sweet as

“Sweet as” is New Zealand (and Australian) slang for great, awesome, no problem. “Can you pick me up at six?” “Sweet as.”

What sweet as means

It works as praise (“The view from the top is sweet as”) and, even more often, as an easygoing yes: sure, no worries, sounds good. It might be the most useful two words in Kiwi English.

The “as” isn’t short for anything. It’s an intensifier with the comparison left off, and Kiwis attach it to plenty of other words too: easy as, keen as, cold as, choice as. Sweet as is just the most famous one.

Examples

• “Thanks for the ride, bro.” “Sweet as.”
• “The new café is sweet as, you should try it.”
• “Dinner at seven? Sweet as.”

Where it came from

Wiktionary lists sweet as as slang in New Zealand, Australia and the UK for wonderful or extremely good, and Wikipedia’s list of New Zealand English words gives it as “cool; awesome.” It’s part of everyday Kiwi speech, from the beach to the boardroom.

Related terms

• Chur: thanks, cheers, awesome.
• Hard out: totally, or intensely.
• Yeah nah: a polite Kiwi “no.”
• Good on ya: well done.

More Kiwi words are in our New Zealand slang guide.