field report

New Zealand slang from Beyond the Trail

/ Erin Servais / Leave a comment

When we left off with Rob and Debra, our Beyond the Trail travel bloggers, they were backpacking it across Australia, soaking up sun, drinking Fosters (Okay, I don’t know if that part is true.), and rifling both the cities and countryside for fun Aussie slang to share with Grammar Partiers.

The location of their current field report is New Zealand, where they are soaking up the sun, yada yada yada, having an amazing time everyone should be envious of, and rifling both the cities and countryside for fun New Zealand slang to share with us.

Here are some slang words and phrases Debra emailed to me recently that she has heard on her adventures:

brekkie: breakfast
coach: bus
good on ya: good for you
he just cruises/we cruise: chilling
sweet as: something really good
what are ya after: what would you like/what kinds of things are you interested in

In my web travels, I found newzealandslang.com, which listed loads of kiwi slang words and phrases. I have listed some of my favorites below, but I recommend checking out the site for more slangy goodness.

across the Ditch: across the Tasman Sea
bickies: biscuits
bit of a dag: person with a good sense of humor
blimin’: bloody (like the swear word)
blow me down: an expression of surprise
cadge: to borrow
carked it: died
crook: sick
dairy: corner store
fizzy drink: soda
flash: something that looks new
going bush: become reclusive
grunds: underwear
hard yakka: hard work
ice block: ice pop
manus: idiot
pashing: kissing
plaster: band aid
pong: bad smell
rack off: go away
rattle your dags: command to hurry up
stuffed: tired
ta: thanks
togs: swim suit
winge: to complain
wobbly: tantrum
yonks: a long time

If any of these are out of date, or if you know of any new slang words I should include in my list, please let me know.

You can follow Rob and Deb’s fantastical globe-trotting journey at their blog, Beyond the Trail. With their inside peek into foreign cultures, which only people willing to rough it at camp sites and stray way off the beaten path can have, the site is a must-read.

Aussie Slang from Beyond the Trail

/ Erin Servais / 4 Comments

In April two of my dearest friends, Rob and Debra, quit their jobs, sold their house, and left everything behind for a  year of adventures traveling the globe. To stave off my jealousy (I mean, isn’t that everyone’s dream?), I made them promise to send me field reports about neat slang and other language tid bits they learn along the way. Their first report is from Australia, where they have spent a month working on a tea tree oil farm and traveling in an RV to some pretty amazing places. Below are some slang words and phrases they’ve encountered (probably while putting some shrimp on the barbie).

goon: boxed wine
How’s are ya: How are you?
pokies: slot machines
That’s all right: You’re welcome.
windscreen: windshield

They also report that when you ask if someone has the time, the common reply is, “yes.” Then you have to ask again for what the time actually is. To which Debra comments, “smart asses.”

Rob and Debra are tracking their journey on a great blog called Beyond the Trail. Their look into local life and customs in the places they visit makes for a fun an interesting break for us nine-to-fivers in need of a virtual vacation. Check it out on your next lunch break.

More Aussie slang
Here’s a collection of other Aussie slang terms and phrases I’ve gathered from the Outback of the internets.

arvo: afternoon
banana bender: a person from Queensland
bash somebody’s ear: to talk at great length
big red : a large male kangaroo
blowie: a large blow fly
chewie: chewing gum
chook: a chicken
clucky: to feel motherly
dill: a stupid person
dinky-di: a genuine thing
do one’s lolly : to have an angry outburst
earbash: constant chatter
exy: very expensive
feral: a rumor
googie: an egg
hard yakker: hard work
in the nick: to be in jail
jumbuck: a sheep
jumping bulljoe: an aggressive orange and black ant that hops
kark it: to die
like a stunned mullet: to be inactive, lazy
liquid laugh: vomit
mad as a cut snak : an insane person
mozzie: mosquito
mystery bag: a sausage
nark: to annoy or upset someone
Never Never: the far Outback
nicki noo: naked
off your tucker: to lose your appetite
pie eater: a resident of South Australia
plonk: really cheap wine
pommy: a person from England
prang: a motor vehicle accident or collision.
rip snorter: terrific
sandshoes: tennis shoes
scratchy: instant lottery ticket
Sheila: a woman
stonkered: to be absolutely drunk
sunnies: sunglasses
ta!: thank you
tucker: food
up a gum tree: in trouble or confused
wacker: a crazy person
wally: a stupid person
whinger: a person who constantly complains
wog: the flu
wowser: a party pooper
yobbo: a crazy person
ziff: a man’s beard