Just My Luck (46 page)

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All vowels are pronounced separately.

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All vowels except u have a short vowel sound.

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“wh” is pronounced “f.”

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“ng” is pronounced as in “singer,” not as in “anger.”

ABs:  All Blacks

across the Ditch:  in Australia (across the Tasman Sea). Or, if you're in Australia, in New Zealand!

advert:  commercial

agro:  aggravation

air con:  air conditioning

All Blacks:  National rugby team. Members are selected for every series from amongst the five NZ Super 15 teams. The All Blacks play similarly selected teams from other nations.

Aotearoa:  New Zealand (the other official name, meaning “The Land of the Long White Cloud" in Maori)

arvo, this arvo:  afternoon

Aussie, Oz:  Australia. (An Australian is also an Aussie. Pronounced “Ozzie.”)

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 and leaner than forwards.

bangers and mash:  sausages and potatoes

barrack for:  cheer for

bench:  counter (kitchen bench)

berko:  berserk

bikkies:  cookies

bit of a dag:  a comedian, a funny guy

bits and bobs:  stuff  (“be sure you get all your bits and bobs”)

blood bin:  players leaving field for injury

Blues:  Auckland's Super 15 team

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

Cake Tin:  Wellington's rugby stadium (not the official name, but it looks exactly like a springform pan)

cardie:  a cardigan sweater

chat up:  flirt with

chilly bin:  ice chest

chips: French fries. (potato chips are “crisps”)

chocolate bits:  chocolate chips

choice:  fantastic

chokka:  full

Chrissy:  Christmas

chuck out:  throw away

chuffed:  pleased

collywobbles:  nervous tummy, upset stomach

come a greaser:  take a bad fall

costume, cossie:  swimsuit (female only)

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.

doddle:  easy. “That'll be a doddle.”

dodgy:  suspect, low-quality

dogbox:  The doghouse—in trouble

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

first five, first five-eighths:  rugby back—does most of the big kicking jobs and is the main director of the backs. Also called the No. 10.

fixtures:  playing schedule

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

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 we call 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:  Maori greeting

haka:  ceremonial Maori challenge—done before every All Blacks game

hang on a tick:  wait a minute

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

hooker:  rugby position (forward)

hooning around:  driving fast, wannabe tough-guy behavior (typically young men)

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

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:  welcome (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.

ladder:  standings (rugby)

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.

mate:  friend

metal road:  gravel road

Milo:  coffee substitute; hot drink mix

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

motorway:  freeway

muesli:  like granola, but unbaked

munted:  broken

naff:  stupid, unsuitable. “Did you get any naff Chrissy pressies this year?”

nappy:  diaper

narked, narky: annoyed

new caps:  new All Blacks—those named to the side for the first time

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.

No. 8:  rugby position. A forward

not very flash:  not feeling well

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

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)

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

play up:  act up

playing out of his skin:  playing very well

PMT:  PMS

Pom, Pommie:  English person.

pop:  pop over, pop back, pop into the oven, pop out, pop in

possie:  position (rugby)

postie:  mail carrier

poumanu:  greenstone (jade)

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

riding the pine:  sitting on the bench (as a substitute in a match)

Rippa:  junior rugby

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

rugby boots:  rugby shoes with spikes (sprigs)

Rugby Championship:  Contest played each year in the Southern Hemisphere by the national teams of NZ, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina

Rugby World Cup, RWC:  World championship, played every four years amongst the top 20 teams in the world

rugged up:  dressed warmly

ruru:  native owl

Safa:  South Africa. Abbreviation only used in NZ.

sammie:  sandwich

second-five, second five-eights:  rugby back (No. 9). With the first-five, directs the game. Also feeds the scrum and generally collects the ball from the ball carrier at the breakdown and distributes it.

selectors:  team of 3 (the head coach is one) who choose players for the All Blacks squad, for every series

serviette:  napkin

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

sin bin:  players sitting out 15-minute penalty in rugby

sink the boot in:  kick you when you're down

skint:  broke (poor)

skipper:  (team) captain. Also called “the Skip.”

slag off: speak disparagingly of; disrespect

smack:  spank. Smacking kids is illegal in NZ.

smoko:  coffee break

sorted:  taken care of

spa, spa pool:  hot tub

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.”

Springboks, Boks:  South African national rugby team

squiz:  look. “I was just having a squiz round.” “Giz a squiz.”