Friday, January 30, 2009

In Brief

Kiwis love to shorten words. Many everyday words have been trimmed of excess letters and syllables in order to.......? I'm not sure, but shortening words seems to be a national pastime. The shortened words often end in -y or -ie, creating a somewhat "cute" version of the word. Although, I'm not sure if the electricians I know in the States would think it's cute to be referred to as Sparkie.

Here are some cute Kiwi words:

Batch=Bachelor house, usually by the seaside
Bickie=Biscuit (Cookie)
Brekkie=Breakfast
Brickie=Bricklayer
Cardy=Cardigan
Chippy=Carpenter, Builder
Chrissy=Christmas
Cuz=Cousin
Fizzy=Soda
Greasies=Fish n'Chips
Gummies or Wellies=Gumboots (Rainboots)
Hottie=Hot Water Bottle
Nappy=Diaper
Prezzy=Present, as in gift
Rellies=Relatives
Sarnie=Sandwich
Sickie=A sick day from work
Sparkie=Electrician
Sunnies=Sunglasses
Ta=Thank You
Togs=Bathing suit

No comments:

Post a Comment