| Awesome |
Fine, excellent |
| Bach |
A holiday home (also known as a crib in the South Island) |
| Barbie |
Barbecue (also written as BBQ) - food cooked outside over a charcoal or gas fire |
| Beaut, beauty |
Something good or outstanding. Often used ironically to mean the opposite |
| Bro |
Term of address for a male friend or relative |
| Bright as a button |
Looking fresh, alert |
| Bright spark |
Intelligent, alert, attentive, awake |
| Bring a plate |
Everyone brings food to share. Don't bring an empty plate. |
| Bush |
New Zealand's native forest |
| Bushed, had it |
Exhausted |
| BYO |
Bring Your Own. A BYO restaurant is a restaurant that allows customers to bring their own wine to drink with their meal. |
| Chocka |
Full |
| Choice |
Fine, excellent |
| Clean as a whistle |
Sparkling clean |
| Clown |
Term of abuse, idiot |
| Crook |
To be ill or unwell. Also means a thief |
| Cuz |
Term of address for friend or relative |
| Dag |
An amusing person, a character |
| Dork |
An idiot or a physically uncoordinated person |
| Dough |
Money |
| Drive around the bend |
Annoy so much you lose your temper |
| Drongo |
A term of abuse, idiot |
| Dude |
A cool or good looking male |
| Feed |
A meal |
| Flat tack |
At top speed |
| Foxy, fox |
Used to describe a cool or good looking person of either sex |
| Fully |
I agree |
| G'dday |
Greeting meaning hello |
| Got the blues |
Used to describe a sad state of mind |
| Greenie |
A conservationist |
| Gumboots |
Waterproof rubber boots (called Wellingtons in Britain) |
| Grog |
Alcohol |
| Grouse |
Fine, excellent, often used to express delight |
| Hard case |
A tough but likeable person, an eccentric person |
| Hard graft |
Hard work |
| Head over heels |
Usually describing somebody who is very very happy |
| Heart of gold |
Describing a person who is very kind |
| Hook up |
Meet up or join in |
| Hoon |
A noisy person, a lout |
| In a spin |
Usually when too many things happen all at one time or too many choices |
| Jandals |
Rubber sandals or thongs (called flip flops in Britain) |
| Joker |
A man |
| Kiwi |
New Zealand native bird symbol. New Zealander |
| Lolly |
The usual word for a confection or sweet |
| Mate |
A friend, also a term of address |
| Mission |
An adventure |
| Mongrel |
A term of abuse or contempt for a person |
| Munted |
To be broken or distorted |
| Narley |
Cool, good |
| Nerd |
A boring person |
| Nifty |
Good (applied to a thing) |
| No worries |
Common phrase of agreement |
| On to it |
Efficient or intelligent |
| On a high |
A good feeling that can come from success |
| Once in a blue moon |
Very rarely, seldom, almost never |
| Paddock |
A field, also a sports pitch |
| Paint the town red |
To go out and have a good time |
| Piker |
Someone who opts out of an activity |
| Pop on over/ pop in |
Come and visit me at my house |
| Potluck dinner |
Everyone brings prepared food to share with all the guests |
| Pressie |
A present (gift) |
| Pub |
A bar where alcoholic drinks are served over the counter |
| Rapt |
Very pleased |
| Rellie |
A relation or relative |
| Rough ride |
A difficult experience |
| She'll be right |
Everything is going to be OK |
| Shocking |
Very bad |
| Shout |
To treat your friends to something such as a drink or a meal |
| Skite |
To boast. A boaster or show-off |
| Smoko |
Coffee or tea break |
| Snowed under |
Usually has too much work or responsibility |
| Spuds |
Potatoes |
| Sticks |
Remote or rural district, the countryside |
| Stinge/Stingy |
Not generous with your money |
| Stoked |
Very excited |
| Sweet as |
Great |
| Swot |
Study hard, especially before an exam |
| Ta |
Thanks |
| To take for a ride |
To deceive or trick someone |
| Togs |
Swimming costume |
| Tucker |
Food |
| Turn to custard |
Collapse of ideas, schemes, plans |
| Unc/Unco |
An uncoordinated person, often used as an insult or taunt |
| Under the weather |
Feeling off colour, unwell, tired |
| Uni |
University |
| Varsity |
University |
| Veggies |
Vegetables |
| Wicked |
Fine, excellent |
| Wop-wops |
Remote or rural district, the countryside |