Socializing in the time of Covid is awkward enough. Avoid doom, gloom, and weather-related commentary with some of our favorite conversation starters. Whether you’re having drinks over Zoom or sipping from 6 feet away, we’ll help you get happy hour started right.

Sure, grabbing a pint can mean something different depending on where in the world you are. But in most cases, there is a standard.

For example, in the U.S. when you order a pint at a bar, you get handed a cold, frothy glass filled with 16 fluid ounces of beer (or 473.176 milliliters). In the U.K., that same order delivers 20 fluid ounces (568.261milliliters).

While that variation alone can leave patrons abroad a little stumped (there are numerous factors to take into account when noting the difference between a U.S. and U.K. pint), it only gets more confusing in New Zealand.

The country, which fully switched to the metric system in the 1970s, does not recognize non-metric measurements, making it illegal to sell a product measured in any other unit. A pint of beer, however, is an exception; though it does arrive with its own complications.

In New Zealand, the word “pint” does not refer to a volume of a beer but instead is just a description. For this reason, when ordering at one bar, the drink may be a totally different size than one ordered elsewhere. According to a survey of five Auckland pubs, a pint can range from 400 to 520 milliliters, determined simply by the glass the bartender decides to serve it in.

"There's no such thing as a pint," Hospitality Association of New Zealand CEO Bruce Robertson told New Zealand Herald. "It's a colloquial rather than a recognized measure. We're in metrics, have been for quite some time, so there is no such thing as a pint measure.”

If you’re planning a trip to New Zealand in the future, it might be best to stick to bottles.