London Slang
London slang decoded — roadman, MLE and everyday street London with real meanings, examples, and origins. Properly sourced.
387 words
Rhyming slang for word; 'not a dicky bird' = not a word.
One's local area
Cockney rhyming slang for jewellery.
Mature content — open to view.
Rhyming slang for lies, clipped to 'porkies'.
Rhyming slang for table.
Mate (clipped from 'china plate').
You lot — the plural 'you' in MLE.
Lodger.
Rhyming slang for boozer (pub), clipped to 'battle'.
Mature content — open to view.
To pull out a weapon — usually a blade or strap.
Drunk — 'a bit elephants'.
Mature content — open to view.
Mature content — open to view.
Nonsense, rubbish; also a friendly form of address.
Drinks, especially pints; 'out for a few jars'.
Your boy. A close male associate in UK drill slang.
Ears.
To flirt with someone — chat them up.
Pellets — small wraps of crack, heroin or gear ready to sell.
A lot, loads, or very — an intensifier for quantity or degree.
Clipped rhyming slang for teeth (from Hampstead Heath).
Absolutely knackered. Done in.
A classic East End meal of minced-beef pie, mash and liquor.
To talk rubbish or lie.
Willing and able to fight
A dispute, a dramatic mess, a piece of beef worth talking about.
A fool (softened from 'Berkshire Hunt').
Sweetheart — 'alright, treacle'.
Arm.
Wearing an electronic ankle monitor on court orders.
A handgun — UK-drill phrasing that crossed the Atlantic.
Very attractive, or top-quality.
An ear.
Out in the streets — hustling, repping, living the road life.
Rhyming slang for snout (informer, or nose/cigarette).
Drugs — the product you're out selling.
Cold (from 'potatoes in the mould').
A pub; or a heavy drinker.