Date:  Thu, 8 Sep 1994 13:44:00 +1200

From:  "George Halliday (09)483-9039" <HALLIDAYG[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]SCHOOLS.MINEDU.GOVT.NZ>

Subject: Re: Stocking



The word involved is definately "stocking". It was spelled this way in the paper

and was in a comedy show on TV. There is no confusion in the local dialect,

which is of a Southern British type, between stocking and stalking. Although

there is a possibility that speakers of Polynesian languages confuse the two.



The same programme has a segment looking at "White Trash Culture", partly a

spoof on the promotion of some aspects of Maori culture in the last decade or

so. This includes one of the characters reading from an alleged "White Trash

Dictionary". Associated with this culture are also the words "Westie" denoting

the Western suburbs of Auckland which is said to have a distinct youth culture

involving a laid back surfing lifestyle, lack of materialism (which is

associated with "Shories" ), a preference for large V8 beaten up old cars and

black-clothing.



Two words which are associated with Westies used by other young Aucklanders

are

"druff" and "bow-gin" (hard g).



I haven't seen either of these words in print and have no idea of their origins.

Nor do any of the people who use them. Druff is possibly a contamination based

on rough and dreck - although dreck is not common here - and seems to be an

Auckland word. Bowgin seems to have wider currency.



Geordie Halliday <HallidayG[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]schools.minedu.govt.nz>