British slang is something that most non-Brit’s have trouble understanding. British slang is a cross of British and American English butchered with slang and idioms. Proverbs are often backward, upside down, and frequently incomprehensible.
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Brit did not create some of the British Slang “Britlish™” on the Move™ Brit defines all the examples for you. Some of these originate from Northern England slang and are understood by most from this region. Others are cockney rhyming slang, widely known by all in England. Several of these can’t be explained and are simply Nikkism’s ™.
British Slang
| Word or Phrase | Translation | Context or Used in a Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Aye | Yes | Aye, go on then I’ll have a beer |
| Av | Have | Do you av’ five minutes? |
| Ayup | Hello | Ayup Tommy, what you been up to? |
| Barnet | Head or hair | Jesus, sort your barnet out; it’s a mess |
| Bellend | Penis used to convey idiot | You are a total bellend |
| Bevy | Drink | What’s your favorite bevy? |
| Bird | Girlfriend | R’ Tommy has got a new bird, and she’s hot |
| Bloody | Curse words used to emphasize a comment or make an angry statement | Don’t be bloody daft, pigs don’t fly Don’t bloody start with me |
| Bloke | Man | That bloke is such a laugh |
| Boatload | A lot | That cruise was a boatload of rubbish |
| Boat race | Face | Sort out your boat race; you look miserable |
| Bob’s your uncle | You’re all set, or you’ve got it made | We sorted out the overdraft, and Bob’s your uncle! |
| Bog | Toilet | Do you av’ any bog roll? |
| Bollocks | Technically, it’s testicles, but it’s used to convey nonsense or a mistake. | That show was total bollocks I made the right bollocks of that paint job |
| Bonney | Pretty | That lass is bonney |
| Boris Becker | Pecker (Penis) | Your fly is open, and we can all see your Boris Becker |
| Bray, braying | Beat, beating | I’m going to bray r’ Tommy when he gets in |
| Butty | Sandwich | Will you make me a ham and cheese butty? |
| Certifiable | Insane | R’ Tommy is certifiable |
| Change your boat race | Change your face | Change the expression on your face |
| Chelpin’ | Talking, complaining, moaning | Stop chelpin about Tommy; I’ve heard enough already |
| Chippy | Fish and chip shop | Run to the chippy and get us some tea |
| Chuffed | Pleased, excited | I am well chuffed with my raise |
| Council house | Public housing owned by the government | R’ Tommy got a council house |
| Council estate | Public housing estate owned by government, in the USA this is the projects. | R’ Tommy lives on a council estate |
| Cream crackered | Knackered, tired | I am so cream crackered I am going to bed early tonight |
| C*** | A derogatory name for a person, male or female. But Ricky explains it best! @rickygervais |
He’s such a C*** @rickygervais |
| Daft as a brush | Stupid | Tommy is as daft as a brush |
| Deffo | Definitely | I will deffo sort that out tomorrow |
| Dickhead | A stupid man, an idiot, the irritating, or ridiculous man | That dickhead thinks that the world revolves around him |
| Didya | Did you? | Didya pay the credit card? |
| Dingbat | Silly | Omg, you thought the world was flat – you dingbat! |
| Div | Idiot | My follow Brit Ricky Gervais sums this up best! |
| Dole | Welfare, unemployment money | Tommy is out of work and is on the dole |
| Dosh | Money | I have plenty of dosh saved for my holidays |
| Eeh by gum | Oh my God | Eeh by gum, I can’t believe me mar is in the hospital |
| Egh | What? | Egh, you mean to tell me you did not pay the credit card? |
| Faffing | Messing about | Stop faffing about with the remote control |
| Famished | Starving, hungry | I can’t wait until 1:00 for lunch; I am famished |
| Flippin ‘eck | Shock and surprise | Flippin’ eck r’ Tommy’s only gone and quit his job |
| Fancy | Be romantically interested in, attracted to, or want | I fancy that bird I fancy fish and chips for tea |
| For “fox” sake (FFS) | For “f***” sake, like saying OMG or not again | FFS, can you believe that we are re-writing it again? |
| Friggin’ | Curse, like f****** but politer! | Don’t friggin’ get me started |
| Gaffer | Boss | I don’t know if we can do that; we need to check with the gaffer |
| Gander | Look at | Let’s av’ a gander at those new houses |
| Gear | Stuff, things, items | Don’t pack my gear I will sort it out myself |
| Get your feet dirty | Get your hands dirty | Idiom gone wrong! A Nikkism |
| Get your hands wet | Get your hands dirty | Idiom gone wrong! A Nikkism |
| Gibberish | Nonsense, rubbish | Some would consider “Britlish™” to be gibberish! |
| Ginnell | Alleyway | I saw your two dogs running through the ginnell |
| Giz | Give | Giz a piece of that pizza |
| Gormless | Stupid | R’ Tommy is so gormless; he’s only gone and lost his wallet |
| Grub | Food | Do you av’ any grub at your house? |
| Gunna, gonna | Going to | I’m gunna get that new job |
| Hovel | A squalid, unpleasant, or simply constructed dwelling. | I can’t stay here; it’s a hovel |
| In’t – (in it…) | Isn’t it? | In’t a beautiful day |
| Jammy | Very lucky | How jammy was it that we did not get a ticket? |
| Jammy dodger | Fortunate person | That Jammy dodger did not even get a ticket |
| Kidding | Joking, teasing | It really costs $1,000, no kidding |
| Knackered | Tired, exhausted | I am totally knackered |
| Knobhead | Dickhead, bellend, a stupid man, an idiot, the irritating, or ridiculous man | That knobhead spent his entire paycheck tonight |
| Lass | Girl, women, sister, girlfriend | R’lass, aka our sister or bird (girlfriend) |
| Lavvy | Toilet | Where is the lavvy? |
| Manky | Not nice, unpleasant, dirty | That restaurant is well manky |
| Mar | Mother | Me mar will be 65 this year |
| Mingin | Shanky, stinks, unpleasant | That lass is totally mingin |
| Mithered, Mitherin(g). | Irritated with something or meddling | Stop mitherin in r’ Tommy’s business |
| Monkey in the wrench | Throw a wrench in the works or Throw a (monkey) wrench in(to) the works | Idiom gone wrong! A Nikkism |
| Neb | Nose | Keep your neb out of my business |
| North | South, West, or East and all in reverse | Brit on the Move gibberish or dyslexia |
| Nosh | Food | Do you av’ any nosh at your house? |
| Nout | Nothing | I ain’t got nout to say |
| Nowt | Nothing | I ain’t got nowt to say |
| Oh aye? | Oh really? | Tommy got arrested! Oh aye? |
| One flew over the cuckoo’s nest. | Crazy | I swear one flew over cockoo’s nest |
| Owt | Anything | I ain’t got owt to say |
| Pack it in | Stop it | Kids, pack it in. I am not going to tell you again |
| Paggered | Knackered, tired, exhausted | I’m completely paggered I just paggered the car |
| Plonker | Literally penis, but used as a derogatory term or an idiot. | R’ Tommy is a plonker |
| PMSL | P***ing myself laughing | That was so funny. I am PMSL |
| Pop | Fizzy drink | Do we have any pop, or should I pick some up? |
| Pratt | Idiot | That bloke is a total pratt |
| Pudgy | Fat, Chubby | R’ lass has gotten pudgy |
| R’ | “Our” used in a family context, sometimes used with close friends | R’ Tommy is in getting engaged R’ Tommy said he has an interview next week |
| Radged | Pissed, mad, angry, crazy | That bird r’ Tommy brought round is radged |
| Rubbish | Trash, garbage, nonsense | That story Tommy told us is a boatload of rubbish |
| S*** tip | Hovel, dive | That hotel we stayed in was a total S*** tip |
| S*** hole | Hovel, dive | That hotel we stayed in was a total S*** hole |
| S*** off a shovel | Fast | When the doctor touched Peggy’s leg, she jumped off the table like s*** off a shovel. |
| Sarnies | Sandwiches | What sarnies did you make for lunch? |
| Scran | Food | Do you av’ any scran at your house? |
| See You Next Tuesday | Too naughty to translate | Use your imagination for this one! |
| Sectioned | The term that is used when someone is detained (against their will) under the Mental Health Act. | R’ Tommy’s been sectioned |
| Slag | Hooker, easy, hoe | Why is Tommy going out with (dating) that slag? |
| Snap | Ditto | Ditto, we have the same bag! |
| Snog | Kiss | Tommy is a right good snogger |
| Sprog | Child | Why are sprogs allowed to fly? |
| State Side | Somewhere in the north riverside of Chicago | Brit on the Move gibberish or dyslexia |
| Summat | Something | Tommy, do you av’ summat to say like? |
| Ta | Thanks | Ta love, it was lovely to get those flowers |
| Taking in the Piss | Making fun off | When did Tommy say she looked good? You know he was takin’ the piss, right? |
| Tarra | Bye | Tarra love, I’ll see you next week |
| Tea | Dinner | What’s for tea tonight? |
| Ten a penny | Something of low value or very common. In America, it’s “Dime a Dozen.” | Don’t but that, they are ten a penny |
| Throttle | Strangle | When I catch up with r’ Tommy, I am going to throttle him! |
| Tipple | Drink | Let’s av’ a tipple |
| Tits up | Fails completely | The project went tits up and I lost my job |
| Tosser | Most commonly used like wanker or to insult someone | That tosser cheated on r’ Pauline |
| Tosspot | Originally a habitual drinker, most commonly used like wanker or to insult someone. | That tosspot cheated on r’ Pauline |
| Town bike | Lose girl, aka everyone can get a “ride.” | R’ Tommy only spent the night with the town bike, can you believe that? |
| Twat | Referring to a person considered obnoxious or stupid | You gormless twat That twat pulled his usual stunt and did not show up |
| Vexed | Angry | I am so vexed right now I could literally smack you |
| Wanker | A worthless man, dickhead | That wanker cheated on r’ Pauline |
| I went to the water one too many times | I went to the well one too many times | Idiom gone wrong! A Nikkism |
| Yonder | Walk or look | Let’s av’ a yonder at the lake |
| Are you having a laugh? | Making fun of or are you being sarcastic or “funny.” | You think it’s a good idea for us to swim in that alligator-infested lake? Are you having a laugh? |
Whenever I use British slang, proverbs, or idioms throughout my blog, I will refer back to this page to follow along.
Additionally, this list of British slang will continue to evolve. I will add more Britlish as I go along! Feel free to remind me of any I have missed or any other phrases you have wondered about! If you have some of your own that you want to share, please do.
Enjoy; if nothing else, you will get a giggle from some of these!
What is an Idiom, Proverb, or Slang?
Noun
- an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket or hang one’s head, or from the general grammatical rules of a language, as the table round for the round table, and that is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics.
- A language, dialect, or style of speaking peculiar to a people.
Noun
- a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin that expresses some commonplace truth or useful thought effectively; adage; saw.
- A wise saying or precept; a didactic sentence.
Noun
- a specialized dictionary covering the words, phrases, and idioms that reflect the least formal speech. These terms are often metaphorical and playful and are likely to be evanescent as the spoken language changes from one generation to another. Much slang belongs to specific groups, as the jargon of a particular class, profession, or age group. Some are vulgar. Some slang terms have staying power as slang, but others transition into everyday informal speech, and then into the standard language. An online slang dictionary, such as the Dictionary.com Slang Dictionary, provides immediate information about the meaning and history of a queried term and its appropriateness or lack of appropriateness in a range of social and professional circumstances.
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