More Kiwi-isms

It's been awhile since I have written anything about dialect differences between the US/Canada and NZ, and I think that might be because I am acclimating, and they don't seem "different" anymore. But I was reminded of them the other day when I went into Warehouse Stationary (like Staples) and saw this sign over an isle.

Notice the different word choice? Apparently, "guillotine" means "paper cutter" here. I did figure it out (based on process of elimination), and I can see the reasoning behind it, but it seems a bit... gruesome. Also, my French-speaking self has a problem with them pronunciation: "gill-o-teen" instead of "gee-o-teen." Do people in the States pronounce it like that? I probably haven't heard it said by an American since middle school history class, so maybe that's not a unique Kiwi trait.

As I have mentioned before, many Kiwi-isms are quite similar to British English, and therefore might actually be more common that the way we Americans say things, since the majority of the English-speaking world is much more British than we are. But they are still interesting to me, so I thought I'd share. I put a *star by the ones that I think are fairly uniquely Kiwi.

~* "jandals" (flip-flops) - I thought that this was a combination of "sandals" and something that started with "j," but Harry said that it comes from a Japanese word for sandals.

~ "petrol" (gas)

~ "knee" (lap) - These words, as you can imagine, do not actually mean the same thing, except in the context in which I always hear them: "Emma, can I sit on your knee?" An American child would always say "lap," and occasionally I hear a Kiwi child say that, but almost always, it's "knee."

~ "capsicum" (bell pepper)

~* "kūmara" (sweet potato) - Obviously, this is a Māori word, but all Kiwis seem to use it as the exclusive word for this food.

~ "fizzy drink" (pop/soda)

~ "clever" (smart) - I associate this word with some attempt at humor or wittiness, or maybe even sarcasm, as compared with general intelligence. However, here it seems to still just mean that someone is smart.

~ "pram" (stroller)

~ "serviette" (napkin) - This is actually a French word, but it is the only word they use for them here.

~ "knackered" (exhausted) - You all probably know this one, but I just find it fabulous - wonderful to say, and very expressive.

~* "pudding" (dessert) - I saved my favourite for last. I discovered this word in kindergarten, when they were planning what "puddings" to have at their Christmas party. The teacher said that she was going to ask all the children what their favourite type of pudding was, and I was thinking, "Aren't there like three kinds? This is going to be a short conversation!" Then when the first child was asked, "What is your favourite pudding?" and her response was, "Cake!" I struggled not to laugh. Turns out, I was the one who didn't know what was going on, because here, cake, cookies, jelly (jello), fudge, ice cream, trifle, etc., are all pudding! I can fully understand this when I simply replace the word "pudding" with "dessert" in my head, but it is hard to do that fast enough to avoid a seeming contradiction. I'm sure I'll get used to it, though. 

Well, that's all for now. I'm sure that I will continue to hear/notice more over time, and I'll make sure to share them.