Cuddled a kakapo lately
Vic News
June 1999
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The Dictionary of Modern New Zealand Slang is the second major publication to come out of the New Zealand Dictionary Centre, a joint project between Victoria University and Oxford University Press. In this article, Vic News editor Jacqui Van Der Kaay profiles the book's author, former Vic lecturer and current senior associate Harry Orsman.
Harry Orsman knows all about the word bugger. He also knows what kakapo-cuddling and electric puha mean. Recently, Harry's life has been dominated by slang.
But he's not complaining. In fact he feels guilty that he had so much fun producing his latest publication which, as the title suggests, deals with slang invented by New Zealanders and in current use since WWII. It's not going to end now that the book has hit the shelves, he's already collecting updates for his next edition.
For Harry, words are a passion. But it's not just the words themselves, it's also their meanings. That's where he's had a ball with this dictionary. Each slang word or phrase is givne a meaning but at times Harry has also made up a sentence to help illustrate the word's use.
Take "No Southland coach would ever believe that Hokonui makes loosies tight" to illustrate 'loosie', for example. (Loosie by the way is a familiar name for a loose forward in rugby). Or, for 'articulator' - "You could dirve an articulator through the Ministry's proposal for improving children's speech".
"I've had a great deal of amusement from trying to invent daggish or cunning quotations," he says. "It's quite a fun thing to do."
Harry is well known around Vic. He lectured here in the English department from 1960 until his recent retirement. His last project was as editor of the Dictionary of New Zealand English, for which he won the history and biography section of the 1998 Montana New Zealand Book Awards and the inaugural Montana medal for non fiction. It was during the 40-year lifespan of that project that he began collecting informal New Zealand English and a modern dictionary of New Zealand slang emerged.
He says that contrary to what many people expect, New Zealand does have its own slang. Some of it is inherited from Australia and England, but you certainly wouldn't hear 'kakapo cuddling' in either of those places. By the way, Harry defines it as "a derisive name for an overly close attachment to (the conservation of) natural resources or native species".
Some of Harry's other favourites are 'electric puha' and 'not bad'. he likes 'electric puha' because it refers to an illegal substance, which can cause electric effect when taken, and the aptness of puha, the Maori name for a common pot-herb.
Harry says 'not bad' is the perfect description of New Zealanders' habit of understatement.
'Crook' is another favourite because of the many things it can mean - ill, unhappy, broken, awry. 'Bro-repairs' for Middlemore Hospital also causes a chuckle as does 'scarce as frog's feathers'.
"That's a nice expression because it's mad," he says.
Most of the slang was collected from newspapers and books. Harry then runs the words trhough other slang dictionaries, in Australia, England, South Africa and America, to see if they appear anywhere else. If they don't then it's most likely a New Zealand entry.
Our nearest rival for slang is Australia and there can be argument about where a word first appeared. A bit like the Pavlova dessert really.
New Zealand references can end up in some bizarre places outside New Zealand English. For instance, in a recent English mystery novel the author used the phrase "he came at her like Jonah Lomu".
Why some phrases get picked up and used is a mystery to Harry.
"If figurative language catches on because it is apt or tickles the fancy, and slang is usually or mainly figurative language, it will last, and probably become respectable," he says. "Styles and moral attitudes change over time as well. "Bugger" is a good example of that.
Since the release of his book, Harry's been in demand for interviews and advice. The debate on whether the use of bugger in the recent Toyota advertisement was acceptable or not, was just one example of the kind of issue Harry can get involved with. So much for retirement.