New Zealand words I don't understand. Do you?

I am pretty satisfied with my English comprehension level. I've been practicing since I was a baby. I know at least 40 different words and understand when other people speak to me. Impressed yet? However, it has come to my attention that certain countries have their own slang and way of speaking. British people in particular have their own words that are uniquely theirs. When they say dinner, they mean lunch. I don't care much for England I've decided....Which brings us to New Zealand. I have come across a few terms I didn't quite grasp at the time and asked my friend for some other New Zealand terms. I will write them below and use them in a sentence. Try to guess what the word means and I will give you the definition at the bottom. Isn't this fun?

This first one was the most embarrassing and the real first communication barrier I faced:

Can you put it in the boot for me?

I was real crook last night.

I bought some new jandals.

The fridge is choker.

He is over in the paddock.

Went up to the new batch for the weekend.

I lost my togs.

That beer is grouse.

That girl is such a drungo.

He lives out in the wops.

Your brother is such a bludge.

Want to check out my new ute?

Won a hundred dollars on the pokeys last night.

Sweet as bro. (Most common expression in NZ)

Choice.

How do you think you did?

Boot: trunk

Crook: Sick

Jandals: Sandals

Choker: Full

Paddock: Field

Batch: Holiday home

Togs: Bather/swimsuit/swimming costume

Grouse: Good

Drungo: Idiot

Bludge: Freeloader/mooch

Ute: Truck

Pokey: Slot machine

Sweet as: All good/great

Choice: Old school way of saying sweet as.


I can only imagine what it is like for someone who English is their second language and they go somewhere new and don't understand the words people are using or their accent. When I was in Thailand I was told almost everyday that I speak too fast, which might have been true. One benefit of living in an English speaking country is everyone understands what I say and can keep up to my lightning fast speaking ability. Hope you enjoyed this English lesson, see you next week.


"Words-so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil  they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them." Nathaniel Hawthorne