Kiwi Slang: the Letter C

And so we arrive to lesson three, the letter C. My personal favorite letter of the alphabet, but I'm probably more than a little biased...

Kiwi words and slang starting with the letter C

Can't be bothered – This is hands-down one of my favorite Kiwi phrases. Used when one lacks the motivation or willpower to do something, or when something takes more effort than it’s worth. Ex: “I was going to go to the gym after work, but I just can’t be bothered.” (If you’re feeling pretty strongly about the situation you can intensify the phrase by substituting an expletive for “bothered,” and if you can’t be bothered to say the whole thing, you can abbreviate by just saying, “CBF.”)

Capsicum – This is one of those vegetable names you see at the grocery store and think, “Uhm…?” It’s a red bell pepper.

Car park – Parking Lot.

Chat – Kind of like game. In the same way Americans would say, “That dude’s got game,” you could say, “He has good chat.”

Chilly bin – Cooler.

Chips – Fries. All fries are chips, like they are in “Fish n chips.”

Chocka / choc-a-block – Full to the brim, like “jam-packed.”

Choice – Awesome, nice, superb, top-notch. Ex: “The views up there are choice!”

Chuck – Throw, toss, pass, put. Ex: “Chuck me the salt.” Or “Can you chuck the kettle on?” Or “Chuck it in the bin.”

Chur – Short for cheers as it’s used to say thanks, not to toast, often followed by “bro.” Ex: “Yeah chur, bro.”

Courgette – Another crazy alternative vegetable name. It’s a mini zucchini. (Pronounced “core-zhet” not “core-get,” unless you want your café coworkers to laugh at you.”

Crisps – Potato chips, just to make it confusing.

Cuz – Short for cousin, but used how you would use “bro” to refer to a close friend or buddy—same way it’s used in Hawaiian slang.

Et voilà! We're 3/26ths of the way through the Kiwi Alphabet. Next week we'll get the letter D done and dusted, don't miss out or you'll be devo.