Journal Entry - May 11, 2007 What Did You Say, Mate?

Author: Pam
Since arriving in the South Pacific we have been presented with the challenge of the pronunciation of words containing many vowels. In most cases, but of course not all, you pronounce each vowel, with the exception of some combined vowels that make one sound. The use of many vowels leaves you with names of places such as Tutukaka, Whangamumu and Whangaruru, all places we visited as we made our way up the coast of New Zealand. Or, Whangaparapara where we went fishing on Great Barrier Island and pohutakawa a red flowering tree referred to as New Zealand's Christmas tree. These are Maori names and words, the Polynesian culture in New Zealand. Unfortunately, our Maori vocabulary is not very extensive, but the language is actively spoken and preserved throughout New Zealand.

In addition to sometimes being vowel challenged, we have learned many of the kiwi phrases and vocabulary. Due to New Zealand's past history with England, many of the words or phrases you would hear there as well. Also, more often than not it is a word that is familiar, but used entirely different and you add the accent and you can be left with the deer in the headlights stare. After living in NZ for eight of the past eighteen months it became easier to slip many of these colloquiums into our daily conversations. I thought it would be fun to pass a few along. First is the list without the meaning (in case you want to take a stab at the meaning) and following is the list with the meaning or an example. I think some of them are far more fun than how an American would say it.

Ok, put on your kiwi hat:

LiftBoot
Jumper
Queue
Loo
Spanner
Choice
Lot
Eftpos
Chips
Rank
Squab
Shout
Ta
Cheers
Bicci
Chilly Bin
Bugger
Kia Ora
Bit of a Dag
No Worries
Mate
Fortnight
Jandals
Togs
Feed
Tea
Do Up
Barbie
Cuppa
Nappies
Knackered
Good on ya
Jug
Handle
Mozzy
Entre
Pudding or Pud
Box of Fluffy Ducks
Sweet as
Stuffed
Dear
Turn to Custard
Turn Pear Shaped
dub dub dub
Zed
Winging
Dark as the inside of a cow

Ok, how many did you get right?

Lift - elevator
Boot - car trunk
Jumper - sweater or jacket
Queue - a line that forms
Loo - restroom, they often just say toilet
Spanner- wrench
Choice - equivalent to good or great as a response
Lot - "is that the lot?", you are often asked this at the grocery store checkout
Eftpos - their banking debit card system
Chips - french fries, they love fish and chipsCrisps - potato chips, I have previously mentioned the unusual flavors, ie: chicken, lamb and mint, chorizo and Italian Tomato.
Rank - a line of taxis
Squab - boat cushions, either cockpit or interior
Shout - to pay for something for someone else, ie: you would shout them a trip to Disneyland
Ta - thanks
Cheers - hello, thanks
Bicci - cookie
Chilly Bin - ice chest
Bugger - a mild curse for when things are not going well
Kia Ora - hello or welcome (Maori)
Bit of a Dag - we can't remember the exact meaning, but it has something to do with sheep poop
No Worries - a response commonly used to express it wasn't a problem at all to provide assistance or information. "No worries Mate"
Mate - friend or causal acquaintance, Good on ya Mate, Good Day Mate or I went to the movies with my Mate
Fortnight - 2 weeks
Kaimoana - seafood feast (Maori), of course one of my favorites :
Jandals - flip flops
Togs - bathing suit
Feed - to have a meal
Tea - could be lunch, afternoon tea or dinner
Do Up - fixer upper house
Barbie - BBQ
Cuppa - cup of anything hot, tea, coffee or soup
Nappies - diapers
Knackered - tired
Good on ya - praise for doing something well to extraordinary
Jug - tea kettle
Handle - large beer
Mozzy - mosquito
Entree - main meal on a menu
Pudding or Pud - dessert
Box of Fluffy Ducks - a response if you ask how are you doing and the person is having a good day, they are "like a box of fluffy ducks"
Sweet as - positive affirmation
Stuffed - broken (a word we came to dread)
Dear - expensive (another word we came to dread)
Turn to Custard - whatever you are working on is not going well
Turn Pear Shaped - whatever you are working on is also not going well and feels like it turned upside down
dub dub dub - wwwZed - the letter Z, ie: NZ is N Zed
Winging - to whine or complain
Dark as the inside of a cow - very dark, but I guess you probably figured that out

Good on ya mate for playing my little game! You're ready to come to New Zealand and complain about the possums with the rest of the Kiwis.