The origins of British slang

The roots of British slang can be traced back through centuries, influenced by historical events and cultural interactions.

During the Middle Ages, British English absorbed words from Norman French, while the expansion of the British Empire in the 16th and 17th centuries introduced vocabulary from colonies and trading partners. Industrialization and urbanization in the 19th and 20th centuries contributed to slang development, as cities like London and Manchester became melting pots of diverse cultures.

Today, technology and popular culture play a significant role, with the internet and social media accelerating the spread of slang terms.

Regional variations of British slang and their meanings

Pretty much every English speaker can identify the charming, heavy British English accent. Yet not many people outside of the United Kingdom know that there are actually almost 40 different accents across the UK. You may have heard of a few, like Cockney, Scottish, or Welsh, but what about Geordie, Scouse, or Brummie? Spoiler alert: Brummie is spoken by Tom Shady in Peaky Blinders.

Aside from the accent, regional variations of British English also include different slang words used in different regions of the UK. Here are some of the UK’s regional dialects with their most common slang words and phrases.

The Queen’s English

The standard British accent everyone knows is the Queen’s English, BBC English, or Received Pronunciation (RP). RP is a term coined by phonetician Daniel Jones. Back in the 1900s, RP was the accent taught to upper and middle-class boarding school boys in southern England.

It later became more widely spread until it became “Standard English” in the late 19th century and became, and still is, associated with people of high social standing. It’s also the easiest of all regional dialects to understand, which is why it’s used by news stations and heard in movies like Pride and Prejudice or Downtown Abbey. The Queen’s English is spoken in London and Southern England. Here are some of the most common slang words and phrases used by people from those regions.

Slang word/phrase Meaning Example Sentence
Bloke A man or guy I saw that bloke you were talking to yesterday.
Bloody Intensifier or expletive, used for emphasis It's been a bloody awful day.
Chap A man or guy, often slightly formal He's a fine chap, isn't he?
Cheers Thank you or goodbye Cheers for lending me your book.
Chuffed Pleased or delighted She was chuffed to receive an award for her work.
Gutted Extremely disappointed or upset I was gutted when I found out I didn't get the job.
Knackered Extremely tired or exhausted I've been working all day, I'm absolutely knackered.
Lad A young man or boy, often affectionate He's a good lad, always willing to help out.
Mate Friend or companion Hey mate, how's it going?
Quid Slang for pounds sterling It cost me twenty quid.

Cockney

Cockney is a very characteristic accent spoken in the East End of London, which originated from the working class Londoners.

The term "Cockney" historically referred specifically to someone born within earshot of the ringing of the Bow Bells at the church of St Mary-le-Bow in the Cheapside district of London. Over time, Cockney has come to represent a broader cultural and linguistic identity associated with this area.

Cockney slang often involves replacing a word with a rhyming phrase, where the rhyming part (the second word) is typically dropped in usage, leaving just the first word as the slang term.

Yes, it’s… well, confusing. But back in the day, this rhyming slang served as a form of coded language among working-class communities, allowing them to communicate discreetly in public spaces or among outsiders.

Here are some of the most common Cockney slang words and phrases.

Slang word/phrase Meaning Example Sentence
Adam and Eve Believe Would you Adam and Eve it, he won the race!
Apples and pears Stairs Mind the apples and pears as you go up.
Barnet Fair Hair He's always fussing over his Barnet Fair.
Butcher's hook Look Take a butcher's hook at this view.
Dog and bone Phone I'll give you a ring on the dog and bone.
Frog and toad Road I'll meet you at the end of the frog and toad.
Plates of meat Feet My plates of meat are killing me after that walk.
Ruby Murray Curry Fancy a Ruby Murray tonight?"
Trouble and strife Wife The trouble and strife wants me home early.

Geordie

If you’ve ever been to Newcastle upon Tyne, you probably had great trouble understanding people. No wonder! Geordie, the regional dialect spoken in Newcastle and the Tyneside region, is one of the hardest British dialects to understand.

Geordie is filled with unique words, phrases, and pronunciations that might leave you scratching your head in confusion, even if you're a native English speaker. For instance, you might hear someone saying "gan doon" instead of "go down" or "howay" instead of "come on."

But it's not just the words themselves that can be tricky. It's also the accent and pronunciation. Geordies often drop consonants or change vowel sounds in ways that can throw off even the most seasoned English speaker.

Here are some of the most common Geordie slang words and phrases.

Slang word/phrase Meaning Example Sentence
Belta Great, fantastic That concert last night was absolutely belta!
Canny Good, nice That's a canny little pub over there."
Divvent Don't Divvent be daft, just get on with it.
Gan doon Go down, go downstairs I'm gonna gan doon to the shops, want owt?
Hinny Term of endearment for a woman, like "dear" Alright hinny, how's it gan?
Howay Come on, hurry up Howay man, we're gonna be late!"
Hoy Throw Hoy us that pen, will ya?
Radgie Aggressive person Watch out for him, he's a bit of a radgie.
Wor lass My girlfriend Wor lass is away visiting her mam this weekend.

Scouse

If you’ve ever been to Liverpool, you know that its dialect is one of the heaviest and most distinctive British English accents. If you haven’t been to Liverpool, you may still be familiar with the Scouse accent thanks to the Beatles.

Scouse can be hard to understand even for native speakers, as its roots lie in various influences, including Irish, Welsh, and Lancashire dialects. Scouse speakers often speak extremely fast, blending words together and dropping consonants, which can make it challenging to decipher for those unfamiliar with it.

Here are some of the most common Scouse slang words and phrases.

Slang word/phrase Meaning Example Sentence
Bevvy Alcoholic drink Fancy going for a few bevies tonight?
Blag To deceive or trick He managed to blag his way into the club.
Boss Excellent, great That film was boss, wasn't it?
Boss tha You're the best Thanks for helping out, you're boss tha.
Our kid Younger sibling or close friend Me and our kid are going to the match.
Scran Food, especially a meal I'm starving, let's get some scran.
Sound Good, okay Everything's sound, don't worry.

Welsh

Have you ever heard of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch? Yes, it’s one of the longest words in English, with 58 letters, and it’s the name of a small town in Wales. It's quite the tongue-twister, isn't it? It should give you a pretty good idea of the Welsh dialect, which is full of consonant clusters like "ll" and "pwll." Some Welsh words, such as cwtch and "llongyfarchiadau" (congratulations), look like they were written by your cat when it fell asleep on your keyboard.

Luckily for us, nowadays, the inhabitants of Wales speak Welsh English, which is a combination of the old Welsh language and Standard English rather than old Welsh.

Here are some of the most common Welsh slang words and phrases.

Slang word/phrase Meaning Example Sentence
Bladdered Drunk He was absolutely bladdered at the party last night.
Butty Friend or mate Alright, butty, fancy a pint?"
Chopsy Talkative or argumentative Don't get chopsy with me!
Cwtch A cuddle or hug Let's have a cwtch to warm up.
Lush Delicious or attractive This cake is lush; you should try it.
Minging Disgusting or unattractive That fish smells minging!
Mun/Munud Moment Wait a mun, I'll be right back.
Tamping Angry or furious She was tamping when she found out.
Tidy Good, nice, or satisfactory That meal was tidy, wasn't it?
Ych-a-fi Expression of disgust Ych-a-fi, that food tastes terrible!

Scots

If you’ve ever spoken with a Scottish person, you may have struggled to understand what they were saying. That’s because Scottish English is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, accents to understand, even for all other English native speakers.

Scottish English, or the Scots dialect, has 5 main varieties:

  1. Insular Scots: Spoken in the Shetland and Orkney Islands, influenced by the Norse language.
  2. Northern Scots: Includes dialects from the Highlands and Aberdeenshire, known for a strong rolling "r" sound and unique vocabulary.<
  3. Central Scots: Found in areas like Edinburgh and Glasgow, widely recognized and featuring diverse accents shaped by historical and immigration influences.
  4. Southern Scots: Covers dialects in the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway regions, influenced by English and Scots Gaelic.
  5. Ulster Scots: Primarily spoken in Northern Ireland, sharing similarities with Scottish English due to historical connections.

Here are some of the most common Scots slang words and phrases.

Slang word/phrase Meaning Example Sentence
Bairn Child The bairn is asleep now.
Blether Chat or gossip We had a good blether over a cup of tea.
Bonnie Pretty or beautiful She's a bonnie lass.
Dreich Gloomy or bleak weather It's dreich outside today.
Glaikit Stupid or foolish He looked positively glaikit after hearing the news.
Greetin' Crying or weeping She's been greetin' since she heard the news.
Haud yer wheesht Be quiet or shut up Haud yer wheesht and let me think.
Ken Know A ken whit yer sayin'.
Tattie-bogle Scarecrow The tattie-bogle in the field was quite frightening.
Wee Small or little I'll just have a wee bit of cake.

Glaswegian

While Glaswegian is part of the various Scots dialects, it deserves a section of its own because of how particular it is.

Glaswegian is the dialect spoken in Glasgow, which originated from a blend of influences, including Scots Gaelic, Old English, and immigrant languages like Irish and Yiddish.

It’s characteristic due to its rapid speech patterns, frequent consonant dropping, unique vocabulary, intonation, and rich use of slang and colloquialisms. So, don’t worry if you can’t understand a Glaswegian person! You’re certainly not alone.

Here are some of the most common Glaswegian slang words and phrases.

Slang word/phrase Meaning Example Sentence
Boak To vomit The smell of that fish makes me want to boak.
Boggin' Dirty or filthy You need to clean your room; it's boggin'.
Cludgie Toilet I'll be back in a minute, just going to the cludgie.
Gie it laldy To give it your all, to do something with enthusiasm When he starts singing, he really gies it laldy.
Hoachin' Crowded or full of people The pub was hoachin' last night; couldn't move!
Messages Groceries or shopping I need to nip to the shops for some messages.
Nae bother No problem or you're welcome Thanks for helping out, nae bother.
Roaster A silly or annoying person Stop being such a roaster and behave yourself!
Scooby Clue or idea I haven't got a scooby what you're on about.

Commonly used British jargon

Now that you can tell apart the different regional dialects in the UK, let’s get down to business. What are the most commonly used words and phrases in British slang?

Here are 20+ expressions used in British jargon you should know to finally understand what all these characters in British TV shows are actually saying so you can understand and speak like a true Brit.

 

Personengruppe sitzt draußen vor einem Café und unterhalten sich fröhlich
Slang word/phase Meaning Example sentence
Ace Excellent or great That movie was ace. I loved it!
Bagsy To claim or reserve Bagsy the front seat!
Bits and bobs Various small items or things I need to pick up a few bits and bobs from the store.
Blag To obtain or achieve something through persuasion or manipulation He blagged his way into the club without a ticket.
Blimey Expression of surprise or shock Blimey! Did you see the size of that fish?
Bollocks Nonsense or rubbish What you're saying is a load of bollocks.
Bonkers Wild You must be bonkers if you think that'll work.
Brolly Umbrella Better bring your brolly. It looks like rain.
Budge up Move over or make space Budge up, I need some room on the bench.
Bugger all Nothing at all I've got bugger all to do this weekend.
Chav Pejorative term for someone perceived as lower class or uncultured Those chavs are always causing trouble in the neighborhood.
Chin wag A chat or conversation Let's have a chinwag over a cuppa.
Chuffed to bits Extremely pleased or proud She was chuffed to bits with her exam results.
Cuppa Cup of tea I could really use a cuppa right now.
Daft Silly or foolish Don't be daft. Of course, I'll help you.
Dodgy Suspicious or unreliable I wouldn't trust that dodgy website. It looks sketchy.
Fag Cigarette He's outside having a fag.
Gobsmacked Astonished or amazed I was gobsmacked when I won the lottery.
Innit Shortened form of "isn't it" or "isn't he/she," often used for agreement or confirmation in informal speech It's raining hard today, innit?
Knackered Extremely tired or exhausted I've been up all night studying; I'm knackered.
Loo Bathroom or toilet Excuse me, where's the loo?
Miffed Annoyed or irritated He was miffed when he found out he didn't get the job.
Minging Extremely unattractive or unpleasant That food looks minging. I'm not eating it.
Minted Rich or wealthy He must be minted if he can afford to drive that car.
Muppet Fool or idiot You're such a muppet for forgetting your keys.
Naff Unfashionable or tacky That outfit is a bit naff, isn't it?
Numpty Fool or idiot, often used affectionately or humorously Don't be such a numpty. Read the instructions properly.
Peng Attractive or appealing, especially in reference to food or a person That pizza looks peng. I can't wait to eat it.
Plonker Fool or idiot He's such a plonker, always messing things up.
Posh Upper-class or elegant She comes from a posh family.
Rubbish Nonsense or poor quality That movie was rubbish. I fell asleep halfway.
Skint Without money or broke I can't go out tonight. I'm skint until payday.
Skive To avoid work or responsibility He's always skiving off when there's work to be done.
Snog To kiss passionately They were snogging in the corner all night.
Sod off Go away or leave Why don't you just sod off and leave me alone?
Telly Television Let's stay in and watch the telly tonight.
Wanker A derogatory term for someone foolish or annoying He's such a wanker, always boasting about himself.
Wazzock Fool or idiot He's such a wazzock. I can't believe he did that.

Fun and quirky British lingo

Although the British accent is typically perceived as attractive and charming, British slang can sometimes sound either somewhat aggressive or straight-up funny.

Here are some quirky British lingo expressions that will make you chuckle.

 

Eine Jugendgruppe macht ein Selfie vor der Tower Bridge in London.
Slang word/phrase Meaning Example Sentence
Barmy Eccentric He's got some barmy ideas, that's for sure.
Bodge To do something clumsily or hastily I'll just bodge it together and hope for the best.
Chunter To mutter or grumble quietly He's been chuntering about the weather all day.
Codswallop Nonsense or rubbish That's absolute codswallop, don't believe it.
Doolally Wild He's gone completely doolally!
Faff To waste time or dither Stop faffing around and get to work!
Fuddy-duddy A person who is old-fashioned or boring He's a bit of a fuddy-duddy, isn't he?
Gormless Clueless or lacking intelligence He stood there looking gormless when asked a question.
Kerfuffle A commotion or fuss There was a kerfuffle at the party last night.
Malarkey Nonsense or foolishness Don't pay attention to his malarkey.
Nosh Food, especially a meal Let's go grab some nosh before the movie.
Piffle Nonsense or trivial talk I don't have time for your piffle.
Snazzy Stylish or impressive I love your snazzy new jacket!
Squiffy Slightly drunk or tipsy After a few drinks, he was feeling rather squiffy.
Toodle-oo Informal way of saying goodbye Alright, toodle-oo, see you later!
Tosh Rubbish or nonsense Don't listen to him, it's all a load of tosh!
Wally A foolish or silly person You're such a wally sometimes.
Wangle To manipulate or obtain by persuasion or trickery He managed to wangle a free ticket to the concert.
Wibble Nonsense or gibberish He's talking absolute wibble, don't listen to him.
Wonky Unstable or not working properly The table leg is a bit wonky, I'll fix it.

Common slang mistakes to avoid

Here are some common mistakes that non-natives often make when trying to use British slang:

  1. Misusing regional slang words

    If you're not from the UK, it's easy to assume that all British slang is the same across the country. But the truth is, there are many dialects across the UK, and the slang is different from region to region. Using terms like "trouble and strife" or "apples and pears" might be perfectly understood in some parts of England, but they could leave people scratching their heads in Scotland.

    So, take the time to learn about the slang commonly used in the specific region you're in or interacting with. And always ask the locals for clarification if you're unsure!

  2. Using slang words in the wrong context

    Some slang terms are considered more casual or even rude, so using them in formal settings or with people you don't know well can be off-putting. For example, referring to someone as a "mate" or "bloke" in a professional meeting might come across as overly familiar.

    To avoid this mistake, be mindful of the context and tone in which you're using slang. If you’re unsure if it’s appropriate, just don’t use it!

  3. Misunderstanding the meaning of some slang words

    As a non-native speaker, it’s easy to misunderstand the real meaning behind certain slang expressions. To avoid misunderstandings, take the time to learn about the cultural context and connotations of the slang you're using. Pay attention to how native speakers use these terms and try to use them in the same situations.

Cheers, mate!

Understanding British slang is like deciphering a secret code. It can be hard at first, but once you figure it out, it's the missing key to fitting in. But keep in mind that slang isn't a one-size-fits-all deal. It varies based on things like age, social group, and context. So, if you're not careful, you might end up saying something out of place or in the wrong context to the wrong group of people.

To avoid awkward silences and confused looks, pay attention to how the locals use slang in different situations. If you're feeling a bit lost, don't be afraid to ask for clarification.

With a basic understanding of the nuances between the regional dialects and a bit of practice, you'll be speaking like a true Brit in no time. If you’re looking for more examples of English slang, you can learn more about the differences between American English and British English here, or visit our English blog, filled with language, culture, and colloquialisms from around the world. Happy reading!