Just Once More (Escape to New Zealand Book 7) Read online

narked, narky: annoyed

  netball: Down-Under version of basketball for women. Played like basketball, but the hoop is a bit narrower, the players wear skirts, and they don’t dribble and can’t contact each other. It can look fairly tame to an American eye. There are professional netball teams, and it’s televised and taken quite seriously.

  new caps: new All Blacks—those named to the side for the first time

  New World: One of the two major NZ supermarket chains

  nibbles: snacks

  nick, in good nick: doing well

  niggle, niggly: small injury, ache or soreness

  no worries: no problem. The Kiwi mantra.

  No. 8: rugby position. A forward

  not very flash: not feeling well

  Nurofen: brand of ibuprofen

  nutted out: worked out

  OE: Overseas Experience—young people taking a year or two overseas, before or after University.

  offload: pass (rugby)

  oldies: older people. (or for the elderly, “wrinklies!”)

  on the front foot: Having the advantage. Vs. on the back foot—at a disadvantage. From rugby.

  Op Shop: charity shop, secondhand shop

  out on the razzle: out drinking too much, getting crazy

  paddock: field (often used for rugby—“out on the paddock”)

  Pakeha: European-ancestry people (as opposed to Polynesians)

  Panadol: over-the-counter painkiller

  partner: romantic partner, married or not

  patu: Maori club

  paua, paua shell: NZ abalone

  pavlova (pav): Classic Kiwi Christmas (summer) dessert. Meringue, fresh fruit (often kiwifruit and strawberries) and whipped cream.

  pavement: sidewalk (generally on wider city streets)

  pear-shaped, going pear-shaped: messed up, when it all goes to Hell

  penny dropped: light dawned (figured it out)

  people mover: minivan

  perve: stare sexually

  phone’s engaged: phone’s busy

  piece of piss: easy

  pike out: give up, wimp out

  piss awful: very bad

  piss up: drinking (noun) a piss-up

  pissed: drunk

  pissed as a fart: very drunk. And yes, this is an actual expression.

  play up: act up

  playing out of his skin: playing very well

  plunger: French Press coffeemaker

  PMT: PMS

  pohutukawa: native tree; called the “New Zealand Christmas Tree” for its beautiful red blossoms at Christmastime (high summer)

  poi: balls of flax on strings that are swung around the head, often to the accompaniment of singing and/or dancing by women. They make rhythmic patterns in the air, and it’s very beautiful.

  Pom, Pommie: English person

  pop: pop over, pop back, pop into the oven, pop out, pop in

  possie: position (rugby)

  postie: mail carrier

  pot plants: potted plants (not what you thought, huh?)

  poumanu: greenstone (jade)

  prang: accident (with the car)

  pressie: present

  puckaroo: broken (from Maori)

  pudding: dessert

  pull your head in: calm down, quit being rowdy

  Pumas: Argentina’s national rugby team

  pushchair: baby stroller

  put your hand up: volunteer

  put your head down: work hard

  rapt: thrilled

  rattle your dags: hurry up. From the sound that dried excrement on a sheep’s backside makes, when the sheep is running!

  red card: penalty for highly dangerous play. The player is sent off for the rest of the game, and the team plays with 14 men.

  rellies: relatives

  riding the pine: sitting on the bench (as a substitute in a match)

  rimu: a New Zealand tree. The wood used to be used for building and flooring, but like all native NZ trees, it was over-logged. Older houses, though, often have rimu floors, and they’re beautiful.

  Rippa: junior rugby

  root: have sex (you DON’T root for a team!)

  ropeable: very angry

  ropey: off, damaged (“a bit ropey”)

  rort: ripoff

  rough as guts: uncouth

  rubbish bin: garbage can

  rugby boots: rugby shoes with spikes (sprigs)

  Rugby Championship: Contest played each year in the Southern Hemisphere by the national teams of NZ, Australia, South Africa, and Argentina

  Rugby World Cup, RWC: World championship, played every four years amongst the top 20 teams in the world

  rugged up: dressed warmly

  ruru: native owl

  Safa: South Africa. Abbreviation only used in NZ.

  sammie: sandwich

  scoff, scoffing: eating, like “snarfing”

  selectors: team of 3 (the head coach is one) who choose players for the All Blacks squad, for every series

  serviette: napkin

  shag: have sex with. A little rude, but not too bad.

  shattered: exhausted

  sheds: locker room (rugby)

  she’ll be right: See “no worries.” Everything will work out. The other Kiwi mantra.

  shift house: move (house)

  shonky: shady (person). “a bit shonky”

  shout, your shout, my shout, shout somebody a coffee: buy a round, treat somebody

  sickie, throw a sickie: call in sick

  sin bin: players sitting out 10-minute penalty in rugby (or, in the case of a red card, the rest of the game).

  sink the boot in: kick you when you’re down

  skint: broke (poor)

  skipper: (team) captain. Also called “the Skip.”

  slag off: speak disparagingly of; disrespect

  smack: spank. Smacking kids is illegal in NZ.

  smoko: coffee break

  snog: kiss; make out with

  sorted: taken care of

  spa, spa pool: hot tub

  sparrow fart: the crack of dawn

  speedo: Not the swimsuit! Speedometer. (the swimsuit is called a budgie smuggler—a budgie is a parakeet, LOL.)

  spew: vomit

  spit the dummy: have a tantrum. (A dummy is a pacifier)

  sportsman: athlete

  sporty: liking sports

  spot on: absolutely correct. “That’s spot on. You’re spot on.”

  Springboks, Boks: South African national rugby team

  squiz: look. “I was just having a squiz round.” “Giz a squiz”: Give me a look at that.

  stickybeak: nosy person, busybody

  stonkered: drunk—a bit stonkered—or exhausted

  stoush: bar fight, fight

  straight away: right away

  strength of it: the truth, the facts. “What’s the strength of that?” = “What’s the true story on that?”

  stroppy: prickly, taking offense easily

  stuffed up: messed up

  Super 15: Top rugby competition: five teams each from NZ, Australia, South Africa. The New Zealand Super 15 teams are, from north to south: Blues (Auckland), Chiefs (Waikato/Hamilton), Hurricanes (Wellington), Crusaders (Canterbury/Christchurch), Highlanders (Otago/Dunedin).

  supporter: fan (Do NOT say “root for.” “To root” is to have (rude) sex!)

  suss out: figure out

  sweet: dessert

  sweet as: great. (also: choice as, angry as, lame as…Meaning “very” whatever. “Mum was angry as that we ate up all the pudding before tea with Nana.”)

  takahe: ground-dwelling native bird. Like a giant parrot.

  takeaway: takeout (food)

  tall poppy: arrogant person who puts himself forward or sets himself above others. It is every Kiwi’s duty to cut down tall poppies, a job they undertake enthusiastically.

  Tangata Whenua: Maori (people of the land)

  tapu: sacred (Maori)

  Te Papa: the National Museum, in Wellington


  tea: dinner (casual meal at home)

  tea towel: dishtowel

  test match: international rugby match (e.g., an All Blacks game)

  throw a wobbly: have a tantrum

  tick off: cross off (tick off a list)

  ticker: heart. “The boys showed a lot of ticker out there today.”

  togs: swimsuit (male or female)

  torch: flashlight

  touch wood: knock on wood (for luck)

  track: trail

  trainers: athletic shoes

  tramping: hiking

  transtasman: Australia/New Zealand (the Bledisloe Cup is a transtasman rivalry)

  trolley: shopping cart

  tucker: food

  tui: Native bird

  turn to custard: go south, deteriorate

  turps, go on the turps: get drunk

  Uni: University—or school uniform

  up the duff: pregnant. A bit vulgar (like “knocked up”)

  ute: pickup or SUV

  vet: check out

  waiata: Maori song

  wairua: spirit, soul (Maori). Very important concept.

  waka: canoe (Maori)

  Wallabies: Australian national rugby team

  Warrant of Fitness: certificate of a car’s fitness to drive

  wedding tackle: the family jewels; a man’s genitals

  Weet-Bix: ubiquitous breakfast cereal

  whaddarya?: I am dubious about your masculinity (meaning “Whaddarya…pussy?”)

  whakapapa: genealogy (Maori). A critical concept.

  whanau: family (Maori). Big whanau: extended family. Small whanau: nuclear family.

  wheelie bin: rubbish bin (garbage can) with wheels.

  whinge: whine. Contemptuous! Kiwis dislike whingeing. Harden up!

  White Ribbon: campaign against domestic violence

  wind up: upset (perhaps purposefully). “Their comments were bound to wind him up.”

  wing: rugby position (back)

  Yank: American. Not pejorative.

  yellow card: A penalty for dangerous play that sends a player off for 10 minutes to the sin bin. The team plays with 14 men during that time—or even 13, if two are sinbinned.

  yonks: ages. “It’s been going on for yonks.”

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  THE ESCAPE TO NEW ZEALAND SERIES

  Reka and Hemi’s story: Just For You (Novella)

  Hannah and Drew’s story: Just This Once

  Kate and Koti’s story: Just Good Friends

  Jenna and Finn’s story: Just For Now

  Emma and Nic’s story: Just For Fun

  Ally and Nate’s/Kristen and Liam’s stories: Just My Luck

  Josie and Hugh’s story: Just Not Mine

  Hannah and Drew’s story/reunion: Just Once More

  THE KINCAIDS SERIES

  Mira and Gabe’s story: Welcome To Paradise

  Desiree and Alec’s story: Nothing Personal

  Alyssa and Joe’s story: Asking For Trouble

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