Kiwi Speak-Part 2

Ok, so when I first arrived in NZ I published a post of some "unique" terms that Kiwis use and after a few more weeks of living down under I thought I would provide an update. They are not in any particular order other than how I randomly started writing them down

• Nutter: used to refer to a crazy or odd person i.e. "Did you see that guy run across traffic, he was a total nutter" the funny thing is this is a "real" word in the Oxford dictionary so we'll blame this term on the Brits speaking of Brits you refer to them as "POMMES" here as they are "Prisoners of Mother England"
• Lolli-water: term used to describe a fruity alcoholic drink. At first I thought this was just a "Brendan term" (I could do a dictionary on his sayings as well but that's a whole other blog :-) until I heard it referred in a PSA saying "Just because it tastes like lolliwater doesn't mean it's any less dangerous to drink and drive"
• Paddock: used to explain a small farm or grassy area or field
• Lifestyle Block: this is a very common term to describe someone who is living on an area of land that is larger than a house plot but smaller than a farm or ranch i.e. 5-8 acres with animals is a "lifestyle block" some city folk also refer to as a "life sentence block" given the extra time and work a small "hobby farm" can entail
• "Cheap as Chips" this is probably one of the most common terms I've heard since I've been in NZ. It refers to when something is a really good deal and/or very inexpensive. "Hey mate did you hear about the Air New Zealand flight discounts between LAX and Auckland? They're cheap as chips" (remember that "chips" here are actually french fries)
• Moorish: Again this is a term I thought Brendan made up but once again t.v. confirmed in a recent food commercial that "moorish" is a "real" word. It refers to when you are eating something and you can't just have one so you want "more" i.e. "I've got to stop eating all these bisquets but they are so moorish"
• Pickish: Also a term used when snacking. Americans may say "grazing" It's used when you aren't really hungry and/or you aren't quite sure what you want to eat so you are feeling "a bit pickish"
• "Cry Off": A term used when you cancel plans and/or try and get out of plans. i.e. "Hey we are still a bit jet lagged from our China trip so we're going to cry off our dinner plans tonight"
• Scodie and Hodie: These are slang terms to describe when something or someone is a bit sketchy and/or dirty, scummy, lame, dodgy, low budget (you get the picture) i.e. "I think we should throw out this pillow it's getting a big scodie" Apparently these are slang terms that were used more in the 80's like our version of "sweet" or "lame" but I'm bringing them back into the mainstream
• Munt, Munted or Munter: Munt or Munted is like saying something is "trashed" in the states i.e. "I had a bad accident and my car is totally munted" or "look at my hand, it is totally munted after that biking accident" A "munter" is used to describe someone who is stupid or acting stupid "i can't believe you did that, you are such a munter (or munta)
• Bogan: Usually used to describe someone who is young, usually wearing black, has longish hair (almost like a mullet) usually acting immature, is obsesses with rugby, shows up in groups at the beach and plays loud music. For some it's somewhat of an offensive term used to describe someone from a lower economic class, but most use it as a way to describe a "trouble maker" (also used in the song Back in Black by ACDC)
• Drop Kick: this is a term to describe someone that is a loser or is bad news i.e. "I heard her boyfriend is a total drop kick" -it's a term stolen from rugby verbiage
• Candy floss: Cotton Candy
• Crook: Feeling sick i.e. "I got a bit crook when we went to China after eating all the random food"
• Gumboot: The actual shoes like rubber galoshes are called "gumboots" which apparently every kiwi has. They wear them to do yardwork, when it's muddy, out on the farm...... but it's also used to describe anything commone i.e. "i"ll just have some gumboot tea" would mean very basic black tea as would be served on a construction site by workers in gumboots
• Lawns or Garden: this seems obvious on what it's referring to but Kiwis don't "mow the lawn" they mow the "lawns" or they "work in the garden" even if they only have grass.
• Pram: a baby stroller
• Cot: a baby crib and if you "throw your toys out of the cot" that mean you just threw a fit (used for adults as well) i.e. "She was the worst employee she talked back and threw her toys out of the cot..."
• Shattered: used to describe if you are really tired i.e. "I'm totally shattered and can I could barely get out of bed"
• Shorts: the previews before a movie