British slang

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British slang is English language slang used in Great Britain. While some slang words and phrases are used throughout all of Britain (e.g. knackered, meaning "exhausted"), others are restricted to smaller regions.^[1] London has its own varieties of slang, one of the most well-known of which is Cockney rhyming slang.^[2].

Lexicographer Eric Partridge has published many works about British slang, most notably A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, currently revised and edited by Paul Beale.^[3]

Varieties of slang

Rhyming slang

Rhyming slang, chiefly associated with cockney speech spoken in the East End of London, replaces a word with a phrase which rhymes with the word, 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".^[4]

Back slang

Back slang is simply the practice of using words spelled in reverse, e.g. yob for "boy" or ecilop for "police".^[4]

Polari

Polari is a variety of slang used by gay men and lesbians in Britain and the United Kingdom, which has a history going back at least a hundred years.^[5]

Definitions

arse bandit, bender, bent, bum bandit, fairy, marmite miner, pillow biter, poof/poofter, ring raider, shirtlifter, shit stabber, turd burglar, uphill gardner 

homosexual (offensive, derogatory)

barney/in barney 

trouble/in trouble (from Barney Rubble, Cockney rhyming slang for trouble)

bell/bell-end 

glans of the penis or fool

berk 

idiot, irritating person (from Berkeley Hunt, Cockney rhyming slang for cunt)

Billy 

amphetamines. (From Billy Whizz, a British comic strip character.) friendless (Billy No-Mates)

Bobby, Old Bill, Plod, 5-Oh, Rozzers, Bizzie (Scouse),Dibbles (as in Officer Dibble from Top Cat), The Scum, The Filth 

police, police officer

blagger 

Liar or Robber. Also 'Blag' is 'lie to' or 'rob' someone. Also somebody who boasts a lot.

bloke, chap, geezer 

Man (informal)

blooming 

euphemism for bloody

bog 

toilet

bog off 

Go away

bog roll 

Toilet paper

Bollocks 

Derogatory term used for testicles. Also used to describe something as "useless" or having "poor quality". Ex. "That's a load of Bollocks" or "Bollocks to this!". But it can also be used to describe something that is admired by the speaker.

bird 

girl

brown bread 

dead

Bugger 

Anal sex, an exclamation of dissatisfaction ("OH BUGGER!"), in a dire situation ("Well, we're buggered now"), acute surprise

Bum  

The Buttocks, The Anus or Both.

chav, ned, bam, scally 

A person who dresses in a certain style, typically badly or in sports clothing. Often used as a form of derogation.

Cheers 

Thank you or goodbye

Cock 

An idiot

Crachin 

The best

Duff 

Doesn't work "these batteries are duff" or beat "let's duff him up"

Fag 

Cigarette

Fanny 

Female external genitalia

Fit 

Sexually Attractive

gaff 

house

gash 

derogatory term used for females or the female genitalia

gay 

bad e.g. "It was 'gay' being mugged"

git, bell-end, knob-end 

incompetent, stupid, annoying, or childish person

Gob 

Mouth; to spit

Gobsmacked 

Flabbergasted, dumbfounded, astounded, speechless

Half-Inch 

To Steal

Helmet 

'Glans of the Penis' or 'fool'

handbags 

a harmless fight

Ickle 

Small

I('ll) say 

expression of surprise, amazement (quaint)

Jack, Raise 

Steal

jammy 

lucky. (also 'spawny')

Jizz 

Semen

Kip 

Sleep, Nap

knackered 

exhausted, tired

Knob head 

a stupid, irritating person

Knob jockey 

homosexual (to ride the penis like a jockey rides a horse)

Fruitbat, Spazmo 

idiot

Loo 

Lavatory

Manc 

someone from Manchester

Manky 

Dirty, filthy

Mashed 

Drunk

Meat and Two Veg 

male external genitalia

Minge 

Vagina

Minger 

Ugly or filthy-minded person

Minted 

Wealthy

Munter  

Ugly person

Nick 

Steal or Police Station "He's in the 'Nick'"

Nicked 

Arrested or Stolen i.e. "He got 'Nicked' after he'd 'Nicked' that Car"

Nonce 

Paedophile or idiot

Nutter 

Insane person

pig pen 

police station

pikey 

is a pejorative slang term used, mainly in England to refer to travellers, gypsies or people of low social class

Pillock 

Someone who is stupid

Pinch  

Steal

Pissed 

Drunk

ponce 

pimp; a posh, effeminate man.

Ring, ring piece 

Anal Sphincter

Safe 

Good, Agreed

See A Man About A Dog 

Attend a secret deal or meeting or to go to the toilet.

Scouser 

Someone from Liverpool

Scrote 

Scrotum or pestilent child or teenager^{[dubious – discuss]}

Shag 

Have sex with

Shiner 

Black Eye or Erection

Skint 

without money

Skanked 

Ripped-off, daylight robbery, expensive

Skanky 

vile

Slag, Slapper, Tart, Scrubber 

Prostitute, Loose woman

Slash 

urinate, urination

snog 

French kiss

Sod 

idiot, moron, or annoying person (from sodomite)

Sod off 

go away, i.e. fuck off.

Steaming 

Extremely Drunk

Stuffed 

sexual intercourse (e.g. "Get Stuffed") or to have had too much to eat ("I'm stuffed")

spawny 

lucky

spunk 

semen, ejaculate

Take the piss (out of) 

To mock, "Are you taking the piss?"

Tosser 

Literally someone who masturbates (to toss off), but generally means an idiot or someone whom the speaker doesn't like

twat 

Female genitalia or an idiot

wank 

masturbation

wanker 

Literally someone who masturbates (verb - to wank), but generally means an idiot or someone whom the speaker doesn't like.^[6]

Whizz 

Amphetamines. See also 'Billy' or the need to urinate i.e "i'm just off for a quick whizz"

References

Further reading

• Partridge, Eric (2002). Beale, Paul. ed. A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English. Routledge. ISBN 0415291895. 
• James, Ewart (1998). NTC's Dictionary of British Slang and Colloquial Expressions. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0844208388. 
• Baker, Paul (2002). Dictionary of Polari & gay slang. 
• Baker, Paul (2002). Polari-- the lost language of gay men. 
• Bernstein, Jonathan (2006). Knickers in a twist : a dictionary of British slang. 
• Geris, Jan (2003). American's guide to the British language : really, they talk like this every day. 
• Green, Jonathon (2000). Big book of being rude. 
• James, Ewart (1999). Contemporary British slang : an up-to-date guide to the slang of modern British English. 
• Parody, A. (Antal) (2007). Eats, shites & leaves : crap English and how to use it. 
• Soudek, Lev. (1967). Structure of substandard words in British and American English. 

See also

• British English
• London slang

External links

• 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