Kiwi Slang: The Letter P

Piss – Slang for alcohol. However you’re never “drinking piss,” instead you’re “on the piss” (that’s ‘OTP’ for short.)

Pram – Baby stroller.

Plaster – Band-aid. They think it's really funny that we use a brand name for this.

Pie – This honestly deserves a whole blog post. Pie is one of the most defining aspects of Kiwi culture. If someone mentions pie there is a very slim chance they might be referring to a fruit pie as Americans know it, but 99.9999% of the time they're referring to a savory hand pie. Mince and cheese is the classic variety, but pie-making has been elevated to an art form in New Zealand so you can find just about any flavor. And they can be found anywhere you find food: supermarkets, bakeries, gas stations, cafés, and restaurants. The pie knows no limits.

Piker – A quitter or a generally flaky person.

Pudding – Dessert. I don't mean a dessert, just dessert in general. Like at the end of a meal, someone might say, "What's for pudding?" This is very confusing to me for obvious reasons. I don't understand why you would use the name of a dessert instead of just saying "dessert." Whatever, add it to the list of things I will never understand about Kiwi slang.