- A story from the Wairarapa Times Age, December
15, 2008.
CHECK OUT THIS BONZA BOOK OR WE MIGHT
PACK A SAD
-
- To use one of the man's own
definitions, Allan Kirk has been as busy as a bee with a bum
full of honey.
The Masterton author has just completed his book “The
Politically Incorrect Book of Kiwi Slang”, which he hopes
will help tear down the language barriers for visitors, while
at the same time giving them a chuckle.
The 130-page A-to-Z glossary is one of more than 40 books
penned by Mr Kirk and canvasses, every piece of New Zealand jargon
from "Aggro" to "Yonks".
Other examples were "Bob's your uncle", "Bonza",
"Pack a sad", "Guts for Garters" and "Box
of fluffy ducks" - the latter described as meaning someone
is fit, well, or very happy, and not "quackers".
Wairarapa's Eketahuna also rates a mention and, according
to the book, has become the "generic name for a small New
Zealand town. (Eketahuna) became iconic when locals proclaimed
that they were building an international airport there, despite
the town being nowhere near any sizeable cities. The slang term
is used as in such situations as where a Kiwi drives through
a small country settlement and says 'an Eketahuna, huh?'."
He explains in the book's introduction that Kiwi slang did
not just borrow words - "often, it will chase other languages
down alleyways to beat them unconscious, then rifle their pockets
for a new vocabulary".
He said he conceived the book a few years ago after an American
friend told him how colourful New Zealand slang was.
"And I wanted it to be a humorous book for tourists and
not just a boring old fart of a slang book.”
"The aim of this book is to provide readers with something
that they can pick up to browse through at any time and hopefully
getting a smile from, all the while learning to interpret the
strange nuances of the New Zealand language."
|