Internet, and especially Youtube is full of information on the slang expressions used in this part of the world.
Though we have had a bit less contact with locals, here are the ones from New Zealand that we have picked up and actually use;
- Yeah nah – means no, and it stuck quickly and I believe we’ll never stop using it!
- Jandals – Flipflops, thongs in OZ (thongs to me is just women’s underwear.. not foot wear!)
- Sweet as – Good/Very good/Great
- Good as gold – ok, we don’t use this one, but we have gotten used to it – that things are all good
- All good – we recently released that we say this instead of our normal no worries. And I personally prefer this one. It’s all good 😎
Then we went for a trip to Bali and simplified our English a bit and then back to Australia. And during our outback trip, the guys used an expression that I really wasn’t used to.
- So good or
- So beautiful
This was the way they expressed themselves about the trip, the food, the views, the music… the applications were endless. And I realized I was having a small culture shock!
For the past year during our NZ adventures I’ve expressed my impressions of the experience in a rather US way, with Amazing! Fantastic! Gorgeous! Stunning! Breathtaking! Cool!. A few times Lovely! have also sneaked in. Always so dramatic. 😉
I got explained to me that it’s a Australian thing. And it’s growing on me.
The way I see it, things can’t always be amazing and great. But things are good a lot of the time. Even so good! And it’s helping me to land in that thing’s doesn’t have to be amazing, but just because they aren’t amazing, doesn’t mean they’re bad. They can be good, even so good. And for life, that’s pretty good.
-Petra