| g’day, g’dday | Stereotypical Kiwi greeting. From “Good Day”. Also spelled gidday “G’day mate, how’s it going?” |
| gas guzzler | A large car, often associated with older-style large cars from the USA. See also Yank tank. |
| gawk / gawking | To stare at. To take a look at. “What are you gawking at!?” |
| get off the grass | An exclamation of disbelief. Similar to “stop pulling my leg”, “get outta here”, “you’re joking” and “no way”. |
| get the willies | To be overcome with a feeling of fear or agitation that something might happen. “Every time I think about speaking in public I get the willies.” |
| gimme | Informal way of saying “give me.” “Gimme one of those sausages.” |
| give your ferret a run | To have sex. |
| gizza | Informal way of saying “give us a”. “Gizza pint of Speights please.” |
| going bush | To go into the bush to live for an extended period, although sometimes applied to less extensive periods of hunting or camping. It has a similar meaning to “get away from it all”. “I’m going bush for a while to get away from it all.” |
| good as gold | A good outcome. An affirmative answer, implying the speaker is happy with an outcome. “Our holidays were going good as gold until the last day!” “Can I drop the trailer off to you this weekend?” |
| good on ya. good on ya mate! | Congratulations. Well done. Said to express that you are proud of someone. “Here’s some beers for the boys. Enjoy!” “Good on ya mate!” Can also be used sarcastically. “I’m going to win lotto this weekend.” “Aw, good on ya! Not much chance of that.” |
| got the blues | Used to describe feeling sad or depressed. |
| greasies | A common term for fish and chips, which are deep fried in fat or oil. |
| greenie | A conservationist. Sometimes used with a similar meaning as the word “hippie”. “He’s a real greenie. He has been involved in many protests again logging native trees.” |
| gridiron | American football. |
| grog | Any alcoholic beverage, although more specifically spirits. “Are you on the grog this weekend?” Meaning “Are you going out drinking this weekend.” |
| ground floor | The ground level floor of a building. First floor in USA. |
| grouse | Fine. Excellent. Often used to express delight. “My Dad’s leading me the car this weekend. It’s grouse.” |
| gumboots, gummies | Waterproof rubber boots. Called Wellingtons or Wellies in Britain. Some New Zealand fesitvals and events feature gumboot-throwing as a competition, to see who can throw it the greatest distance. Taihape claimms to be the gumboot-throwing capital of New Zealand. |
| guts for garters | To be in big trouble. “When my Dad finds out he’ll have my guts for garters!” |
Kiwi Slang Dictionary
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If you hear or read a New Zealand colloquial or slang word or phrase and would like an explanation of what it means then feel welcome to ask a question in the form below.
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