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what? why?

kiwi talk

what & why

introduction just in case anyone is curious how I got this boondoggle... (more)

the proposal Project ideas written in November 1999... (more)

.az = Arizona It's my home state, but I'll relocate to a different part for July-August... (more)

.nz = New Zealand Off to the home of "kiwis" for September - October ... (more)

.au = Australia "G'day, mate!" will be my vocabulary after spending November-December down under... (more)

the goods So what actually came out of this? ... (more)

my glossary of kiwi talk
A small reason for visiting New Zealand was it would be easy to visit a country where I knew the language. Well, while they do speak English here, there are enough fun variations that I decided to keep track of a kiwi glosssary as I go among the people. Where appropriate I have acknowledged the people that suggested terms or confirmed their meaning.

Disclaimer: This is incomplete, irreverant, and subject to serious question. For a more comprehensive list, see Kiwi Web

bach = Pronounced "batch" (rhymes with "match"), a small summer cottage or shack
"If Alan's success continues, he will be able to buy heaps of baches"

bloke = a guy
"That tourist bloke is Alan, from the States"

boot = trunk of a car
"Put Alan's duffle bag in the boot, if it will fit!"

bugger = leave quickly "bugger out" or to curse "bugger that"
"Alan sure had to bugger out of Auckland."

cheers = "you are welcome" or "so long"
"Cheers, Alan, for that crashing presentation"

chemist = a pharmacist (Don't ask what they call a person who works in the field of chemistry)
"If you need some relief from that cold, Alan, you should pick up some medicine at the chemist"

crashing = good, great-- as used by young folks. Old folks can use "smashing"
"Alan's web site is crashing!"

dear = expensive
"Those fancy dinners Alan ate must have been dear"

dob = to provide a report on someone to the police
"Some bloke dobbed in Alan for looking left before crossing the street"

down south = the most accurate geographical detail provided by an Auckland citizen
"Alan, you want to know where Girborne is? That is down south... Wanganui? Hmmm, that is down south... Dunedin? That might be down south... Antarctica? Could be down south"

eeeeksellent = good, long drawn out variation of "excellent"
"Alan's coming to Wellington? Eeeeeeeeeksellent!"

good on ya = boisterous approval, good for you!
"You're going down to Queenstown, Alan? Good on ya, mate!"

heaps = much, many, a lot
"That large duffle bag Alan brought has heaps of stuff in it"

holiday = to be on vacation
"Alan is on holiday for 6 whole months!"

loo = bathroom, toilet, W.C.
"The last time we saw Alan after that big supper, he was headed for the loo"

long black = a black coffee, espresso strength
"Alan is drinking heaps of long blacks to stay up and work on his web site"

JAFFA = Just Another "Fool" From Auckland- other words starting with "f" readily substituted for "fool" [attr. Sean]
"That bloke Alan is from Arizona, he is not JAFFA"

no worries = no problem, no big deal
"So Alan, you want to bungy jump at night? No worries!"

OE = Overseas Experience- the typical young adult New Zealander's extended visit to another country
"Alan is a bit old for it, but you could call his trip to New Zealand as an American's OE"

pakeha = white person (see "honky", "gringo" ...)
"He might have an Arizona tan, but Alan is still pakeha"

panelbeaters = people who repair auto dents (hopefully not descriptive of their methods)
"Hopefully, Alan's rental car will not require a trip to the panelbeaters"

pants-down coins = those big, heavy 50 cent pieces [attr. Bill via Harriet]
"Alan's got a pocket full of them pants-down coins, he needs them for washing machines."

pomes = people from England, or "Prisoners of Mother England" [attr. Harriet, confirmed Richard, Laraine]; see also "whingeing pome"
"Alan stayed a few nights with those pomes"

ranchslider = sliding glass door on a house [explained by Laraine]
"After I cleaned up the muck from the glass, Alan just walked face first into that ranchslider"

rubbish = garbage, trash, or even B.S.
"Alan tries to keep his computer desktop clean by tossing un-needed files in the rubbish bin"

shout = to treat others to beer or food
"Since Alan has those US dollars, he should shout us all a beer"

takeaways = carryout food
"Alan ate all the takeaways from that Malaysian place."

tea time = a social break, regularly scheduled for mid morning, mid afternoon, and other times by request
"Alan, take a break from that computer! It is tea time!"

W.O.F. = Warrant of Fitness (inspection for cars)
"Hey, Alan tried to buy a car without a W.O.F."

the West Island = Australia
"In late October Alan is flying across the Tasman Sea to see the West Island."

ute = "utility" or pick-up truck
"Hey, Alan, we can drive out in my ute and use it to pull your rental car out of the ditch.'

whingeing = a person who is contantly complaining
"It's a nice 15 degrees, so why is Alan whingeing about the temperature?"

zed = The last letter of the alphabet, catches your ear when web addresses are read over the radio.
"Just go to alan dot net dot En Zed"