Tuesday, August 24, 2010

New Zealand Vocabulary

We are having fun with the new words, spellings and usage.  As a native explained to us, "When you kicked the British out of your country you kicked out some letters as well."  Many of these are NZ specific.  Enjoy!

Kia Ora = hello, welcome

cheers = thanks, hi

jandals = flip flops

wee = little, tiny, small  ("just use a wee bit of salt", "It's a wee hike to the view."), used by everyone.  I think it is the Scottish settlers' linguistic influence.)

ice block = popsicle

flying fox = zip line

maths (You do the maths.) = math

sport (She plays lots of sport.) = sports

twink = white out/correction fluid/liquid paper (Michael's twink pen exploded on my fingers.)

 to queue =  to line up

trundler or trolley = shopping cart

mild cheese = regular cheddar cheese

tasty cheese = very sharp cheddar cheese

vintage cheese = "fully mature cheddar cheese with a rich extra sharp flavour and crumbly texture"

trim milk = skim milk

the bench = the kitchen counter

tea (at school) = snack break

skivvie = turtleneck shirt

jumper = sweater

rubbish mix = trail mix

slice = bar cookie

flat white = a coffee with lots of steamed milk but not lots of foam

fluffy = steamed milk with lots of foam, chocolate sprinkles & marshmallows

thermals = long underwear

walk = ranges from very short to all afternoon walking

tramp = back packing expedition

rubbish = trash

bin = waste basket, trash can, etc

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