'I've just moved to Australia from New Zealand, and these everyday words have baffled me'

For two trans-Tasman neighbours so often mixed up, you'd think Aotearoa and Australia's local colloquialisms would be somewhat in sync.

But when I hopped the ditch from little old Christchurch to greener pastures in Sydney only a month ago, I was in for a rude awakening.

There were a few notable differences that immediately struck me: Sydneysiders don't flash you the same easy grins as people do back home, the bus drivers here have some kind of sinister, collective death wish, the fish and chips fall short of New Zealand's by a mile and the population of greater Sydney is literally higher than all of New Zealand combined.

But as I sat in the 9honey daily pitch meeting, my brain furiously churning through the hundreds of possible meanings for the word "esky", it dawned on me the cultural differences extend far beyond deep fried food or population stats.

The fact is, Australians have a secret language us Kiwis are definitely not fluent in.

But like many who have made the move from the land of the long white cloud, I'm of the opinion that as far as decipherable slang goes, New Zealand's got the jump on Aussie.

So to aid both Aussie natives and Kiwi expats alike – whether fresh off the boat and clueless, or an Australian trying to decipher your Kiwi friend's slang – I've put together a terminology guide to help translate both countries' respective colloquialisms.

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White out -> Twink

Kicking it off strong, in Aotearoa this nifty little correction tool is often referred to as "twink."

Now, I know what you're thinking – but in our defence, there's a real reason behind this.

Much like terms such as "Bic" for pens and "Kleenex" for tissues, "Twink" came about long before the term became widely used in a derogatory context. The nickname stemmed from one of the first and most popular brands of correction fluid available in New Zealand.

Thongs -> flip-flops/jandals

Now, this one is a bit bizarre – this is what Australians call jandals or flip-flops.

This is one I simply cannot fathom, try as I might. Thongs for me will forever remain the term for G-string underwear. They do NOT go on your feet, and I'll die on this hill.

Esky -> chilly bin

I've recently been informed chilly bins are referred to as "eskies" in Australia, as a nickname for the original term "Eskimo ice boxes" before the wider Australian public shortened the name.

New Zealand, on the other hand, is a bit more on-the-nose with our cooler colloquialisms.

Salvos -> Sallies

Salvation Army family stores are affectionately dubbed "Sallies" in New Zealand. I can see where Australia is coming from where "Salvos" are concerned, though.

Corner store, convenience store -> dairy

A living entity so engrained in the Kiwi psyche, home would not be the same without it; the dairy.

It's where you go if you forget milk at the supermarket; it's where you park up your bikes, Razor scooters and rip sticks to grab a $1 Golden Circle Tropical Punch, a $2 pick-n-mix lollie bag or a Zombie Chew.

It's a steady, reliable presence through the ups and downs, and one of the things I miss most about New Zealand. Australia has corner stores, but to be honest, they're missing the magic.

Holiday home, shack -> bach

I see where you're coming from with "shack", and will admit New Zealand has gone a bit rogue by referring to our holiday homes as baches.

But hear me out; this is originally derived from 'bachelor pad'. Over time, it's been adapted to the more gender-neutral, family-friendly 'bach'.

Bush walk, hike -> tramp

We call bush walks and hikes tramps in Aotearoa. Stay with me; the term is derived from the word trampling, which arguably makes perfect sense. At least to us it does.

Doona -> duvet

I don't have time for this rubbish. I'm sorry Australia, but it's a duvet every day of the week.

Meat pie -> Just 'a pie'

This is a touchy subject. In New Zealand we take a lot of pride in our pies, but we don't complicate things; all savoury pies, whether they contain meat or not, are simply "pies." We only separate pies by category if they're sweet, or are elaborating further on which meat pie we want our mate to buy for us.

But "I'm going to get a pie" will always, without a single shred of doubt, mean we are off to chow down on a savoury pie for lunch. This could be beef, this could be chicken or it could be veg. But our favourite of all the pies, the pinnacle of Kiwiana, is the classic mince and cheese.

This flavour concept proved contentious with fellow 9honey writers – most of whom responded by either making a face, uttering a simple "gross" or, in one isolated case, describing it as "a human rights violation".

Vanilla slice -> Custard Square

In the same vein, another Kiwi staple is the custard square. You'd think this would be relatively straightforward – it is literally a square-shaped (or rectangle) custard dessert – but Aussies insist on calling them Vanilla slices.

Bathers, swimmers -> togs

The blanket term for these is "togs." Board shorts? Togs. Bikinis? Togs. Speedos? Togs. Rash shirt? Togs. You get the picture; they're all togs.

Jumper, sweater -> jersey

These are jerseys. Now I'm not saying we don't ever use the terms sweater or jumper, but jersey is our go-to and the most common descriptor for an item of clothing you chuck on to stay warm. Much like togs, this is a blanket term that can cover knits, shawls, hoodies and jackets alike.

"No through road" -> no exit

We like to keep it simple in little old NZ – if there is no way to exit a road bar the way you've entered it, we aptly mark it with "no exit" signs and call it a day.

No "no through road" nonsense. Far too many syllables, our budget for signage just does not extend that far.

Sweet potato -> Kūmara

The thing about Kiwis is we love our sweet potato, or kūmara. Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew – whichever way you cook it, it's a common staple in traditional Māori fare. (Unsurprising, given they're the ones who can be credited for introducing them to New Zealand more than a thousand years ago.)

The kūmara is a common staple in traditional Māori Hāngī – a cooking method that uses heated rocks and earth pits (umu) to steam food underground for an extended period of time. Trust me when I say you haven't truly lived until you've had a Hāngī feed.

Schooner, pot, middy -> pint, jug

This one varies regionally across Australia, but when a group of Aussie natives first brought the concept of schooners, pots and middies to my attention, it nearly sent me into a coma.

Back home there are pints – different from British or American pints – which can be anywhere within the 400-520ml range. We also enjoy our jugs, which are flagons of beer often shared between a couple of people.

Woop woop -> wop wops

Our term for 'the middle of nowhere': if you're in the wop wops, you're either just an inconvenient distance away, or located in a place with zero reception.

Texta, permanent marker -> vivid

"Vivid" is standard Kiwi fare, however we do tend to stray into sharpie territory on occasion - but only if the vivid in question is the Sharpie brand.

Whipper snipper -> weed eater

Australia, I'm sorry, you have officially lost the plot with this one.

This is a name so far removed from the actual purpose of this tool, it's frankly beyond comprehension. While it undoubtedly rolls off the tongue and has a certain air of whimsy, it's nonsensical. This is a weed eater. End of story.

G'day -> Kia ora

Both have their charms, there's no denying that. But New Zealand's native "kia ora!" evokes warm fluffies whenever used. We're very fond of the term back home, and one of the saddest parts of the move – second only to leaving behind my friends, family and cat – was removing Kia ora from my list of go-to greetings.

The second I next set foot on New Zealand soil, I'll be saying it to the first person I see just to scratch the itch.

I hope this glossary has proven insightful to Kiwis and Aussies alike in our quest to better understand one another. At the end of the day, despite our differences, our love of meat pies and the unnecessary shortening of words truly unites us all.

So with that, Ka kite anō (see you later).

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