New Zealand Words
of the older generation.
Vivid -A popular brand of permanent marker that has become a generic term. Similar to twink.
Waka slang term for any kind of vehicle or means of transport, from the Maori term waka used for a canoe or watercraft.
Waka-jumping – the act of switching sides or allegiances. Used in particular to describe the act of MPs changing political parties after being elected in New Zealand’s MMP democracy.
Warewhare – pronounced wa-ray-fa-ray, nickname for the Warehouse stores, a local department store chain. (“Whare” is the Maori word for house). Warehouse outlets or the company itself are also sometimes informally referred to as “The Big Red Shed”.
Westie a sometimes derogatory term which refers to an inhabitant of West Auckland, usually Caucasian. It is also used by people from West Auckland instead of “Bogan” for people who may not even reside there. Has some similar sentiment to the term “white-trash” which is common in the U.S. Westies may be identified by their affinity for black clothing,(including tight jeans), Heavy Metal music, ‘muscle cars’ and aggressive dog breeds. The popular NZ television show Outrageous Fortune follows the misadventures of a stereotypical Westie family.
West Island – A name used occasionally for Australia. The main islands of New Zealand are the North Island and the South Island, and “West Island” is used to refer jokingly to the Australian continent (which lies to the west of New Zealand), due both to the large NZ population there and for the implication that New Zealand is the more important country.
WOF/Warrant (Warrant of Fitness), vehicle roadworthiness test, similar to British MoT and the Australian Roadworthy Certificate, except that it is required 6-monthly for vehicles over three years old. Often pronounced as ‘woof’.
Wops/Wopwops – slang rural areas or towns/localities on the fringes of larger towns/cities. (“Wop Wops” or “The Wop Wops” are also used but less commonly).
References
McGill, David (1988). A Dictionary of Kiwi Slang. Lower Hutt: Mills Publications. ISBN 0-908722-35-4.
McGill, David (1989). The Dinkum Kiwi Dictionary. Lower Hutt: Mills Publications. ISBN 0-908722-50-8.
Plowman, Sonja (2002). Great Kiwi Slang. Glenfield: Summit Press. ISBN 1-86503-667-6.
Categories: New Zealand English | LexisHidden categories: Articles that may contain original research from October 2007 | Articles lacking in-text citations from January 2010 | All articles lacking in-text citations | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from July 2008
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