Hine e Hine (Maori lullaby)
   The house like a castle
   A Thousand Years, Piano and Cello
   A Kiwi Glossary
   A few notes about Maori pronunciation:
   The accent is normally on the first syllable.
   All vowels are pronounced separately.
   All vowels except u have a short vowel sound.
   “wh” is pronounced “f.”
   “ng” is pronounced as in “singer,” not as in “anger.”
   across the Ditch: in Australia (across the Tasman Sea). Or, if you're in Australia, in New Zealand!
   agro: aggravation
   air con: air conditioning
   All Blacks: National rugby team.
   ambo: paramedic
   Aotearoa: New Zealand (the other official name, meaning “The Land of the Long White Cloud" in Maori)
   Aussie, Oz: Australia. (An Australian is also an Aussie. Pronounced “Ozzie.”
   Babygro: Baby onesie
   bach: holiday home (pronounced like “bachelor”)
   backs: rugby players who aren't in the scrum and do more running, kicking, and ball-carrying—though all players do all jobs and play both offense and defense. Backs tend to be faster, leaner, and more glamorous than forwards.
   bench: counter (kitchen bench)
   berko: berserk
   Big Smoke: the big city (usually Auckland)
   bikkies: cookies
   billy-o, like billy-o: like crazy. “I paddled like billy-o and just barely made it through that rapid.”
   bin, rubbish bin: trash can
   binned: thrown in the trash
   bit of a dag: a comedian, a funny guy
   bits and bobs: stuff (“be sure you get all your bits and bobs”)
   bollocks: rubbish, nonsense
   boofhead: fool, jerk
   booking: reservation
   boots and all: full tilt, no holding back
   bot, the bot: flu, a bug
   Boxing Day: December 26—a holiday
   brekkie: breakfast
   brilliant: fantastic
   bub: baby, small child
   buggered: messed up, exhausted
   bull's roar: close. “They never came within a bull's roar of winning.”
   bunk off: duck out, skip (bunk off school)
   bust a gut: do your utmost, make a supreme effort
   caravan: travel trailer
   cardie: a cardigan sweater
   chat up: flirt with
   chilly bin: ice chest
   chips: French fries. (potato chips are “crisps”)
   chocolate bits: chocolate chips
   chocolate fish: pink or white marshmallow coated with milk chocolate, in the shape of a fish. A common treat/reward for kids (and for adults. You often get a chocolate fish on the saucer when you order a mochaccino—a mocha).
   choice: fantastic
   chokka: full
   chooks: chickens
   Chrissy: Christmas
   chuck out: throw away
   chuffed: pleased
   collywobbles: nervous tummy, upset stomach
   come a greaser: take a bad fall
   cot: crib (for a baby)
   crook: ill
   cuddle: hug (give a cuddle)
   cuppa: a cup of tea (the universal remedy)
   CV: resumé
   cyclone: hurricane (Southern Hemisphere)
   dairy: corner shop (not just for milk!)
   dead: very; e.g., “dead sexy.”
   dill: fool
   do your block: lose your temper
   dob in: turn in; report to authorities. Frowned upon.
   doco: documentary
   doddle: easy. “That'll be a doddle.”
   dodgy: suspect, low-quality
   dogbox: The doghouse—in trouble
   dole: unemployment.
   dole bludger: somebody who doesn’t try to get work and lives off unemployment (which doesn’t have a time limit in NZ)
   Domain: a good-sized park; often the “official” park of the town.
   dressing gown: bathrobe
   drongo: fool (Australian, but used sometimes in NZ as well)
   drop your gear: take off your clothes
   duvet: comforter
   earbashing: talking-to, one-sided chat
   electric jug: electric teakettle to heat water. Every Kiwi kitchen has one.
   En Zed: Pronunciation of NZ. (“Z” is pronounced “Zed.”)
   ensuite: master bath (a bath in the bedroom).
   eye fillet: premium steak (filet mignon)
   fair go: a fair chance. Kiwi ideology: everyone deserves a fair go.
   fair wound me up: Got me very upset
   fantail: small, friendly native bird
   farewelled, he'll be farewelled: funeral; he’ll have his funeral.
   feed, have a feed: meal
   fizz, fizzie: soft drink
   fizzing: fired up
   flaked out: tired
   flash: fancy
   flat to the boards: at top speed
   flat white: most popular NZ coffee. An espresso with milk but no foam.
   flattie: roommate
   flicks: movies
   flying fox: zipline
   footpath: sidewalk
   footy, football: rugby
   forwards: rugby players who make up the scrum and do the most physical battling for position. Tend to be bigger and more heavily muscled than backs.
   fossick about: hunt around for something
   front up: face the music, show your mettle
   garden: yard
   get on the piss: get drunk
   get stuck in: commit to something
   give way: yield
   giving him stick, give him some stick about it: teasing, needling
   glowworms: larvae of a fly found only in NZ. They shine a light to attract insects. Found in caves or other dark, moist places.
   go crook, be crook: go wrong, be ill
   go on the turps: get drunk
   gobsmacked: astounded
   good hiding: beating (“They gave us a good hiding in Dunedin.”)
   grotty: grungy, badly done up
   ground floor: what the U.S. calls the first floor. The “first floor” is one floor up.
   gumboots, gummies: knee-high rubber boots. It rains a lot in New Zealand.
   gutted: thoroughly upset
   Haast's Eagle: (extinct). Huge native NZ eagle. Ate moa.
   haere mai: welcome (Maori; but used commonly)
   haka: ceremonial Maori challenge—done before every All Blacks game
   hang on a tick: wait a minute
   hard man: the tough guy, the enforcer
   hard yakka: hard work (from Australian)
   harden up: toughen up. Standard NZ (male) response to (male) complaints: “Harden the f*** up!”
   have a bit on: I have placed a bet on [whatever]. Sports gambling and prostitution are both legal in New Zealand.
   have a go: try
   have a nosy for… : look around for
   head: principal (headmaster)
   head down: or head down, bum up. Put your head down. Work hard.
   heaps: lots. “Give it heaps.”
   hei toki: pendant (Maori)
   holiday: vacation
   honesty box: a small stand put up just off the road with bags of fruit and vegetables and a cash box. Very common in New Zealand.
   hooker: rugby position (forward)
   hooning around: driving fast, wannabe tough-guy behavior (typically young men)
   hoovering: vacuuming (after the brand of vacuum cleaner)
   ice block: popsicle
   I'll see you right: I'll help you out
   in form: performing well (athletically)
   it's not on: It's not all right
   iwi: tribe (Maori)
   jabs: immunizations, shots
   jandals: flip-flops. (This word is only used in New Zealand. Jandals and gumboots are the iconic Kiwi footwear.)
   jersey: a rugby shirt, or a pullover sweater
<
br />   joker: a guy. “A good Kiwi joker”: a regular guy; a good guy.
   journo: journalist
   jumper: a heavy pullover sweater
   ka pai: going smoothly (Maori).
   kapa haka: school singing group (Maori songs/performances. Any student can join, not just Maori.)
   karanga: Maori song of welcome (done by a woman)
   keeping his/your head down: working hard
   kia ora: hello (Maori, but used commonly)
   kilojoules: like calories—measure of food energy
   kindy: kindergarten (this is 3- and 4-year-olds)
   kit, get your kit off: clothes, take off your clothes
   Kiwi: New Zealander OR the bird. If the person, it’s capitalized. Not the fruit.
   kiwifruit: the fruit. (Never called simply a “kiwi.”)
   knackered: exhausted
   knockout rounds: playoff rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals, final)
   koru: ubiquitous spiral Maori symbol of new beginnings, hope
   kumara: Maori sweet potato.
   littlies: young kids
   lock: rugby position (forward)
   lollies: candy
   lolly: candy or money
   lounge: living room
   mad as a meat axe: crazy
   maintenance: child support
   major: “a major.” A big deal, a big event
   mana: prestige, earned respect, spiritual power
   Maori: native people of NZ—though even they arrived relatively recently from elsewhere in Polynesia
   marae: Maori meeting house
   Marmite: Savory Kiwi yeast-based spread for toast. An acquired taste. (Kiwis swear it tastes different from Vegemite, the Aussie version.)
   mate: friend. And yes, fathers call their sons “mate.”
   metal road: gravel road
   Milo: cocoa substitute; hot drink mix
   mince: ground beef
   mind: take care of, babysit
   moa: (extinct) Any of several species of huge flightless NZ birds. All eaten by the Maori before Europeans arrived.
   moko: Maori tattoo
   mokopuna: grandchildren
   Moses basket: bassinet
   motorway: freeway
   mozzie: mosquito; OR a Maori Australian (Maori + Aussie = Mozzie)
   muesli: like granola, but unbaked
   munted: broken
   naff: stupid, unsuitable. “Did you get any naff Chrissy pressies this year?”
   nappy: diaper
   narked, narky: annoyed
   netball: Down-Under version of basketball for women. Played like basketball, but the hoop is a bit narrower, the players wear skirts, and they don’t dribble and can’t contact each other. It can look fairly tame to an American eye. There are professional netball teams, and it’s televised and taken quite seriously.
   New World: One of the two major NZ supermarket chains
   nibbles: snacks
   nick, in good nick: doing well
   niggle, niggly: small injury, ache or soreness
   no worries: no problem. The Kiwi mantra.
   not very flash: not feeling well
   Nurofen: brand of ibuprofen
   nutted out: worked out
   OE: Overseas Experience—young people taking a year or two overseas, before or after University.
   offload: pass (rugby)
   oldies: older people. (or for the elderly, “wrinklies!”)
   on the front foot: Having the advantage. Vs. on the back foot—at a disadvantage. From rugby.
   op shop: charity shop, secondhand shop
   out on the razzle: out drinking too much, getting crazy
   paddock: field (often used for rugby—“out on the paddock”)
   Pakeha: European-ancestry people (as opposed to Polynesians)
   Panadol: over-the-counter painkiller
   partner: romantic partner, married or not
   patu: Maori club
   paua, paua shell: NZ abalone
   pavlova (pav): Classic Kiwi Christmas (summer) dessert. Meringue, fresh fruit (often kiwifruit and strawberries) and whipped cream.
   pavement: sidewalk (generally on wider city streets)
   pear-shaped, going pear-shaped: messed up, when it all goes to Hell
   penny dropped: light dawned (figured it out)
   people mover: minivan
   perve: stare sexually
   phone's engaged: phone's busy
   piece of piss: easy
   pike out: give up, wimp out
   piss awful: very bad
   piss up: drinking (noun) a piss-up
   pissed: drunk
   pissed as a fart: very drunk. And yes, this is an actual expression.
   play up: act up
   playing out of his skin: playing very well
   plunger: French Press coffeemaker
   PMT: PMS
   pohutukawa: native tree; called the “New Zealand Christmas Tree” for its beautiful red blossoms at Christmastime (high summer)
   poi: balls of flax on strings that are swung around the head, often to the accompaniment of singing and/or dancing by women. They make rhythmic patterns in the air, and it’s very beautiful.
   Pom, Pommie: English person
   pong: bad smell
   pop: pop over, pop back, pop into the oven, pop out, pop in
   possie: position (rugby). Pronounced “pozzie.”
   postie: mail carrier
   pot plants: potted plants (not what you thought, huh?)
   pounamu: greenstone (jade)
   prang: accident (with the car)
   pressie: present
   puckaroo: broken (from Maori)
   pudding: dessert
   pull your head in: calm down, quit being rowdy
   Pumas: Argentina's national rugby team
   pushchair: baby stroller
   put your hand up: volunteer
   put your head down: work hard
   rapt: thrilled
   rattle your dags: hurry up. From the sound that dried excrement on a sheep's backside makes, when the sheep is running!
   red card: penalty for highly dangerous play. The player is sent off for the rest of the game, and the team plays with 14 men.
   rellies: relatives
   rimu: a New Zealand tree. The wood used to be used for building and flooring, but like all native NZ trees, it was over-logged. Older houses, though, often have rimu floors, and they’re beautiful.
   root: have sex (you DON'T root for a team!)
   ropeable: very angry
   ropey: off, damaged (“a bit ropey”)
   rort: ripoff
   rough as guts: uncouth
   rubbish bin: garbage can
   rugged up: dressed warmly
   ruru: native owl
   Safa: South Africa. Abbreviation only used in NZ.
   sammie: sandwich
   scoff, scoffing: eating, like “snarfing”
   serviette: napkin
   shag: have sex with. A little rude, but not too bad.
   shattered: exhausted
   sheds: locker room (rugby)
   she'll be right: See “no worries.” Everything will work out. The other Kiwi mantra.
   shift house: move (house)
   shonky: shady (person). “a bit shonky”
   shout, your shout, my shout, shout somebody a coffee: buy a round, treat somebody
   sickie, throw a sickie: call in sick
   sink the boot in: kick you when you're down
   skint: broke (poor)
   slag off: speak disparagingly of; disrespect
   sledging: taunting, esp. in sports
   smack: spank. Smacking kids is illegal in NZ.
   smoko: coffee break
   snog: kiss; make out with
   sorted: taken care of
   spa, spa pool: hot tub
   sparrow fart: the crack of dawn
   speedo: Not the swimsuit! Speedometer. (the swimsuit is called a budgie smuggler—a budgie is a parakeet, LOL.)
   spew: vomit
   spit the dummy: have a tantrum. (A
 dummy is a pacifier)
   sportsman: athlete
   sporty: liking sports
   spot on: absolutely correct. “That’s spot on. You’re spot on.”
   squiz: look. “I was just having a squiz round.” “Giz a squiz”: Give me a look at that.
   stickybeak: nosy person, busybody
   stonkered: drunk—a bit stonkered—or exhausted
   stoush: bar fight, fight
   straight away: right away
   strength of it: the truth, the facts. “What's the strength of that?” = “What's the true story on that?”
   stroppy: prickly, taking offense easily
   stuffed up: messed up
   supporter: fan (Do NOT say “root for.” “To root” is to have (rude) sex!)
   suss out: figure out
   sweet: dessert
   sweet as: great. (also: choice as, angry as, lame as… Meaning “very” whatever. “Mum was angry as that we ate up all the pudding before tea with Nana.”)
   takahe: ground-dwelling native bird. Like a giant parrot.
   takeaway: takeout (food)
   tall poppy: arrogant person who puts himself forward or sets himself above others. It is every Kiwi's duty to cut down tall poppies, a job they undertake enthusiastically.
   Tangata Whenua: Maori (people of the land)
   tapu: sacred (Maori)
   Te Papa: the National Museum, in Wellington
   tea: dinner (casual meal at home)
   tea towel: dishtowel
   throw a wobbly: have a tantrum
   tick off: cross off (tick off a list)
   ticker: heart. “The boys showed a lot of ticker out there today.”
   togs: swimsuit (male or female)
   torch: flashlight
   touch wood: knock on wood (for luck)
   track: trail
   trainers: athletic shoes
   tramping: hiking
   trolley: shopping cart
   tucker: food
   tui: Native bird
   turn to custard: go south, deteriorate
   turps, go on the turps: get drunk
   Uni: University—or school uniform
   up the duff: pregnant. A bit vulgar (like “knocked up”)
   ute: pickup or SUV
   vet: check out
   waiata: Maori song
   wairua: spirit, soul (Maori). Very important concept.
   waka: canoe (Maori)
   Warrant of Fitness: certificate of a car's fitness to drive
   wedding tackle: the family jewels; a man’s genitals
   Weet-Bix: ubiquitous breakfast cereal
   whaddarya?: I am dubious about your masculinity (meaning “Whaddarya… pussy?”)
   whakapapa: genealogy (Maori). A critical concept.
   whanau: family (Maori). Big whanau: extended family. Small whanau: nuclear family.
   wheelie bin: rubbish bin (garbage can) with wheels.
   
 
 Stone Cold Kiwi (New Zealand Ever After Book 2) Page 40