New Zealand slang

About this list

New Zealand shares a good deal of slang with Australia and keeps some of its own. Both kinds are here, as Wiktionary marks them.

112 words

and that

And the others; used after a name to denote the friends or social group of that person.

get down on

To acquire or obtain (something), usually illicitly; to steal (something).

hard out

Impressive; awesome.

deal to

To beat up (someone); to destroy, attack or defeat (someone).

bit on the side

A secondary lover, a mistress.

choice

Cool; excellent.

king hit

A blow intended to incapacitate in one hit, often delivered without warning.

for Africa

In abundance.

sweet as

Wonderful, extremely good.

dog shot

A sudden blow, especially when delivered without warning; a king hit; (rugby) a deliberate and potentially illegal late tackle.

chat

A louse (small, parasitic insect).

go down like a cup of cold sick

To be received very poorly; to be highly unpopular.

crash hot

Very good, excellent; very well.

crash-hot

Excellent; superb.

flash

Expensive-looking and demanding attention; stylish; showy.

calm your farm

Calm down.

Oscar

cash; money.

nose beer

Cocaine.

do one's block

To lose one's temper; to get angry.

cop shop

A police station.

laughing gear

The mouth.

Liverpool kiss

A headbutt.

chuck up

To vomit; throw up.

chuck off

To insult or verbally abuse (someone); to tease, sneer at or demean (someone).

day dot

A very long time ago; as far back as one can remember.

nut out

To find a solution (for something), especially in a group discussion; also, to work out the finer details (of something).

lamb down

To spend all one's money; to induce someone to spend all their money; to take all of someone's money when gambling.

touch cloth

To be just on the point of soiling oneself.

sally

A member of the Salvation Army.

mint

Attractive; beautiful; handsome.

burke

To murder by suffocation.

Oxford scholar

A dollar.

cane

To destroy; to comprehensively defeat.

Nat

A member or supporter of the New Zealand National Party.

crack hardy

To keep a brave face, to suppress one's feelings, to grin and bear it.

southern sushi

An alternative name for cheese rolls.

in the pudding club

Pregnant.

dog's dinner

A complete mess.

sheila

A woman.

stink

Bad; inferior; worthless.

crook

Bad, unsatisfactory, not up to standard.

cactus

Non-functional, broken, exhausted, dead.

no duff

Indicating that this is not a drill or training exercise.

Benghazi boiler

A thermette.

flatter

Someone who lives in a rented flat.

lair it up

To behave flamboyantly; to act out; to be showy.

fluff about

To waste time.

bachelor's handbag

A roast chicken sold in a disposable plastic carry bag with a handle.

grouse

Excellent.

spoof

To ejaculate, to come.

banger

A sausage.

hoot

Money, especially in the form of cash given as payment.

grundy

A pair of underpants

gat

A guitar.

Anzac wafer

Hardtack.

nang

A metal bulb filled with nitrous oxide gas, inhaled for its disassociative effects, normally intended as a propellant for whipped cream.

scone

To hit on the head.

dob

To report a person to someone in authority for a wrongdoing. (For transitive forms see dob in, dob on.)

spit tacks

To be extremely angry.

bung

Broken, not in working order; damaged; injured.

hammy

The hamstring.

nong

An idiot.

trev

A farm assistant or other rural worker; an ordinary country bloke.

aggro

Aggressive behaviour; loud, intimidating behaviour that convincingly threatens violence without necessarily actually becoming violent.

rager

A boisterous and out of control party.

tog

swimwear.

ning-nong

A stupid person; an idiot.

scull

To drink the entire contents of a drinking vessel without pausing.

Tassie devil

The Tasmanian devil (marsupial native to the island of Tasmania).

skol

To drink the entire contents of a drinking vessel without pausing.

flub

A fold of fat.

bottler

a person or thing that is excellent or admirable.

wonga

Money.

doof

A type of music with pronounced bass, typically associated with the modified car scene.

fair dinks

Synonym of fair dinkum.

pash

To snog, to make out, to kiss.

suck the kumara

To die.

crook as Rookwood

Extremely unwell.

dinkum

Genuine, true, honest, on the level.

straight dinkum

Genuine, honest, fair and square.

chunder

To throw up, to vomit, particularly from excessive alcohol consumption.

unco

Uncoordinated.

grizzle

To whinge or whine.

pokie

Synonym of poker machine, an electronic game of chance played for money, especially slot machines.

larrikin

A young, brash, and impertinent, and possibly violent, troublemaker, especially one who is a gang member; a hooligan.

chuck a sickie

To take a day off from work feigning ill health.

pull a sickie

To skip work or school or avoid an obligation by pretending to be sick.

throw a sickie

To take a day off from work for ill health (either real or feigned).

turps

Any alcoholic drink.

Oscar Asche

cash; money.

bikie

A motorcyclist who is a member of a club; a biker.

guyver

Flattering talk; behaviour put on to impress or deceive; persiflage.

ratbag

A mischievous person, especially a child.

come at

To accept (a situation); to agree to do; to try.

cut

Upset, angry; emotionally hurt.

gun

Someone excellent, surpassingly wonderful, skilful, or cool.

gap

To leave suddenly.

legend

A cool, nice or helpful person, especially one who is male.

clock

To beat a video game.

punch

To light marijuana in a bong.

rage

An exciting and boisterous party.

toe

Speed, energy, vigor.

shout

A round of drinks in a pub; the turn to pay the shot or scot; an act of paying for a round of drinks.

rooted

Broken, damaged, non-functional.

blower

Telephone.

wag

To play truant from school.

seagull

To run in the back line rather than concentrate on primary positional duties in open play.

cobbler

A sheep left to the end to be sheared (for example, because its wool is filthy, or because it is difficult to catch).

biff

To discard; to throw out; to throw away.

boozer

A public house, pub.

nutting

Thinking very hard or puzzling over something.

piker

One who refuses to go out with friends, or leaves a party early; a spoilsport or "chicken".