Wellington, July 2: For generations of globetrotting New Zealanders, it has always been a question to answer through gritted teeth: “Which part of Australia are you from?”

Now, though, the non-antipodean world may finally be able to tell the difference between the Kiwi and Aussie accents ? thanks to a new compendium of New Zealand slang.

Godzone Dictionary, written by Auckland-based author and broadcaster Max Cryer, is filled with expressions such as “skite”, “jandal”, “bring a plate”, and “box of birds”, which are spoken daily by his countrymen but mean little to outsiders.

The dialect is known as “Newzild”, after the truncated way in which New Zealand is pronounced by its inhabitants. Its champions claim it is much overdue for wider recognition, having spent far too long in the vernacular shadow of its big brother “Strine” (Australian).

“New Zealanders will quickly become nettled if they are confused with Australians when overseas. There is no surer way to upset us,” Cryer said.

“People may think that the dialects are similar, but Australia was five days’ sailing away for the early settlers and there is a great deal that they do not have in common.

“The Australians had influences from their native language, and these Aboriginal words had no currency in New Zealand.”

There are often occasions when the two countries have different words for the same things, he said. One example is the local term for flip-flops.

“The Australians call them ‘thongs’, a word which in New Zealand refers to an item of ladies’ underwear,” said Cryer.

In Newzild, he explained, flip-flops are known as “jandals”, which is an abbreviation of ‘Japanese sandal’.”

Cryer delights in the fact that the New Zealand dialect has retained some ancient words from the British Isles but those have been largely forgotten in their homeland.

“That word ‘skite’ is in everyday use, meaning to boast, or a boastful person, and comes from an old British word ‘blatherskite’ which I don’t believe you would hear any more in its homeland,” he said.