#british
275 words tagged “british”
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Driving into a rival area looking for trouble — or, in production, the signature gliding 808 bass.
Cockney for neck — 'Gregory Peck' rhymes with neck, clipped to a 'Gregory'.
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Cockney for the Flying Squad — 'Sweeney Todd' rhymes with Squad, clipped to 'the Sweeney'.
Polari for to smarten, fluff or style up — the word that gave us modern 'zhuzh'.
Polari for a dull or unavailable man — 'naff' here meaning ordinary, possibly 'not available for...'.
London filler tagged onto the end of sentences for emphasis — 'still,' but stretched.
To steal — the cant verb that gave us 'shoplifting' centuries on.
Something went wrong but you keep pushing forward without dwelling on it — no complaints, we move.
A friend or mate — UK road slang term of address.
Money — British slang for cash.
UK street slang for a disloyal, untrustworthy person, or a fake friend.
Cockney back-slang for 'woman' — said backwards so the subject didn't catch it.
The night, in the cant — when the angler hooked windows and the prig went to work.
A sneak-thief who slipped into houses to steal cloaks and coats off the pegs.
Polari for wonderful or marvellous — a blend of fabulous and fantastic with extra flourish.
Cockney back-slang for 'girl' — 'girl' reversed and split to make it speakable.
A lot, loads, or very — an intensifier for quantity or degree.
An accomplice who screens the thief — the body that blocks the view while the foin works.
Scottish for going at something full-throttle, with everything you've got.
Polari for a gay man — literally 'man-woman', a coded self-name under criminalisation.
Cockney for wig — 'syrup of figs' rhymes with wig, clipped to a 'syrup'.
Cockney back-slang for 'tobacco' — 'tobacco' reversed for a quiet smoke or a quiet deal.
Obvious, exposed, or easily noticed — something so visible it draws attention.
Polari and wider British slang for a drink, usually alcoholic — short for 'beverage'.
A bit hungry — not starving, just fancying a snack.
Scottish for 'small' or 'little' — also used to soften a request or mean 'a bit'.
British slang meaning sexually attractive or good-looking, not physically in shape.
Cockney rhyming slang for believe — 'would you Adam and Eve it?'
Breakfast — Australian and British diminutive slang.
A tune that's genuinely good — or a whole sound/aesthetic that's catching on.
Geordie/Scottish for nice, good, or — as an adverb — 'quite' / 'fairly'.
Cockney rhyming slang for a car — 'nice jam jar, mate'.
Leave it, forget it, or let it go — a plea to drop something.
Cockney for face — 'boat race' rhymes with face, clipped to your 'boat'.
Polari for a woman or girl — likely from Italian 'paglione' or a Romance root.
Cockney rhyming slang for skint — totally broke, from 'boracic lint'.
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Scottish/northern for disgusting, gross, or ugly.
A British fish and chip shop — the home of the Friday night chippy tea.
Northern term for your younger sibling — usually a brother, sometimes any close family.
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Wiped out, exhausted — knackered's close cousin.
Cockney for sick — 'Tom and Dick' rhymes with sick, often clipped to feeling 'Tom'.
Certified — meaning legit, confirmed, or definitely true.
Mildly annoyed or put out — irritated, not furious.
Courage or nerve — "having bottle" means being brave; "losing your bottle" means chickening out.
Pleasantly buzzed from drinking — past sober, nowhere near drunk.
A term of address for a close friend or anyone you're talking to.
To Be Fair — adding a balanced or sympathetic point to a take.
Cockney for boots — 'daisy roots' rhymes with boots, clipped to your 'daisies'.
Cockney for mouth — 'north and south' rhymes with mouth, as in 'shut your north and south'.
A British/MLE exclamation of surprise, shock, or emphasis — like "damn" or "whoa."
A can of beer — Australian slang (also a small aluminum boat).
Cant for a church — root of 'autem mort' (a wedded woman) and 'autem diver' (church-thief).
Very drunk — sloppy, unsteady, and clearly over the line.
Northern English for excellent, brilliant, or top quality.
Crazy, mad, or wildly over the top — in a fun way.
A look or a glance — 'have a gander at this.'
Cockney for telephone — 'dog and bone' rhymes with phone, clipped to the 'dog'.
Cheap, ordinary wine — British slang born from WWI soldiers mangling 'vin blanc'.
British slang for eating something fast and greedily — to scoff the lot.
Cockney for eyes — 'mince pies' rhymes with eyes, clipped to your 'minces'.
Traitors or untrustworthy people — the plural of paigon in UK road slang.
Scottish for a silly or daft person — gentle and affectionate.
"Isn't it" — a British tag used to seek agreement or as a general affirmation.
Heavy, filling, carb-loaded British comfort food that sits in your belly.
Polari for none, no, or beware — a vital warning word in dangerous times.
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Cockney rhyming slang for a Yank — a not-so-flattering term for an American.
Sulky, moody, or in a strop — Midlands and northern English.
Really pleased or proud about something.
Polari for the eyes, with 'ogles' a pair and 'ogle riahs' the eyelashes.
Your group of male friends or crew — London slang for "the boys" or a wider group of guys.
Cant for a woman — a 'walking mort' tramped the roads; an 'autem mort' was a wedded one.
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Cant for 'good' — the opposite of 'queer'; bene bouse was good drink, a bene cove a sound man.
A light-hearted British insult for a fool or idiot, usually said with affection.
British slang for someone or something seriously attractive, fit, or top-quality.
Impressive, hard, or sick — high praise for skill, especially in music.
Even more impressive, wild, or hard than 'mad' — a top-tier UK hype word.
A haircut — getting a fresh trim from the barbers is a roadman ritual.
An offensive British slur, originally a derogatory term for Travellers, also used to mean tacky or cheap.
Something dead easy — 'the test was a doddle.'
Cockney rhyming slang for a curry — shortened to 'a ruby'.
Ugly, worn out, or in bad condition.
A sudden, irreversible turn-off toward someone you were into.
Good, nice, or substantial — and a one-word reply meaning 'great'.
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A thing, situation, or an attractive woman.
A UK insult for a useless, good-for-nothing man who contributes nothing.
The day, in the cant — paired against darkmans on the rogue's upside-down clock.
Genuinely involved in road life — putting in real work, not just rapping about it.
A young person, kid, or youth — UK slang from Jamaican Patois.
Cockney back-slang for 'beer' — spelled and said backwards over a market pint.
Cockney for mate — 'china plate' rhymes with mate, clipped to 'me old china'.
London term for 'brother' or 'bro,' borrowed from the Arabic word for brother.
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Scots for 'know' — also tacked onto the end of a sentence the way Americans say 'you know'.
Cockney back-slang for 'look' — a coded 'watch out' that later passed into Polari.
'I see' or 'understood' — a way of acknowledging you get it.
Money — UK slang, short for "pounds"; "making P's" means making money.
Cockney rhyming slang for starving — 'I'm Hank Marvin' means you're famished.
Utterly stunned, like someone smacked you in the mouth with the news.
All good, fine, or relaxed — 'it's calm' means no worries.
Cockney rhyming slang for the missus — your wife or partner.
Cockney rhyming slang for lies — shortened to 'porkies'.
In UK slang, unfortunate or a bad situation — though it can also mean the very best in other contexts.
A nap or a sleep — 'I'm having a kip' means do not disturb.
The clipped Cockney form of 'plates of meat' — meaning feet, usually sore ones.
The slime-green, messy-confident party aesthetic from Charli XCX's 2024 album — chaotic, hedonistic, unbothered cool.
To ignore someone — leaving them on read or blanking them entirely.
Northern/Irish slang for good, reliable, or a decent person — also 'no worries'.
A large dance party with electronic music, often running all night.
A child or baby — used across Scotland and the northeast of England.
Cockney rhyming slang for facts — survives in 'get down to brass tacks'.
A British pound (£) — "a quid" means one pound; it stays the same in the plural.
Head or brains — from loaf of bread = head; use your loaf means think.
A cup of tea (UK) or a beer (US) — same word, two very different drinks.
Cockney back-slang for 'police' — 'police' spoken roughly backwards so the law wouldn't twig.
Tedious, too much effort, or a hassle that's not worth it.
Cockney back-slang for 'half' — half a coin, half a measure, half the price.
Modern Cockney rhyming slang for a clue — 'I haven't got a Scooby'.
Something excellent or a brilliant moment — a goal, a night out, a tune.
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Northern English for 'nothing'.
Cockney for feet — 'plates of meat' rhymes with feet, clipped to your 'plates'.
The police — used in UK road slang and US hip-hop alike.
Dodgy, suspicious, or sketchy — something that doesn't feel right.
Geordie for 'come on' — encouragement, hurrying, or disbelief.
Cockney for hair — 'Barnet Fair' rhymes with hair, clipped to your 'Barnet'.
A compliment for someone strikingly beautiful, so good-looking they stop you in your tracks.
Butchers' back-slang for 'beef' — prime cut of the 'rechtub kelp' trade.
Cant for a man or fellow — your 'cove' could be a mate, a master, or the mark.
Cockney for legs — 'bacon and eggs' rhymes with legs, often a compliment about 'lovely bacons'.
A romanticized rural-fantasy aesthetic of baking bread, prairie dresses, gardens, and a simple cozy country life.
A nerd-meets-geek; an uncool, awkward or socially clueless person.
Cockney rhyming slang for stink — something that pen and inks smells bad.
Flirting with or chatting someone up — UK slang.
To chill, relax, or hang out somewhere with no agenda.
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Money, cash — 'I'm saving up some dosh.'
London way of saying 'I swear' or 'on my life' to insist you're telling the truth.
Thanks, cool, or all good — a versatile expression of approval.
Polari for a man — from Italian 'uomo', and the root of many compound terms.
British slang for food or a meal — your grub, your dinner, your scran.
"Brother" or "mate" — a casual British term of address for a friend.
Overly excited, hyped, or full of yourself — pumped up, sometimes more than warranted.
Completely exhausted — or, of an object, worn out and broken.
An instrumental or beat — Jamaican-derived word that runs through UK street music.
UK slang meaning very attractive or, separately, physically muscular.
Suspect, unreliable, or a bit wrong — could be a person, a deal, or your stomach.
Flat broke — no money until payday.
An old name for the canting tongue itself — the secret 'language' of thieves and vagabonds.
The girls — the female counterpart to 'mandem,' a group of women.
A dark, menacing rap subgenre built on sliding 808s and cold, deadpan flows.
The name of the cant itself — and a verb meaning to talk — Britain's secret gay language.
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To arrive or show up somewhere — 'you reaching the party?'
A meetup or hangout — 'we had a linkup' means we got together.
Lies — from cockney rhyming slang "porky pies" = lies.
A man or bloke — often a rough or scruffy one — in the northeast and Scotland.
Cockney for wife — 'trouble and strife' rhymes with wife, clipped to 'the trouble'.
Cockney for flares — 'Lionel Blairs' rhymes with flares, clipped to 'Lionels'.
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Cockney for a piano — 'Joanna' rhymes with the Cockney pronunciation 'pianna'.
Cockney for dead — 'brown bread' rhymes with dead, used both literally and as a threat.
Cockney rhyming slang for stairs — the textbook example everyone learns first.
A narrow passage or alleyway between buildings — northern English.
Polari for the face — back-slang of 'ecaf', itself 'face' reversed.
Polari for to look at or to see — the verb of the discreet, knowing glance.
Clothes, in British/London slang — short for garments, usually meaning fly gear.
To go out partying — to hit bars, clubs, and nightlife for the night.
A swaggering beggar posing as a maimed ex-soldier — second only to the upright man.
A pointless hassle, or the act of fussing about and getting nowhere.
To drink, in the old cant — and 'bousing ken' was the boozing-house where rogues drank.
Cockney for teeth — 'Hampstead Heath' rhymes with teeth, clipped to your 'Hampsteads'.
Polari for bad, naff or tacky — the opposite of bona.
Butchers' back-slang for 'pork' — 'pork' reversed and softened on the block.
Tacky, naff, or uncool — cheap and a bit embarrassing.
An insult for someone being an idiot or a menace, common in UK and Irish slang.
Cockney rhyming slang for a suit — shortened to 'whistle'.
To successfully attract or get together with a romantic interest — "he pulled" means he scored a date or hookup.
Full of alcohol, or describing a fun drink-heavy occasion — a boozy brunch.
When a plan goes wrong — 'it all went pear-shaped.'
Your local area, neighborhood, or hood.
Hair — cockney rhyming slang from Barnet Fair = hair.
Flashy, expensive designer gear worn loud to flex — UK slang leaning a bit gaudy.
Scots for 'to cry' or weep — nothing to do with saying hello.
To speak or talk in the cant — and to 'cut bene whids' was to speak fair and friendly.
Casual, no-frills word for food — let's get some grub.
Cockney for a fart — 'raspberry tart' rhymes with fart, and a rude noise became a 'raspberry'.
A gentle British and Scottish insult for a foolish, hapless, or absent-minded person.
The smooth pitch-bend of an 808 bass — the production move that defines UK drill.
Cockney back-slang for 'money' — the day's takings, said backwards.
A cup of tea — the most British thing you can offer anyone, ever.
Pointing finger-guns in the air to salute a hard tune — UK rave appreciation.
An oath meaning 'I swear,' invoking Jah (God) — basically 'on my life.'
Cool, excellent, or great — old-school London slang.
Cockney back-slang for 'ten' — the top of the coded counting line on a barrow.
Seriously rich — pockets stacked, money everywhere.
Madness or chaos — a wild situation. Short for 'madness.'
A thief who 'fished' goods through open windows with a hooked pole by night.
A UK term for a streetwise young man tied to road culture; can be respect or mockery.
Polari for good, fine or lovely — the warm thumbs-up at the heart of the cant.
Polari for a policeman — literally a 'searching man', the figure most feared by speakers.
Steroids and performance-enhancing drugs — 'running gear' means a steroid cycle.
Polari for a toilet, lavatory or house — from Italian 'casa', and the root of Cockney 'khazi'.
To run off or flee fast — Polari and Cockney for making a quick getaway.
Locked into money mode — focused entirely on getting paid.
The head — and a 'nab-cheat' was a hat; to nab also meant to seize or arrest.
Northern slang for being thrilled, excited, or really happy about something.
An affectionate term for a close friend or brother, rooted in Jamaican Patois.
Polari for hair — simply 'hair' spelled backwards, a classic back-slang coining.
Polari and gay slang for masculine or tough — a presentation, not a slur.
Making me laugh uncontrollably.
A thief, in the old canting tongue — the general word for anyone who lifts what isn't theirs.
Dressing like a regular British football lad — retro soccer jerseys, trainers, jeans, and a casual everyman swagger.
Cockney for kids — 'dustbin lids' rhymes with kids, usually clipped to 'dustbins'.
Friend — also a casual way to address anyone, friendly or confrontational.
A scholarly, moody aesthetic of tweed, old libraries, candlelight, classic literature, and gothic university romance.
Disrespectful, sly, or taking someone for a fool.
Cockney rhyming slang for money — 'bees' for short.
A quiet-luxury aesthetic mimicking inherited wealth — no logos, just polo, loafers, and discreet expensive taste.
A session — usually of drinking, smoking, or partying that runs long.
Polari for fortune or luck — a hopeful word from Romance roots.
A warm compliment for someone who did something great or is just brilliant; a top person.
To move around quietly, often up to something or scoping a situation out.
A good long natter — a relaxed, gossipy chat.
UK street slang for a respected, top-tier person; the boss or main man.
Gorgeous, lovely, or delicious — a Welsh and West Country favourite.
Excellent or first-rate — and as 'get crackin'', to get started.
A fake friend, traitor, or untrustworthy person — UK slang from "pagan."
A cutpurse — the rogue who sliced the strings of a hanging purse and palmed the coin.
Playfully rude or a little indulgent — a 'cheeky pint' or a cheeky comment.
To burn, smoke, or to disregard/dismiss something or someone.
A lot of, plenty — 'brave man came to the rave.'
Overly sweet, dainty, and quaint to the point of being almost too cute — cardigans, ukuleles, and whimsy.
A pickpocket — the rogue who lifted a purse by fingers alone, no blade required.
Cockney for telly — 'custard and jelly' rhymes with telly, clipped to the 'custard'.
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'You already know' — an emphatic yes, agreement, or confirmation.
Cockney back-slang for 'penny' — the smallest coin, said backwards over the barrow.
Polari for pretty, nice or sweet — as in 'your dolly old eek'.
Polari for legs — the singular 'lally' meaning one leg.
British slang for a soft, pathetic, or wimpy person who can't handle anything.
'Don't worry' — the quick reassurance text that smooths things over.
To watch, study, or check someone or something out closely.
Cockney for a fiver — Lady Godiva rhymes with five-er, so a fiver becomes a 'Lady'.
Scottish for pretty, lovely, or good-looking.
Home, house, or flat — British and Irish slang for where you live.
Strong, impressive, or cool — London slang popularised by Lethal Bizzle.
Cockney back-slang for 'bad' — spoiled stock, a poor pitch, a wrong'un.
Cockney for thief — 'tea leaf' rhymes with thief, used to call someone a 'tea leaf'.
Polari for a house, flat or room — your lattie was your private safe space.
A mild insult for an idiot or fool, borrowed from the Arabic word for 'boy.'
A disrespectful insult or diss, or the act of taking the mick out of someone.
Handled, taken care of — 'don't worry, it's all sorted.'
To meet up with someone, or to date casually.
When a tune goes so hard the DJ spins it straight back from the top.
A compliment for a man who's sharply and stylishly dressed; neat, polished, and well put-together.
A man, an ordinary guy — 'some bloke at the pub.'
The top rank of the canting crew — the boss rogue who lorded it over every lesser vagabond.
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Polari for make-up — the greasepaint of theatre folk, slapped on the eek.
Cockney for head — 'loaf of bread' rhymes with head, behind the phrase 'use your loaf'.
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A look — cockney rhyming slang from butcher's hook = look; have a butchers means have a look.
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Bitterly disappointed or devastated — the opposite of chuffed.
Sneakers, in British slang — your trainers, especially fresh or hyped ones.
Scottish for crazy, wild, or out of control — also a reckless person.
Cockney back-slang for 'pound' — the big money, said backwards.
Cockney for money — 'bread and honey' rhymes with money, the likely root of 'bread' for cash.