British slang
Encyclopedia
British slang is English language
slang
used in the UK
. Slang is informal language sometimes peculiar to a particular social class or group and its use in Britain dates back to before the 16th century. The language of slang, in common with the English language, is changing all the time; new words and phrases are being added and some are used so frequently by so many, they almost become mainstream.
While some slang words and phrases are used throughout all of Britain (e.g., knackered, meaning "exhausted"), others are restricted to smaller regions, even to small geographical groups. The nations of England
, Scotland
, Wales
and Northern Ireland
all have their own slang words, as does London
. London slang
has many varieties, the best known of which is rhyming slang. Some of these terms are used in other countries, such as Australia or Canada.
British slang has been the subject of many books including a seven volume dictionary, published in 1889. Lexicographer Eric Partridge
published several works about British slang, most notably Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, revised and edited by Paul Beale.
s and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect
or language
. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo
(see euphemism
). It is often used to identify with one's peers and, although it may be common among young people, it is used by people of all ages and social groups.
Collins English Dictionary (3rd edition) describes slang as, "Vocabulary, idiom etc that is not appropriate to the standard form of a language or to formal contexts, may be restricted as to social status or distribution, and is characteristically more metaphorical and transitory than standard language".
The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammer (1994) describes it as, "Words, phrases, and uses that are regarded as informal and are often restricted to special contexts or are peculiar to specific profession, classes etc".
Jonathan Green, in his 1999 book, The Cassell Dictionary of Slang describes slang as, "A counter language, the language of the rebel, the outlaw, the despised and the marginal". Recognising that there are many definitions, he goes on to say, "Among the many descriptions of slang, one thing is common, it is a long way from mainstream English".
The first recorded uses of slang in Britain occurred in the 16th century in the plays of Thomas Dekker, Thomas Middleton
and William Shakespeare
. The first books containing slang also appeared around this time: Robert Copland
's, The hye way to the Spytlell hous, was a dialogue in verse between Copland and the porter of St Bartholomew's hospital, which included Thieves' Cant
; and in 1566, Thomas Harman
's A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors, vulgarly called vagabonds was published. The Caveat contained stories of vagabond life, a description of their society and techniques, a taxonomy
of rogues, and a short canting dictionary
which was later reproduced in other works.
In 1698 the New Dictionary of the Canting Crew by B. E. Gent was published, which additionally included some 'civilian' slang terms. It remained the predominant work of its kind for much of the 18th century, until the arrival in 1785 of The Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Captain Francis Grose
which ran to more than five expanded editions. Grose's book was eventually superseded by John Camden Hotten
's Slang Dictionary in 1859. In 1889 two multi-volumed slang dictionaries went on sale: A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon and Cant by Albert Barrere and Charles Leland, and Slang and its Analogues by John Farmer and W. E. Henley; the latter being published in seven volumes. It was later abridged to a single volume and released in 1905 as, A Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial English. This book provided the major part of Eric Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (1937). It was not until the 1950s that slang began to make regular appearances in books and the relatively new mediums of motion pictures and television.
, words are replaced with a phrase which rhymes. For example: plates of meat for "feet", or twist and twirl for "girl". Often only the first word is used, so plates and twist by themselves become the colloquialisms for "feet" and "girl".
Thieves' cant
or Rogues' cant was a secret language (a cant
or cryptolect) which was formerly used by thieves, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain
and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries. It is commonly believed that cant was developed from Romany
but the Winchester Confessions, a pamphlet published in 1616, clearly distinguishes between Gypsy and Cant words.
Now mostly obsolete, it is largely relegated to the realm of literature.
Some slang was developed because of a need for secrecy, such as prison slang, believed to be derived from thieves cant,
and Polari
, a variety used by homosexuals in Britain and the United Kingdom
. Homosexuality was a crime until 1967 and Polari has a history going back at least a hundred years. Sometimes the purpose of slang is to cause offence, insults such as wanker or gobshite for example; and sometimes the purpose is to prevent it by substituting a slang word for the offensive one, berk (rhyming slang for cunt) for example. Sometimes a Spoonerism
, is employed to make taboo speech more acceptable. For example: Cupid stunt and Betty Swallocks.
Slang is also used to create an identity or sense of belonging and a number of occupations have their own slang; most notably the armed forces, referred to as Forces or Service slang; and the construction industry. A dictionary of service slang by J. L. Hunt and A. G. Pringle was published in 1943. It was reprinted in 2008. The introduction acknowledgedes that slang is an ever changing language with new slang terms emerging all the time. It also recognises that some service slang has made its way into civillian use. Examples of this include the old naval terms, "Talking bilge" (nonsense) and "A loose cannon" (an unorthodox person with the potential to cause harm).
all to cock : (Or all a-cock) Unsatisfactory, mixed up.
all mouth and no trousers : All talk and no action, a braggart, sexual bravado.
all piss and wind : All talk and no action. Originally the phrase was, "all wind and piss" (19th C).
anchors : Brakes. "Slam on the anchors" to brake really hard.
argy-bargy : An argument or confrontation.
arse : 1. The buttocks. 2. Someone who acts in a manner which is incompetent or otherwise disapproved of.
arse about face : Back to front.
arse around : Mess around or waste time (17th C).
arsehole : 1. The anus. 2. General derogatory term.
arse bandit : homosexual (offensive, derogatory).
arse over tit : Head over heels, to fall over or take a tumble.
balls up : A bungled or messed up situation. (WWI Service slang).
bang to rights : Caught in the act.
bang up : 1. To lock up in prison (prison slang). 2. To inject an illegal drug.
barney : a noisy quarrel or fight. Sometimes claimed to be rhyming slang (Barney Rubble
, trouble) but actually dates back to 19th century.
bender : a drinking binge.
bent : 1. dishonest or corrupt, 2. homosexual (mildly derogatory).
bent as a nine bob note : Extremely dishonest or corrupt. A nine shilling (bob) note never existed and would therefore have to be counterfeit.
berk : (also spelled burk) idiot, stupid person (from Berkeley Hunt
, Cockney rhyming slang for cunt
)
Billy : 1. Amphetamines (from Billy Whizz
, a British comic strip character.) 2. Friendless (Billy No-Mates)
billyo : (also spelled billyoh) an intensifier. Going like billyo (travelling quickly).
bird : 1. Girl, woman. 2. Jail time (From the rhyming slang: Bird lime)
Birmingham screwdriver : A hammer.
bizzie : Policeman (Scouse
).
blag : as a noun, a robbery or as a verb , to rob. Not to be confused with blague, talking nonsense.
blah : (or blah blah) worthless, boring or silly talk.
blimey : or sometimes 'cor blimey'(archaic). An abbreviation of 'God blind me' used as an interjection to express shock or surprise. Sometimes used to comic effect, in a deliberate reference to it being archaic usage.
Blighty
: (or Old Blighty) Britain, home. Used especially by British troops serving abroad or expatriates. A relic of British India, probably from the Hindi billayati, meaning a foreign land.
bloke : any man or sometimes a man in authority such as the boss.
blooming, blummin' (archaic): euphemism for bloody
. Used as an intensifier e.g. 'blooming marvelous'.
blow off : To fart.
blue : 1. Policeman. 2. a tory
.
bobby : Policeman. After Robert Peel
(Home Secretary in 1828).
bod : A male person. Short for body.
bodge : (also botch) To make a mess of or to fix poorly.
bog : Toilet
bog off : Go away (originally RAF slang)
Bogtrotter : Derogatory term for an Irishman particularly an Irish peasant.
bogroll : Toilet paper.
bollocking : A severe telling off.
bollocks
: (or ballocks) Vulgar term used for testicles. Used to describe something as useless, nonsense or having poor quality, as in "That's a load of bollocks". Is often said as a cry of frustration or annoyance. Also see "dog's bollocks".
bomb : A large sum of money as in 'to make a bomb'. Also 'to go like a bomb' meaning to travel at high speed.
bonce : Head, crown of the head. Also a large playing marble.
booze : As a noun, an alcoholic drink; as a verb, to drink alcohol, particularly to excess.
boozer : 1. a pub or bar. 2. Someone who drinks alcohol to excess.
Bo-Peep : Sleep (rhyming slang).
boracic: without money. From rhyming slang boracic lint
= skint (skinned).
bottle : 1. nerve, courage. 2. Money collected by buskers or street vendors. 3. As a verb, to attack someone with a broken bottle.
bounce : 1. To con someone into believing or doing something. 2. To forcibly eject someone. 3. Swagger, impudence or cockiness. 4. Of a cheque, to be refused by the bank due to lack of funds.
bouncer : Someone employed to eject troublemakers or drunks.
bovver boy : A youth who deliberately causes or seeks out trouble (bother).
bovver boots : Heavy boots, sometimes with a steel toecap, worn by Bovver boys and used for kicking in fights.
brass : 1. Money. 2. Cheek, nerve. 3. a prostitute.
Bristols : The female breasts (Cockney rhyming slang, from Bristol bits = tits, or Bristol City = titty).
broke : without money. Also 'stoney broke', or just 'stoney'.
brown bread : Dead (Cockney rhyming slang).
brown-tongue : Sycophant, toady or someone who attempts to curry favour with another (from the idea of licking another's backside).
buff : 1. Bare skin, naked as in 'in the buff'. 2. Having a lean, muscular physique (usually referring to a young man).
bugger
: anal sex but in slang terms can be used : 1. As a term of abuse for someone or something contemptible, difficult or unpleasant. 2. Affectionately, as in 'you silly bugger'. 3. As an exclamation of dissatisfaction, annoyance or surprise. 4. To mean tired or worn out as in 'I'm absolutely buggered'. 5. To mean frustrate, complicate or ruin completely, as in 'You've buggered that up'.
bugger about (or around) : 1. To fool around or waste time. 2. To create difficulties or complications.
bugger all : nothing.
bugger off : go away.
bum : buttocks, anus or both. Not particularly rude. 'Builders' bum' is the exposure of the buttock cleavage by an overweight working man in ill-fitting trousers.
bumf : derogatory reference to official memos or paperwork. Shortened from bum fodder. Slang term for toilet roll.
bumsucker : a toady, creep or someone acting in an obsequious manner.
bumfreezer : any short jacket but in particular an Eton Jacket.
bung : 1. a gratuity or more often a bribe., 2. Throw or pass energetically; as in, "bung it over here".
bunk : 1. To leave inappropriately as in to 'bunk off' school or work. 2. To run away in suspicious circumstances as in to 'do a bunk'.
butcher's : Look. Rhyming slang, butcher's hook.
Chav
: Someone who is, or pretends to be of a low social standing and who dresses in a certain style, typically badly or in sports clothing. Often used as a form of derogation. Sometimes said to be an acronymn for 'Council-Housed and Violent' but this appears to have come later. Most likely to come from the Romany for child; chavi.
cabbage : 1. A stupid person or someone with no mental abilities whatever. 2. Cloth trimmed from a customer's material by a tailor. 3. Pilfer or steal.
charver or charva : 1. Sexual intercourse (Polari). 2. A loose woman, someone with whom it is easy to have sexual intercourse, an easy lay. 3. To mess up, spoil or ruin; to fuck up (from 1.).
cheers : a sign of appreciation or acknowledgement, or a drinking toast.
cheesed off : fed up, disgusted or angry.
chippy : a carpenter.
chuff : The buttocks or anus.
chuffed : to be very pleased about something.
clock : 1. The face. 2. To spot, notice. 3. To hit as in "clock round the earhole".
cock : 1. Penis. 2. Nonsense. 3. A friend or fellow.
cockup : as a noun or verb, blunder, mess up or botch.
codswallop (archaic): Nonsense.
collywobbles : An upset stomach or acute feeling of nervousness.
conk : The head or the nose. To strike the head or nose.
cop : 1. A policeman (short for copper). 2. An arrest or to be caught out, as in 'It's a fair cop'. 3. Used with a negative to mean of little value, as in 'That's not much cop'. 4. To get, as in for example, to 'cop off with', 'cop a feel' or 'cop a load of that'.
copper : A policeman.
corker : Someone or something outstanding.
corking : Outstanding, excellent.
cottage : A public lavatory.
cottaging : Homosexual activity in a public lavatory.
crack : 1. A gibe. 2. Someone who excels at something. 3. Fun or a good time. From the Irish 'craic'.
cracker : Something or someone of notable ability or quality.
crackers : Insane.
debag : To remove someone's trousers by force.
dekko : Look. From the Hindi, dekho.
dick : 1. Fellow. 2. Penis.
dip : a pickpocket.
div : idiot (prison slang)
do one's nut : Become enraged.
doddle : Something simple or easy to accomplish.
dodgy : Something risky, difficult or dangerous. A 'dodgy deal' for example.
dog : 1. A rough or unattractive woman. 2. A fellow.
dog's bollocks: 1. Anything obvious ("Sticks out like the dog's bollocks"). 2. Something especially good or first rate ("It's the dog's bollocks", sometimes abbreviated to, "it's the dog's").
Donkey's years : (Donkey's ears) a very long time. In reference to the length of a donkey's ears. Sometimes abbreviated to, "donkey's".
Done up like a kipper : 1. Beaten up. 2. Fitted up or framed. 3. Caught red-handed by the police.
doofer : An unnamed object.
dosser : Someone who might stay in a dosshouse.
dosshouse : A cheap boarding house frequented by tramps.
duff : 1. broken, not working. 2. To beat, as in 'duff up'. 3. Pregnant (up the duff).
eating irons : Cutlery.
end away : to have sex (get one's end away).
fag end: the used stub of a cigarette and by extension the unpleasant and worthless loose end of any situation.
fanny : female external genitalia, a woman's pudendum.
fanny adams : (Usually preceded by 'sweet' and often abbreviated to F.A., S.F.A. or sweet F.A.) Nothing at all. A euphemism for fuck all.
fence : Someone who deals in stolen property.
fit : sexually attractive (Afro-Caribbean).
fit up : A frame up.
fiver : five pounds.
filth (the) : The police (derogatory).
flasher : Someone who indecently exposes oneself.
flick : Motion picture, film. 'The flicks', the cinema.
flog : Sell.
flog a dead horse : 1. To continue talking about a long forgotten topic. 2. To attempt to find a solution to a problem which is unsolveable.
flutter : (To have a flutter) To place a wager.
fly : Quick witted, clever.
fork out : To pay out, usually with some reluctance.
French letter : Condom.
frig : 1.(Taboo) To masturbate. 2. When followed by 'around' or 'about', to behave aimlessly or foolishly.
frigging : 1. The act of masturbating. 2. Used as an intensifier. For example, "You frigging idiot". Considered milder than 'fucking'.
Frog : Derogatory term for a Frenchman.
fuzz (the) : The police.
gaffer : Boss, foreman or employer.
gander : Usually preceded by 'have a' or 'take a'. To look.
gash : 1. Surplus to requirements, unnecessary. 2. Derogatory term used for female genitalia.
gassed : Drunk.
geezer : (informal) Man. Particularly an old one.
get : Variant of git.
git : incompetent, stupid, annoying, or childish person.
gob : 1. Mouth 2. To spit. 3. Spittle.
gobshite : (Taboo) A stupid or despicable person.
gobsmacked : flabbergasted, dumbfounded, astounded, speechless. Possibly either from the gesture of clapping one's hand over one's mouth in surprise, or the idea that something is as shocking as being smacked in the mouth.
go down : To go to prison.
gogglebox : Television.
gong : A medal. Usually a military one.
goolies : The male genitals and in particular the testicles.
goose : To grab someone's behind in a playful fashion.
grand : £1000
grot : Rubbish or dirt.
guff : 1. Ridiculous talk. Nonsense. 2. Flatulence. Probably from the Norwegian gufs, a puff of wind.
hampton : Penis (rhyming slang from, Hampton Wick = prick; and Hampton Rock = cock).
handbags : a harmless fight especially between two women. (from "handbags at dawn" an allusion to duelling)
hard cheese : Bad luck.
hawk : To spit.
head : 1. Lavatory (nautical slang) 2. Drug user. Sometimes preceded by the preferred drug, for example: Smackhead, acidhead, pothead etc.
headbang : To nod or shake one's head violently to rock music.
headbanger : One who headbangs or a fan of heavy rock music.
heavy : 1. The use or threat of violence. 2. Someone employed to be violent.
helmet : The glans of the penis.
honk : Vomit.
hook : Steal. Possibly from the act of 'fishing' for items with a hook and line, through an existing or purposely made aperture.
hook it : To run away quickly.
hooky or hookey : 1. Something that is stolen (probably from hook = to steal). 2. Loosely used to describe anything illegal.
hooter : Nose.
hump : 1. To carry or heave. 2. To have sexual intercourse with.
inside : In or into prison.
ivories : 1. Teeth. 2. The keys of a piano. 3. Dice.
I'm all right, Jack : A remark, often directed at another, indicating that they are selfish and that they don't care about it.
Jack the lad : A young man who is regarded as a show off and is brash or loud.
jack up : Inject an illegal drug.
jag : 1. A drug taking, or sometimes drinking, binge. 2. A period of uncontrolled activity.
jammy : 1. Lucky. 2. Pleasant or desirable.
jerry : A chamber pot.
Jerry : A German or German soldier.
jessie : An effeminate man or one that is weak or afraid. (Originally Scottish slang)
jissom : semen (taboo).
Jock : word or term of address for a Scot.
Joe Bloggs : A man who is average, typical or unremarkable.
Joe Soap : An idiot, stooge or scapegoat.
Johnny : Condom. Sometimes also a 'Johnny bag' or 'rubber Johnny'.
John Thomas : Penis.
josser : A cretin or simpleton.
jump : As a noun or verb, sexual intercourse.
knackered : 1. Exhausted, tired, 2. Broken, beyond all usefulness.
knackers : vulgar name for testicles.
knees up : A lively party or dance.
knob : 1. Penis. 2. (of a man) To have sexual intercourse.
knobhead : a stupid, irritating person.
knob jockey : homosexual (to ride the penis like a jockey rides a horse).
knob-end : an idiot, or tip of penis (see bell-end).
knockers : Breasts.
knocking shop : Brothel.
know one's onions : To be well acquainted with a subject.
lash : 1. Urinate. 2. Alcohol.
lashed : very inebriated. Also 'on the lash' meaning to go out drinking with the intent of getting drunk.
laughing gear : Mouth.
local : A public house close to one's home.
lolly : money.
loo : lavatory.
marbles : Wits. As in, to lose one's marbles.
mare : Woman (derogatory).
mark : A suitable victim for a con or swindle.
matelot : Sailor (from the French).
meat and two veg : Literally a traditional meal consisting of any meat, potatoes and a second type of vegetable; euphemistically the male external genitalia. Is sometimes also used to mean something unremarkable or ordinary.
mental : Crazy or insane.
Mick : An Irishman (derogatory).
miffed : Upset or offended.
milk run : A 'safe' mission or patrol.
minge : Vagina
minger : Someone who smells.
minted : Wealthy.
mizzle : Decamp.
moggy : Cat.
moke : Donkey.
monged (out) : Severely drunk/high.
moniker or monicker : Name, nickname, signature or mark.
monkey : £500.
mooch : Loiter or wander aimlessly, skulk.
moolah : Money.
moon : To expose one's backside (from Old English, mona).
moony : Crazy or foolish.
muck about : Waste time. Interfere with.
mucker : Mate, pal.
muck in : Share a duty or workload.
mufti : Civilian dress worn by someone who normally wears a military uniform. Probably from the Muslim dress, popularly worn by British officers serving in India during the 19th century. Now commonly used to refer to a non-uniform day in schools.
mug : 1. Face. 2. A gullible or easily swindled person.
munta : Ugly person.
mush : 1. Face or mouth. 2. Familiar term of address. Probably from the Gypsy moosh, a man.
nark : 1. As a verb or noun; spy or informer. 2. Someone who complains a lot (an old nark). 3. Annoy or irritate.
ned
: (Scottish) a lout, a drunken brawling fellow, a tough. Often said to stand for Non-Educated Delinquent but this is a backronym
. More likely to come from Teddy Boys being a contraction of Edward. More recently, sometimes equated with the English chav
.
nick : 1. Steal. 2. Police Station or prison. 3. To arrest.
nicked : Arrested or stolen.
nicker : Pound sterling
.
nob : 1. Person of high social standing. 2. Head.
nobble : Disable (particularly a racehorse).
nod out : To lapse into a drug induced stupour.
nonce
: Sex offender, most commonly a child molester. (Prison slang)
nookie or nooky : Sexual intercourse.
nose rag : Handkerchief.
nosh : 1. Food. 2. To eat.
nosh up : A feast or large, satisfying meal.
numpty : Incompetent or unwise person.
nut : 1. Head. 2. Eccentric person.
nutcase : An insane person.
nuthouse : A lunatic asylum.
nutmeg : In association football, to pass the ball between an opposing player's legs.
nuts or nutty : Crazy or insane.
nutter : Insane person.
oik : Someone of a low social standing (derogatory).
off one's head (or out of one's head) : Mad or delirious.
off the hook : Free from obligation or danger.
off one's nut : Crazy or foolish.
old bill, the old bill : A policeman or the police collectively.
one's head off : Loud or excessively. "I laughed my head off" or "She screamed her head off" for example.
paddy : a fit of temper.
Paddy : (capitalised) An Irishman (derogatory).
Paki : (Derogatory, offensive) A Pakistani or sometimes used to loosely describe anyone or anything from the Indian sub-continent.
Paki-bashing : Unprovoked attacks on Pakastanis living in Britain.
pansy : An effeminite or homosexual male.
paste : To hit, punch or beat soundly. From a 19th century variant of baste, meaning to beat thoroughly.
pasting : A sound thrashing or heavy defeat.
pennyboy : A low paid person, employed to carry out menial tasks (Irish slang).
penny-dreadful : A cheap, sensationalist magazine.
phiz or phizog : The face (from a 17th century colloquial shortening of physiognomy
).
pikey
: Pejorative term used, mainly in England to refer to travellers, gypsies or vagrants. Sometimes also used to describe people of low social class or morals.
pickled : Drunk.
pie-eyed : Drunk.
pig : (Derogatory, offensive) Policeman.
pig's ear : 1. Beer (Cockney rhyming slang. 2. Something that has been badly done or has been made a mess of.
pillock : Stupid or annoying person.
pinch : 1. (verb) Steal or take without asking. 2. (noun) A robbery. 3. (noun or verb) Arrest. 4. Sail too close to the wind (nautical slang).
pissed, pissed up : Drunk.
on the piss : Getting drunk, drinking alcohol.
plastered : Extremely drunk.
plonker : 1. Something large or substantial (Mid 19th C). 2. Penis. 3. A general term of abuse (from 2.; in use since 1960s but may have been popularised by the BBC comedy series Only Fools and Horses
.)
pony : £25 (18th C).
porkies : Lies (from the cockney rhyming slang pork pies)
punt : 1. To gamble, wager or take a chance. 2. To sell or promote.
punter : 1. Customer, patron. 2. Gambler (one who takes a punt). 3. A victim in a confidence trick or swindle.
Queer Street : A difficult or odd situation (up Queer Street).
queer someone's pitch : 1. Take the pitch of another street vendor, busker or similar. 2. Spoil someone else's efforts.
quim : Vagina (possibly a play on the Celtic word for valley, cwm).
ring : Anal sphincter
ringburner : 1. A curry. 2. Diarrhoea or painful defecation.
rozzer : Policeman.
savvy : Knowledge, understanding (from the French, savoir).
scally
: A hooligan youth (Scouse), short for scallywag.
scarper : Run away. Sometimes claimed to be rhyming slang: Scapa Flow (go).
scrubber : In Britain, a promiscuous woman; in Ireland, a common or working class woman.
Scouser : Someone from Liverpool
.
scrote : Term of abuse, from scrotum.
see a man about a dog : 1. Attend a secret deal or meeting. 2. Go to the toilet.
shag : Sexual intercourse.
shagged : 1. The past historic of shag. 2. Extremely tired (shagged out).
shiner : Black eye.
shitehawk
: Someone of little worth, originally military slang.
shit-faced : Drunk.
skanky : Dirty, particularly of a marijuana pipe.
skint : Without money.
slag : 1. Worthless or insignificant person. 2. Promiscuous woman or prostitute.
slag off : A verbal attack. To criticise or slander.
slap-head : A bald man.
slapper : Promiscuous woman or prostitute.
slash : Urinate, urination
.
sling one's hook : Go away.
snog : French kiss, or any prolonged physical intimacy without undressing or sexual contact.
sod : Annoying person or thing (from sodomite).
sod off : "Go away".
spawny : Lucky (possibly from the Scottish game, Spawnie).
spunk : 1. Semen
, ejaculate. 2. Courage, bravery.
steaming : 1. Extremely drunk. 2. An intensifier, e.g. "You steaming gurt ninny!" 3. Extremely angry.
stuffed : 1. Sexual intercourse (e.g. "get stuffed") 2. Used negatively to mean bothered, as in, "I can't be stuffed to do that!".
take the piss (out of) : To mock.
take the mickey : To tease or mock.
tart : Commonly a prostitute or term of abuse but also used affectionately for a lover. Shortened version of sweetheart.
tenner : Ten pounds.
toff : Posh person
ton : 1. A large unspecified amount (18th C). 2. £100 (1940s). 3. 100 MPH (1950s). 4. Any unit of 100 (1960s).
tosh : Nonsense
tosser : 1. Someone who masturbates (to toss off). 2. Someone the speaker doesn't like (from 1.). 3. An affectionate form of address (from 1.) e.g. "All right you old tosser!"
tosspot : Drunkard or habitual drinker (from tossing pots of ale)
tube: 1. The London Underground (19th C. Originally 'Tuppeny tube'). 2. Penis. 3. A person (Scottish). 4. A general term of contempt (Irish, 1950s).
twat
: 1. Vagina. 2. Term of abuse (from 1.).
wank : 1. Masturbation or to masturbate. 2. Inferior.
wanker
: 1. Someone who masturbates. 2. Abusive term (from 1.), someone the speaker doesn't like.
wankered : 1. Very drunk. 2. Exhausted.
wanking spanner(s) : Hand(s).
warts and all : Including all negative characteristics (from a reported request from Oliver Cromwell
to Peter Lely
)
whizz : 1. Urination. 2. Amphetamine Sulphate (also known as speed; from whizz, to move very fast).
willy : Penis (hypocorism).
willy-waving : Acting in an excessively macho fashion.
wind up : to tease, irritate, annoy, anger
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
used in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Slang is informal language sometimes peculiar to a particular social class or group and its use in Britain dates back to before the 16th century. The language of slang, in common with the English language, is changing all the time; new words and phrases are being added and some are used so frequently by so many, they almost become mainstream.
While some slang words and phrases are used throughout all of Britain (e.g., knackered, meaning "exhausted"), others are restricted to smaller regions, even to small geographical groups. The nations of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
all have their own slang words, as does London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. London slang
London slang
London slang is a mixture of words and phrases from around the globe. It reflects the diverse ethnic and cultural makeup of the city's population. Because London occupies such a dominant economic position in the United Kingdom, slang originally unique to the city has spread across the UK....
has many varieties, the best known of which is rhyming slang. Some of these terms are used in other countries, such as Australia or Canada.
British slang has been the subject of many books including a seven volume dictionary, published in 1889. Lexicographer Eric Partridge
Eric Partridge
Eric Honeywood Partridge was a New Zealand/British lexicographer of the English language, particularly of its slang. His writing career was interrupted only by his service in the Army Education Corps and the RAF correspondence department during World War II...
published several works about British slang, most notably Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, revised and edited by Paul Beale.
Definitions of slang
Slang is the use of informal wordWord
In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own...
s and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
or language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
(see euphemism
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
). It is often used to identify with one's peers and, although it may be common among young people, it is used by people of all ages and social groups.
Collins English Dictionary (3rd edition) describes slang as, "Vocabulary, idiom etc that is not appropriate to the standard form of a language or to formal contexts, may be restricted as to social status or distribution, and is characteristically more metaphorical and transitory than standard language".
The Oxford Dictionary of English Grammer (1994) describes it as, "Words, phrases, and uses that are regarded as informal and are often restricted to special contexts or are peculiar to specific profession, classes etc".
Jonathan Green, in his 1999 book, The Cassell Dictionary of Slang describes slang as, "A counter language, the language of the rebel, the outlaw, the despised and the marginal". Recognising that there are many definitions, he goes on to say, "Among the many descriptions of slang, one thing is common, it is a long way from mainstream English".
History and dating of British slang
The dating of slang words and phrases is exceptionally difficult due to the nature of slang. Slang, more than any other language, remains spoken and resists being recorded on paper (or for that matter any other form of medium). By the time slang has been written down, it has been in use some time and has, in some cases, become almost mainstream.The first recorded uses of slang in Britain occurred in the 16th century in the plays of Thomas Dekker, Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...
and William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
. The first books containing slang also appeared around this time: Robert Copland
Robert Copland
Robert Copland , English printer and author, is said to have been a servant of William Caxton, and certainly worked for Wynkyn de Worde. The first book to which his name is affixed as a printer is The Boke of Justices of Peace , at the sign of the Rose Garland, in Fleet Street, London...
's, The hye way to the Spytlell hous, was a dialogue in verse between Copland and the porter of St Bartholomew's hospital, which included Thieves' Cant
Thieves' cant
Thieves' cant or Rogues' cant was a secret language which was formerly used by thieves, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries...
; and in 1566, Thomas Harman
Thomas Harman
A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors, vulgarly called vagabonds was first published in 1566 by Thomas Harman, and although no copies of that edition survive, it must have been popular, because two printers were punished by the Stationers' Company in 1567 for pirated editions. Two editions...
's A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors, vulgarly called vagabonds was published. The Caveat contained stories of vagabond life, a description of their society and techniques, a taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
of rogues, and a short canting dictionary
Thieves' cant
Thieves' cant or Rogues' cant was a secret language which was formerly used by thieves, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries...
which was later reproduced in other works.
In 1698 the New Dictionary of the Canting Crew by B. E. Gent was published, which additionally included some 'civilian' slang terms. It remained the predominant work of its kind for much of the 18th century, until the arrival in 1785 of The Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Captain Francis Grose
Francis Grose
Francis Grose was an English antiquary, draughtsman, and lexicographer. He was born at his father's house in Broad Street, St-Peter-le-Poer, London, son of a Swiss immigrant and jeweller, Francis Jacob Grose , and his wife, Anne , daughter of Thomas Bennett of Greenford in Middlesex...
which ran to more than five expanded editions. Grose's book was eventually superseded by John Camden Hotten
John Camden Hotten
John Camden Hotten was an English bibliophile and publisher.Hotten was born in Clerkenwell, London to a family of Cornish origins. He spent the period 1848–1856 in America and on his return opened a small bookshop in London at 151a Piccadilly, and founded the publishing firm later known as Chatto...
's Slang Dictionary in 1859. In 1889 two multi-volumed slang dictionaries went on sale: A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon and Cant by Albert Barrere and Charles Leland, and Slang and its Analogues by John Farmer and W. E. Henley; the latter being published in seven volumes. It was later abridged to a single volume and released in 1905 as, A Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial English. This book provided the major part of Eric Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (1937). It was not until the 1950s that slang began to make regular appearances in books and the relatively new mediums of motion pictures and television.
Varieties and purpose of slang
There are a number of different varieties of British slang, arguably the best known of which is Rhyming slang. Chiefly associated with cockney speech spoken in the East End of LondonEast End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
, words are replaced with a phrase which rhymes. For example: plates of meat for "feet", or twist and twirl for "girl". Often only the first word is used, so plates and twist by themselves become the colloquialisms for "feet" and "girl".
Thieves' cant
Thieves' cant
Thieves' cant or Rogues' cant was a secret language which was formerly used by thieves, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries...
or Rogues' cant was a secret language (a cant
Cant (language)
A Cant is the jargon or argot of a group, often implying its use to exclude or mislead people outside the group.-Derivation in Celtic linguistics:...
or cryptolect) which was formerly used by thieves, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries. It is commonly believed that cant was developed from Romany
Angloromani language
Angloromani or Anglo-Romani is a language combining aspects of English and Romani, which is a language spoken by the Romani people; a ethnic group who trace their origins to the Indian subcontinent. Angloromani is spoken in the UK, Australia, the US and South Africa.The language combines a mix of...
but the Winchester Confessions, a pamphlet published in 1616, clearly distinguishes between Gypsy and Cant words.
Now mostly obsolete, it is largely relegated to the realm of literature.
Some slang was developed because of a need for secrecy, such as prison slang, believed to be derived from thieves cant,
and Polari
Polari
Polari is a form of cant slang used in Britain by actors, circus and fairground showmen, criminals, prostitutes, and by the gay subculture. It was popularised in the 1960s by camp characters Julian and Sandy in the popular BBC radio show Round the Horne...
, a variety used by homosexuals in Britain and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Homosexuality was a crime until 1967 and Polari has a history going back at least a hundred years. Sometimes the purpose of slang is to cause offence, insults such as wanker or gobshite for example; and sometimes the purpose is to prevent it by substituting a slang word for the offensive one, berk (rhyming slang for cunt) for example. Sometimes a Spoonerism
Spoonerism
A spoonerism is an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched . It is named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner , Warden of New College, Oxford, who was notoriously prone to this tendency...
, is employed to make taboo speech more acceptable. For example: Cupid stunt and Betty Swallocks.
Slang is also used to create an identity or sense of belonging and a number of occupations have their own slang; most notably the armed forces, referred to as Forces or Service slang; and the construction industry. A dictionary of service slang by J. L. Hunt and A. G. Pringle was published in 1943. It was reprinted in 2008. The introduction acknowledgedes that slang is an ever changing language with new slang terms emerging all the time. It also recognises that some service slang has made its way into civillian use. Examples of this include the old naval terms, "Talking bilge" (nonsense) and "A loose cannon" (an unorthodox person with the potential to cause harm).
A
air one's dirty linen/laundry : To discuss private matters in public.all to cock : (Or all a-cock) Unsatisfactory, mixed up.
all mouth and no trousers : All talk and no action, a braggart, sexual bravado.
all piss and wind : All talk and no action. Originally the phrase was, "all wind and piss" (19th C).
anchors : Brakes. "Slam on the anchors" to brake really hard.
argy-bargy : An argument or confrontation.
arse : 1. The buttocks. 2. Someone who acts in a manner which is incompetent or otherwise disapproved of.
arse about face : Back to front.
arse around : Mess around or waste time (17th C).
arsehole : 1. The anus. 2. General derogatory term.
arse bandit : homosexual (offensive, derogatory).
arse over tit : Head over heels, to fall over or take a tumble.
B
ball bag : Scrotum.balls up : A bungled or messed up situation. (WWI Service slang).
bang to rights : Caught in the act.
bang up : 1. To lock up in prison (prison slang). 2. To inject an illegal drug.
barney : a noisy quarrel or fight. Sometimes claimed to be rhyming slang (Barney Rubble
Barney Rubble
Bernard "Barney" Rubble is the deuteragonist of the television animated series The Flintstones. He is the diminutive blonde-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble...
, trouble) but actually dates back to 19th century.
bender : a drinking binge.
bent : 1. dishonest or corrupt, 2. homosexual (mildly derogatory).
bent as a nine bob note : Extremely dishonest or corrupt. A nine shilling (bob) note never existed and would therefore have to be counterfeit.
berk : (also spelled burk) idiot, stupid person (from Berkeley Hunt
Berkeley Hunt
The Berkeley Hunt is a fox hunt in the west of England. Its country lies in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, between Gloucester and Bristol.-History:...
, Cockney rhyming slang for cunt
Cunt
Cunt is a vulgarism, primarily referring to the female genitalia, specifically the vulva, and including the cleft of Venus. The earliest citation of this usage in the 1972 Oxford English Dictionary, c 1230, refers to the London street known as Gropecunt Lane...
)
Billy : 1. Amphetamines (from Billy Whizz
Billy Whizz
Billy Whizz is a fictional character featured in the British comic The Beano, first appearing in issue 1139, dated 16 May 1964, when it replaced The Country Cuzzins. Billy, the title character, is a boy who can run extraordinarily fast. His speed often causes chaos yet at the same time his ability...
, a British comic strip character.) 2. Friendless (Billy No-Mates)
billyo : (also spelled billyoh) an intensifier. Going like billyo (travelling quickly).
bird : 1. Girl, woman. 2. Jail time (From the rhyming slang: Bird lime)
Birmingham screwdriver : A hammer.
bizzie : Policeman (Scouse
Scouse
Scouse is an accent and dialect of English found primarily in the Metropolitan county of Merseyside, and closely associated with the city of Liverpool and the adjoining urban areas such as the boroughs of south Sefton, Knowsley and the Wirral...
).
blag : as a noun, a robbery or as a verb , to rob. Not to be confused with blague, talking nonsense.
blah : (or blah blah) worthless, boring or silly talk.
blimey : or sometimes 'cor blimey'(archaic). An abbreviation of 'God blind me' used as an interjection to express shock or surprise. Sometimes used to comic effect, in a deliberate reference to it being archaic usage.
Blighty
Blighty
Blighty is a British English slang term for Britain, deriving from the Hindustani word vilāyatī , from Persian vilayet and ultimately from Arabic wilayah, originally meaning something like "province"...
: (or Old Blighty) Britain, home. Used especially by British troops serving abroad or expatriates. A relic of British India, probably from the Hindi billayati, meaning a foreign land.
bloke : any man or sometimes a man in authority such as the boss.
blooming, blummin' (archaic): euphemism for bloody
Bloody
Bloody is the adjectival form of blood but may also be used as an expletive attributive in Australia, Britain, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, South Africa , New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Anglophone Caribbean and Sri Lanka...
. Used as an intensifier e.g. 'blooming marvelous'.
blow off : To fart.
blue : 1. Policeman. 2. a tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
.
bobby : Policeman. After Robert Peel
Robert Peel
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet was a British Conservative statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 December 1834 to 8 April 1835, and again from 30 August 1841 to 29 June 1846...
(Home Secretary in 1828).
bod : A male person. Short for body.
bodge : (also botch) To make a mess of or to fix poorly.
bog : Toilet
bog off : Go away (originally RAF slang)
Bogtrotter : Derogatory term for an Irishman particularly an Irish peasant.
bogroll : Toilet paper.
bollocking : A severe telling off.
bollocks
Bollocks
"Bollocks" is a word of Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning "testicles". The word is often used figuratively in British English and Hiberno-English, as a noun to mean "nonsense", an expletive following a minor accident or misfortune, or an adjective to mean "poor quality" or "useless"...
: (or ballocks) Vulgar term used for testicles. Used to describe something as useless, nonsense or having poor quality, as in "That's a load of bollocks". Is often said as a cry of frustration or annoyance. Also see "dog's bollocks".
bomb : A large sum of money as in 'to make a bomb'. Also 'to go like a bomb' meaning to travel at high speed.
bonce : Head, crown of the head. Also a large playing marble.
booze : As a noun, an alcoholic drink; as a verb, to drink alcohol, particularly to excess.
boozer : 1. a pub or bar. 2. Someone who drinks alcohol to excess.
Bo-Peep : Sleep (rhyming slang).
boracic: without money. From rhyming slang boracic lint
Boracic lint
Boracic lint was a type of medical dressing made from surgical lint that was soaked in a hot, saturated solution of boracic acid and glycerine and then left to dry.It has been in use since at least the 19th century, but is now less commonly used....
= skint (skinned).
bottle : 1. nerve, courage. 2. Money collected by buskers or street vendors. 3. As a verb, to attack someone with a broken bottle.
bounce : 1. To con someone into believing or doing something. 2. To forcibly eject someone. 3. Swagger, impudence or cockiness. 4. Of a cheque, to be refused by the bank due to lack of funds.
bouncer : Someone employed to eject troublemakers or drunks.
bovver boy : A youth who deliberately causes or seeks out trouble (bother).
bovver boots : Heavy boots, sometimes with a steel toecap, worn by Bovver boys and used for kicking in fights.
brass : 1. Money. 2. Cheek, nerve. 3. a prostitute.
Bristols : The female breasts (Cockney rhyming slang, from Bristol bits = tits, or Bristol City = titty).
broke : without money. Also 'stoney broke', or just 'stoney'.
brown bread : Dead (Cockney rhyming slang).
brown-tongue : Sycophant, toady or someone who attempts to curry favour with another (from the idea of licking another's backside).
buff : 1. Bare skin, naked as in 'in the buff'. 2. Having a lean, muscular physique (usually referring to a young man).
bugger
Bugger
Bugger is a slang word used in the vernacular British English, Australian English, Canadian English, New Zealand English, South African English, Caribbean English, Sri Lankan English and occasionally also in Malaysian English and Singaporean English, and rarely American English...
: anal sex but in slang terms can be used : 1. As a term of abuse for someone or something contemptible, difficult or unpleasant. 2. Affectionately, as in 'you silly bugger'. 3. As an exclamation of dissatisfaction, annoyance or surprise. 4. To mean tired or worn out as in 'I'm absolutely buggered'. 5. To mean frustrate, complicate or ruin completely, as in 'You've buggered that up'.
bugger about (or around) : 1. To fool around or waste time. 2. To create difficulties or complications.
bugger all : nothing.
bugger off : go away.
bum : buttocks, anus or both. Not particularly rude. 'Builders' bum' is the exposure of the buttock cleavage by an overweight working man in ill-fitting trousers.
bumf : derogatory reference to official memos or paperwork. Shortened from bum fodder. Slang term for toilet roll.
bumsucker : a toady, creep or someone acting in an obsequious manner.
bumfreezer : any short jacket but in particular an Eton Jacket.
bung : 1. a gratuity or more often a bribe., 2. Throw or pass energetically; as in, "bung it over here".
bunk : 1. To leave inappropriately as in to 'bunk off' school or work. 2. To run away in suspicious circumstances as in to 'do a bunk'.
butcher's : Look. Rhyming slang, butcher's hook.
C
chav, chavi or chavvy : Child (from the Romany, chavi. Still in common use in rural areas). Also used in Polari since mid 19th century.Chav
Chav
A chav is a term that is used in the United Kingdom to describe a stereotype of teenagers and young adults from an underclass background.-Etymology:...
: Someone who is, or pretends to be of a low social standing and who dresses in a certain style, typically badly or in sports clothing. Often used as a form of derogation. Sometimes said to be an acronymn for 'Council-Housed and Violent' but this appears to have come later. Most likely to come from the Romany for child; chavi.
cabbage : 1. A stupid person or someone with no mental abilities whatever. 2. Cloth trimmed from a customer's material by a tailor. 3. Pilfer or steal.
charver or charva : 1. Sexual intercourse (Polari). 2. A loose woman, someone with whom it is easy to have sexual intercourse, an easy lay. 3. To mess up, spoil or ruin; to fuck up (from 1.).
cheers : a sign of appreciation or acknowledgement, or a drinking toast.
cheesed off : fed up, disgusted or angry.
chippy : a carpenter.
chuff : The buttocks or anus.
chuffed : to be very pleased about something.
clock : 1. The face. 2. To spot, notice. 3. To hit as in "clock round the earhole".
cock : 1. Penis. 2. Nonsense. 3. A friend or fellow.
cockup : as a noun or verb, blunder, mess up or botch.
codswallop (archaic): Nonsense.
collywobbles : An upset stomach or acute feeling of nervousness.
conk : The head or the nose. To strike the head or nose.
cop : 1. A policeman (short for copper). 2. An arrest or to be caught out, as in 'It's a fair cop'. 3. Used with a negative to mean of little value, as in 'That's not much cop'. 4. To get, as in for example, to 'cop off with', 'cop a feel' or 'cop a load of that'.
copper : A policeman.
corker : Someone or something outstanding.
corking : Outstanding, excellent.
cottage : A public lavatory.
cottaging : Homosexual activity in a public lavatory.
crack : 1. A gibe. 2. Someone who excels at something. 3. Fun or a good time. From the Irish 'craic'.
cracker : Something or someone of notable ability or quality.
crackers : Insane.
D
darbies : Handcuffs.debag : To remove someone's trousers by force.
dekko : Look. From the Hindi, dekho.
dick : 1. Fellow. 2. Penis.
dip : a pickpocket.
div : idiot (prison slang)
do one's nut : Become enraged.
doddle : Something simple or easy to accomplish.
dodgy : Something risky, difficult or dangerous. A 'dodgy deal' for example.
dog : 1. A rough or unattractive woman. 2. A fellow.
dog's bollocks: 1. Anything obvious ("Sticks out like the dog's bollocks"). 2. Something especially good or first rate ("It's the dog's bollocks", sometimes abbreviated to, "it's the dog's").
Donkey's years : (Donkey's ears) a very long time. In reference to the length of a donkey's ears. Sometimes abbreviated to, "donkey's".
Done up like a kipper : 1. Beaten up. 2. Fitted up or framed. 3. Caught red-handed by the police.
doofer : An unnamed object.
dosser : Someone who might stay in a dosshouse.
dosshouse : A cheap boarding house frequented by tramps.
duff : 1. broken, not working. 2. To beat, as in 'duff up'. 3. Pregnant (up the duff).
E
earwig : 1. To eavesdrop. 2. To twig (rhyming slang)eating irons : Cutlery.
end away : to have sex (get one's end away).
F
fag : cigarette.fag end: the used stub of a cigarette and by extension the unpleasant and worthless loose end of any situation.
fanny : female external genitalia, a woman's pudendum.
fanny adams : (Usually preceded by 'sweet' and often abbreviated to F.A., S.F.A. or sweet F.A.) Nothing at all. A euphemism for fuck all.
fence : Someone who deals in stolen property.
fit : sexually attractive (Afro-Caribbean).
fit up : A frame up.
fiver : five pounds.
filth (the) : The police (derogatory).
flasher : Someone who indecently exposes oneself.
flick : Motion picture, film. 'The flicks', the cinema.
flog : Sell.
flog a dead horse : 1. To continue talking about a long forgotten topic. 2. To attempt to find a solution to a problem which is unsolveable.
flutter : (To have a flutter) To place a wager.
fly : Quick witted, clever.
fork out : To pay out, usually with some reluctance.
French letter : Condom.
frig : 1.(Taboo) To masturbate. 2. When followed by 'around' or 'about', to behave aimlessly or foolishly.
frigging : 1. The act of masturbating. 2. Used as an intensifier. For example, "You frigging idiot". Considered milder than 'fucking'.
Frog : Derogatory term for a Frenchman.
fuzz (the) : The police.
G
gaff : House or flat.gaffer : Boss, foreman or employer.
gander : Usually preceded by 'have a' or 'take a'. To look.
gash : 1. Surplus to requirements, unnecessary. 2. Derogatory term used for female genitalia.
gassed : Drunk.
geezer : (informal) Man. Particularly an old one.
get : Variant of git.
git : incompetent, stupid, annoying, or childish person.
gob : 1. Mouth 2. To spit. 3. Spittle.
gobshite : (Taboo) A stupid or despicable person.
gobsmacked : flabbergasted, dumbfounded, astounded, speechless. Possibly either from the gesture of clapping one's hand over one's mouth in surprise, or the idea that something is as shocking as being smacked in the mouth.
go down : To go to prison.
gogglebox : Television.
gong : A medal. Usually a military one.
goolies : The male genitals and in particular the testicles.
goose : To grab someone's behind in a playful fashion.
grand : £1000
grot : Rubbish or dirt.
guff : 1. Ridiculous talk. Nonsense. 2. Flatulence. Probably from the Norwegian gufs, a puff of wind.
H
half-inch : to steal (rhyming slang for 'pinch')hampton : Penis (rhyming slang from, Hampton Wick = prick; and Hampton Rock = cock).
handbags : a harmless fight especially between two women. (from "handbags at dawn" an allusion to duelling)
hard cheese : Bad luck.
hawk : To spit.
head : 1. Lavatory (nautical slang) 2. Drug user. Sometimes preceded by the preferred drug, for example: Smackhead, acidhead, pothead etc.
headbang : To nod or shake one's head violently to rock music.
headbanger : One who headbangs or a fan of heavy rock music.
heavy : 1. The use or threat of violence. 2. Someone employed to be violent.
helmet : The glans of the penis.
honk : Vomit.
hook : Steal. Possibly from the act of 'fishing' for items with a hook and line, through an existing or purposely made aperture.
hook it : To run away quickly.
hooky or hookey : 1. Something that is stolen (probably from hook = to steal). 2. Loosely used to describe anything illegal.
hooter : Nose.
hump : 1. To carry or heave. 2. To have sexual intercourse with.
I
idiot box : Television.inside : In or into prison.
ivories : 1. Teeth. 2. The keys of a piano. 3. Dice.
I'm all right, Jack : A remark, often directed at another, indicating that they are selfish and that they don't care about it.
J
jacksy (or jacksie) : The buttocks or anus.Jack the lad : A young man who is regarded as a show off and is brash or loud.
jack up : Inject an illegal drug.
jag : 1. A drug taking, or sometimes drinking, binge. 2. A period of uncontrolled activity.
jammy : 1. Lucky. 2. Pleasant or desirable.
jerry : A chamber pot.
Jerry : A German or German soldier.
jessie : An effeminate man or one that is weak or afraid. (Originally Scottish slang)
jissom : semen (taboo).
Jock : word or term of address for a Scot.
Joe Bloggs : A man who is average, typical or unremarkable.
Joe Soap : An idiot, stooge or scapegoat.
Johnny : Condom. Sometimes also a 'Johnny bag' or 'rubber Johnny'.
John Thomas : Penis.
josser : A cretin or simpleton.
jump : As a noun or verb, sexual intercourse.
K
kip : 1. Sleep, nap 2. Bed or lodging 3. Brothel (mainly Irish)knackered : 1. Exhausted, tired, 2. Broken, beyond all usefulness.
knackers : vulgar name for testicles.
knees up : A lively party or dance.
knob : 1. Penis. 2. (of a man) To have sexual intercourse.
knobhead : a stupid, irritating person.
knob jockey : homosexual (to ride the penis like a jockey rides a horse).
knob-end : an idiot, or tip of penis (see bell-end).
knockers : Breasts.
knocking shop : Brothel.
know one's onions : To be well acquainted with a subject.
L
lag : 1. Convict, particularly a long serving one (an old lag).lash : 1. Urinate. 2. Alcohol.
lashed : very inebriated. Also 'on the lash' meaning to go out drinking with the intent of getting drunk.
laughing gear : Mouth.
local : A public house close to one's home.
lolly : money.
loo : lavatory.
M
manky : dirty, filthy. (Polari).marbles : Wits. As in, to lose one's marbles.
mare : Woman (derogatory).
mark : A suitable victim for a con or swindle.
matelot : Sailor (from the French).
meat and two veg : Literally a traditional meal consisting of any meat, potatoes and a second type of vegetable; euphemistically the male external genitalia. Is sometimes also used to mean something unremarkable or ordinary.
mental : Crazy or insane.
Mick : An Irishman (derogatory).
miffed : Upset or offended.
milk run : A 'safe' mission or patrol.
minge : Vagina
minger : Someone who smells.
minted : Wealthy.
mizzle : Decamp.
moggy : Cat.
moke : Donkey.
monged (out) : Severely drunk/high.
moniker or monicker : Name, nickname, signature or mark.
monkey : £500.
mooch : Loiter or wander aimlessly, skulk.
moolah : Money.
moon : To expose one's backside (from Old English, mona).
moony : Crazy or foolish.
muck about : Waste time. Interfere with.
mucker : Mate, pal.
muck in : Share a duty or workload.
mufti : Civilian dress worn by someone who normally wears a military uniform. Probably from the Muslim dress, popularly worn by British officers serving in India during the 19th century. Now commonly used to refer to a non-uniform day in schools.
mug : 1. Face. 2. A gullible or easily swindled person.
munta : Ugly person.
mush : 1. Face or mouth. 2. Familiar term of address. Probably from the Gypsy moosh, a man.
N
naff : Inferior or in poor taste. Also used as sentence substitute as in, for example, "Naff off!"nark : 1. As a verb or noun; spy or informer. 2. Someone who complains a lot (an old nark). 3. Annoy or irritate.
ned
Ned (Scottish)
Ned is a derogatory term applied in Scotland to hooligans, louts or petty criminals, latterly with the stereotypical implication that they wear casual sports clothes. Such usage in Glasgow dates back to the 1960s or earlier.-Early use of term:...
: (Scottish) a lout, a drunken brawling fellow, a tough. Often said to stand for Non-Educated Delinquent but this is a backronym
Backronym
A backronym or bacronym is a phrase constructed purposely, such that an acronym can be formed to a specific desired word. Backronyms may be invented with serious or humorous intent, or may be a type of false or folk etymology....
. More likely to come from Teddy Boys being a contraction of Edward. More recently, sometimes equated with the English chav
Chav
A chav is a term that is used in the United Kingdom to describe a stereotype of teenagers and young adults from an underclass background.-Etymology:...
.
nick : 1. Steal. 2. Police Station or prison. 3. To arrest.
nicked : Arrested or stolen.
nicker : Pound sterling
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
.
nob : 1. Person of high social standing. 2. Head.
nobble : Disable (particularly a racehorse).
nod out : To lapse into a drug induced stupour.
nonce
Nonce (slang)
In the United Kingdom and Australia, the term nonce is a slang word used to refer to a sex offender and/or child sexual abuser...
: Sex offender, most commonly a child molester. (Prison slang)
nookie or nooky : Sexual intercourse.
nose rag : Handkerchief.
nosh : 1. Food. 2. To eat.
nosh up : A feast or large, satisfying meal.
numpty : Incompetent or unwise person.
nut : 1. Head. 2. Eccentric person.
nutcase : An insane person.
nuthouse : A lunatic asylum.
nutmeg : In association football, to pass the ball between an opposing player's legs.
nuts or nutty : Crazy or insane.
nutter : Insane person.
O
odds and sods : Substitute for 'odds and ends'. Miscellaneous items or articles, bits and pieces.oik : Someone of a low social standing (derogatory).
off one's head (or out of one's head) : Mad or delirious.
off the hook : Free from obligation or danger.
off one's nut : Crazy or foolish.
old bill, the old bill : A policeman or the police collectively.
one's head off : Loud or excessively. "I laughed my head off" or "She screamed her head off" for example.
P
packet : 1. A large sum of money (earn a packet). 2. A nasty surprise (catch a packet).paddy : a fit of temper.
Paddy : (capitalised) An Irishman (derogatory).
Paki : (Derogatory, offensive) A Pakistani or sometimes used to loosely describe anyone or anything from the Indian sub-continent.
Paki-bashing : Unprovoked attacks on Pakastanis living in Britain.
pansy : An effeminite or homosexual male.
paste : To hit, punch or beat soundly. From a 19th century variant of baste, meaning to beat thoroughly.
pasting : A sound thrashing or heavy defeat.
pennyboy : A low paid person, employed to carry out menial tasks (Irish slang).
penny-dreadful : A cheap, sensationalist magazine.
phiz or phizog : The face (from a 17th century colloquial shortening of physiognomy
Physiognomy
Physiognomy is the assessment of a person's character or personality from their outer appearance, especially the face...
).
pikey
Pikey
Pikey is a pejorative slang term used mainly in the United Kingdom to refer to Irish Travellers, gypsies or people of low social class. Pikey is also sometimes called a piker in the United States, but a piker in Australia and New Zealand means someone who refuses to do something within a...
: Pejorative term used, mainly in England to refer to travellers, gypsies or vagrants. Sometimes also used to describe people of low social class or morals.
pickled : Drunk.
pie-eyed : Drunk.
pig : (Derogatory, offensive) Policeman.
pig's ear : 1. Beer (Cockney rhyming slang. 2. Something that has been badly done or has been made a mess of.
pillock : Stupid or annoying person.
pinch : 1. (verb) Steal or take without asking. 2. (noun) A robbery. 3. (noun or verb) Arrest. 4. Sail too close to the wind (nautical slang).
pissed, pissed up : Drunk.
on the piss : Getting drunk, drinking alcohol.
plastered : Extremely drunk.
plonker : 1. Something large or substantial (Mid 19th C). 2. Penis. 3. A general term of abuse (from 2.; in use since 1960s but may have been popularised by the BBC comedy series Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses
Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...
.)
pony : £25 (18th C).
porkies : Lies (from the cockney rhyming slang pork pies)
punt : 1. To gamble, wager or take a chance. 2. To sell or promote.
punter : 1. Customer, patron. 2. Gambler (one who takes a punt). 3. A victim in a confidence trick or swindle.
Q
queer as a clockwork orange : 1. Very odd indeed. 2. Ostentatiously homosexual.Queer Street : A difficult or odd situation (up Queer Street).
queer someone's pitch : 1. Take the pitch of another street vendor, busker or similar. 2. Spoil someone else's efforts.
quim : Vagina (possibly a play on the Celtic word for valley, cwm).
R
Richard the Third : A piece of excrement (rhyming slang Richard the Third = turd).ring : Anal sphincter
ringburner : 1. A curry. 2. Diarrhoea or painful defecation.
rozzer : Policeman.
S
safe : An all purpose term of approval.savvy : Knowledge, understanding (from the French, savoir).
scally
Scally
Scallie or Scally, is originally short for Scallywag, but is now most-often used in the context of a slang term for a hooligan youth subculture, similar to "chav", but with different origins. It describes mostly young, "dole class" people....
: A hooligan youth (Scouse), short for scallywag.
scarper : Run away. Sometimes claimed to be rhyming slang: Scapa Flow (go).
scrubber : In Britain, a promiscuous woman; in Ireland, a common or working class woman.
Scouser : Someone from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
scrote : Term of abuse, from scrotum.
see a man about a dog : 1. Attend a secret deal or meeting. 2. Go to the toilet.
shag : Sexual intercourse.
shagged : 1. The past historic of shag. 2. Extremely tired (shagged out).
shiner : Black eye.
shitehawk
Shite-hawk
Shite-hawk or shit-hawk or shitty hawk is a slang name applied to various birds of prey that exhibit scavenging behaviour, originally and primarily the Black Kite, although the term has also been applied to other birds such as the Herring Gull...
: Someone of little worth, originally military slang.
shit-faced : Drunk.
skanky : Dirty, particularly of a marijuana pipe.
skint : Without money.
slag : 1. Worthless or insignificant person. 2. Promiscuous woman or prostitute.
slag off : A verbal attack. To criticise or slander.
slap-head : A bald man.
slapper : Promiscuous woman or prostitute.
slash : Urinate, urination
Urination
Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, peeing, weeing, pissing, and more rarely, emiction, is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. In healthy humans the process of urination is under voluntary control...
.
sling one's hook : Go away.
snog : French kiss, or any prolonged physical intimacy without undressing or sexual contact.
sod : Annoying person or thing (from sodomite).
sod off : "Go away".
spawny : Lucky (possibly from the Scottish game, Spawnie).
spunk : 1. Semen
Semen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
, ejaculate. 2. Courage, bravery.
steaming : 1. Extremely drunk. 2. An intensifier, e.g. "You steaming gurt ninny!" 3. Extremely angry.
stuffed : 1. Sexual intercourse (e.g. "get stuffed") 2. Used negatively to mean bothered, as in, "I can't be stuffed to do that!".
T
tad : a little bittake the piss (out of) : To mock.
take the mickey : To tease or mock.
tart : Commonly a prostitute or term of abuse but also used affectionately for a lover. Shortened version of sweetheart.
tenner : Ten pounds.
toff : Posh person
ton : 1. A large unspecified amount (18th C). 2. £100 (1940s). 3. 100 MPH (1950s). 4. Any unit of 100 (1960s).
tosh : Nonsense
tosser : 1. Someone who masturbates (to toss off). 2. Someone the speaker doesn't like (from 1.). 3. An affectionate form of address (from 1.) e.g. "All right you old tosser!"
tosspot : Drunkard or habitual drinker (from tossing pots of ale)
tube: 1. The London Underground (19th C. Originally 'Tuppeny tube'). 2. Penis. 3. A person (Scottish). 4. A general term of contempt (Irish, 1950s).
twat
Twat
The word twat has various functions. It is a vulgar synonym for the human vulva, but is more widely used as a derogatory epithet, especially in British English...
: 1. Vagina. 2. Term of abuse (from 1.).
W
wag off : Skyve or play truant.wank : 1. Masturbation or to masturbate. 2. Inferior.
wanker
Wanker
Wanker is a pejorative term of English origin, common in Commonwealth and ex-Commonwealth countries, including Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. It initially referred to an onanist but has since become a general insult. It is synonymous with tosser.-Meaning:The term wanker...
: 1. Someone who masturbates. 2. Abusive term (from 1.), someone the speaker doesn't like.
wankered : 1. Very drunk. 2. Exhausted.
wanking spanner(s) : Hand(s).
warts and all : Including all negative characteristics (from a reported request from Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
to Peter Lely
Peter Lely
Sir Peter Lely was a painter of Dutch origin, whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court.-Life:...
)
whizz : 1. Urination. 2. Amphetamine Sulphate (also known as speed; from whizz, to move very fast).
willy : Penis (hypocorism).
willy-waving : Acting in an excessively macho fashion.
wind up : to tease, irritate, annoy, anger
External links
- A Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial English Farmer & Henley (1905)
- The Septic's Companion: A British Slang Dictionary an online dictionary of British slang, viewable alphabetically or by category.
- English slang and colloquialisms used in the United Kingdom
- Roger's Profanisaurus An online version of the list of vulgar definitions which occasionally appears in VizViz (comic)Viz is a popular British comic magazine which has been running since 1979.The comic's style parodies British comics of the post-war period, notably The Beano and The Dandy, but with incongruous language, crude toilet humour, black comedy, surreal humour and either sexual or violent storylines...
magazine