickers:underpants, bloomers, shorts, more generally, pants. "Don't get your knickers in a twist" = Don't get upset (familiar, but not rude. Origin "the Basil Brush Show", a British kidult humour programme from the 1970s. Similarly, "Don't get your tits in a tangle", origin unknown.
kornies: Kellogs cornflakes
kumara: sweet potato/yam
ladies/gentlemen a plate please: bring a food dish that can be shared with others
lemonade: clear soda (7Up)
lift: elevator
lolly: candy
lolly scramble:: a festive search for candies (lollies)
loo: bathroom
lorry: truck
lounge: living room
main: primary dish of a meal
Maori: indigenous people of New Zealand
mate: buddy, pal
metal: gravel used on country roads (e.g. a metal road)
a mission: A difficult undertaking
mobile: cell phone
money for jam: easy money
motorway: freeway
mudguard: fender
nappy: diaper
netball: game somewhat similar to basketball
no worries: not a problem
off yer face: completely drunk
paddled: to be ~: to loose or to suffer ill fate.
pakeha: non-Maori person
panel beater: auto body shop
party pooper: being negative
pavlova: (also pav) large meringue based dessert traditionally served at Christmas time. Has a soft moist centre, named after the famous ballet dancer and usually served with kiwifruit slices. Originally from NZ although, like many kiwi things, claimed by Australians.
petrol: gasoline
pickle: relish
piece-of-piss: easy
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)
pissed: drunk, inebriated
pissed-off: angry
piss-up: social gathering with alcohol
PMT (Pre Menstrual Tension): PMS
pom: English person- slang
power cut: outage
postal code: zip code
pottle: small container
pram: baby carriage, stroller
prang: car dent
pub: bar
pudding: alternate word for 'dessert' ie breakfast, lunch, dinner, and pudding
push bike: bicycle
quencher: ice cream bar
quite nice: very good, exceptional (pronounced "quoite noice")
rack off: go away (angry)
randy: horny, feeling sexual impulses
ratbag: scally-wag, somewhat annoying person
rattle your dags: hurry up, from the sound that sheep make when running, caused by the striking together of dried feces stuck to the fur near the tail
redundant: to be laid off, "workers were made redundant today"
right as rain: perfect
ring: phone/call
rockmelon: cantaloupe
Rogernomics: (derogatory) radical free enterprise economic policies introduced by Roger Douglas, a Labour Government Minister of Finance
rooted: to feel tired
rough as guts: unpolished (referring to a person)
round the bend: going crazy/busy
rubber: eraser
rubbish: trash/garbage
scone: a small cake of shortened bread raised with baking powder or soda
scull: drink beer rapidly
shandy: drink made with lemonade and beer
Sheila: woman (outdated expression)
She'll be right: things will be fine
singlet: undershirts, tank-top
skiting: bragging
smoko: break, rest period
snarky: mixture of sarcastic and nasty
sneakers: trainers
sook: a moody person. "Don't worry about him, he's just a big sook".
spew: to throw up
spotcha (later): see you later
spot on: exactly right
sprog: a child, to give birth
sticking plaster: band-aid
stirrer: trouble-maker, agitator
strewth: honestly, from "God's truth"
swede: rutabaga
stroppy: bad tempered
stubby: small bottle of beer
suk: alleged variant spelling of sook.
supper: late evening coffee/desserts
suss: to figure out
ta: Thanks
take away: take out
take the piss: to ridicule
tasty cheese: sharp cheddar cheese
tea: dinner - generic name for evening meal
tea towel: dish rag
tiki tour: roundabout way to get somewhere; scenic tour
tinned goods: canned goods
trad: rigidly traditional
tracksuit: sweats
tramping: hiking
togs: swimsuit
tomato sauce: catsup
Toodle pip: Good-bye (often slightly jocular, and "English")
torch: flashlight
trolley: shopping cart
trundler: shopping cart
tyre: tire
unwaged: unemployed
Waikikamukau Mythical town that is so remote it makes Eketahuna look like a metropolis. The essence of hickdom. (pron "Why kick a moo cow").
wag: skipping school
Wally: incompetent person, loser
Wanker: (derogatory, impolite) jerk, loser
wardrobe: clothes closet
wellies: short for 'wellingtons' another name for gumboots; rubber boots for walking in wet/muddy places
wharfie: longshoreman
whinge: complain
Wicked: cool
wing: fender
wobbly (throw a wobbly): become angry, have a fit
WOF (Warrant of Fitness): car inspection
wonky: crooked
wop-wops: out of the way location
a bit of a worry: a troubling event or person.
wuckas (no wuckas): no worries
yonks: forever, a long time ago
your shout: your turn to buy a round!
zed: z

New Zealand Guide Book Quick Links

Facts, Weather, Language, Food, Music, History, Hitchhicker's Guide, Natural History

Find Accommodation

Paparoa Beach Hideaway with Hot Tub - Holiday Home.

Paparoa Beach Hideaway with Hot Tub features garden views, free WiFi and free private parking, set in Barrytown. Each...

All NZ Accommodation

Find Tours and Activities

Cowan's observatory tour - Maori - Tekapo. Starting from $99.00 per person.

Take a look through our telescopes and discover a few hidden secrets throughout the Milky Way. This tour is perfect for...

All NZ Activities

New Zealand - Auckland - Bay of Islands - Rotorua - Wellington - Christchurch - Queenstown - Fiordland - Accommodation - Activities & Tours - Bus - Car Rental - Events - News - Virtual Tour - NZ Guide Book - Slide Show - Search