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Story: Rural language

The colonial adjective

The colonial adjective

New Zealand ways of speaking were often deplored as rough and crude. The word ‘bloody’, used incessantly and inventively, was also known as ‘the colonial adjective’. This 1905 article from the Tuapeka Times discusses the word’s origins and use.

About this item

National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past
Reference: Tuapeka Times. 15 February 1905, p. 3

Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

How to cite this page:

Dianne Bardsley. 'Rural language', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, updated 1-Mar-09
URL: http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/rural-language/1/2