British Slang Dictionary Ibooks.iba

8/17/2019 British Slang Dictionary Ibooks.iba

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IN THIS BOOK

• General Word and Phrase Dictionary

• Cockney Slang Guide• Scots English Guide

• Scouse English Guide

• Yorkshire English Guide

• West Country English Guide

• London Slang

• Australian English

• Amusing British Place Names

• And More!!!

Introduction

We’ve all been there. We’re watching a charming British TV

show and enjoying all it has to offer and then suddenly you

hear a word used in a strange way and you don’t understand

the meaning.

While Americans and the British speak the same language, theBritish use many words differently than we do. So, we thought

it would be fun to write a dictionary to British English -

geared towards viewers of British TV.

No longer will you have to scratch your head about the mean-

ing of something. With this dictionary by your side, you’ll al-

ways have a way to translate from Brit speak to American Eng-

lish.

It was not possible to include every word the British use differ-

ently without it becoming an actual dictionary so we’ve lim-

ited the list to more common words and phrases. Most of our

definitions are based on comparisons to American English so

that’s the perspective from which we have written.

We’ve excluded words that basically have the same meaning

in both American and British English and there are a lot of words that were cut because there is no need to be redundant,

we wanted this text to be a quick reference.

Other British Slang Dictionaries separate words by category,

we dispensed with that and made one master dictionary of all

British English words and created several sections exploring

distinct dialects of British English (such as Scouse, Yorkshire,

West Country, etc).1


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A bit of warning, we have included everyday words as well as

offensive and derogatory terms. This is for educational pur-

poses and we certainly don’t advocate insulting people. But it

would be nice to be armed with the knowledge of what a par-ticular insult means.

If you feel we’ve forgotten a word, there is a handy form in the

back of the book that you can cut out send it to us so we can

consider it for inclusion in the next edition.

Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonathan

Anglophile-in-Chief

Anglotopia

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A

AA - abbr - The British Automobile Association,

whom you call when yourcar breaks down.

A&E - n - Accident andEmergency, what Ameri-cans would call the Emer-gency Room.

A - Levels - n - The high-est level of secondary edu-cation that culminates in aseries of standardizedtests.

Abattoir - n - A place where an animal is butch-ered.

Abdabs - n - To be scaredor frightened of some-thing.

Absobloodylootely - n -To agree with someonehighly in a rather enthusi-astic fashion. Somewhat vulgar.

Ace - n - Excellent or won-derful.

Action man - n - Theequivalent to the U.S. G.I.Joe or a man that does ma-cho things.

Advert - n - An advertise-ment or commercial.

Aerial - n - A television an-tenna, usually located onthe roof.

Aeroplane - n - How theBritish spell ‘airplane’.

Afters - n - Another namefor the dessert course atdinner.

AGA - n - A massive cook-ing range modeled with a vintage look.

Aggro - n - Abbreviation of"aggravation". Somethingthat is rather annoying.

Agony Aunt - n - A news-paper advice columnist.

Air Biscuit - n - A fart. Airy-Fairy - adj - Some-

one who is lacking instrength or ability.

Alcopop - n - Canned orcarbonated fruit drinks with alcohol in them.

Aled up - adj - To bedrunk as the result ofdrinking ale.

Alight - v - To disembarkor get off a mode of trans-port like a train or bus.

All fur coat and noknickers - adj - A woman who looks good on the sur-face but has no substance.

All Mod Cons - n - A

home or car with all themodern conveniences.

All mouth and no trou-sers - adj - To be boastful without justification.

All over the Gaff - n - To be disorganized.

All over the shop - adj -1. To be disorganized. 2. Everywhere

All to pot - adj - Some-

thing that’s gone com-pletely wrong. Allotment - n - A garden

plot in a shared commu-nity garden.

Alright! - e xlam - A simplegreeting. It’s not a ques-tion asking how you are.

Aluminium - n - It’s just Aluminum.

Amber nectar - n - Lager(beer).

Anchors - n - Brakes on acar.

Ankle-biters - adj - A de-rogatory term for children.

Anorak - n - 1. A nerd orsomeone who is geekyabout something like a

planespotter, trainspotteror Anglophile. 2. A light waterproof jacket perfectfor rambling in the coun-tryside.

Answerphone - n - An an-swering machine. Bit of anoutdated term now that voicemail is common.

Anti-clockwise - adv - Itmeans the same thing as

‘counter clockwise.’ Antenatal - adj - Prenatal

care. Argue the toss - v - To dis-

pute something at length. Argy-bargy - n - Trouble,

noisy or having an argu-ment.

Arrows - n - Another wordfor darts, the actual dartsthemselves, not the game.

Arse - n - Buttocks. Arse about Face - Back tofront.

Arsehole - n - An asshole. Arsemonger - n - A per-

son worthy of contempt. Arse-over-tit - adj - To

fall over, often as the re-sult of alcohol. To be in-toxicated.

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As rare as hen’s teeth -adj - Something that’srare.

ASBO - n - Anti-social behavior order - a pun-ishment on people whorepeatedly disturb the

peace. Aubergine - n - Other-

wise known as an egg-plant.

Aussie kiss - n - Oral sexon a woman.

Autumn - n - The Britishdon’t have Fall, theyhave Autumn, the sea-son that precedes win-ter.

Axe - n - A guitar. Axe wound - n - Vagina.

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B

Baby batter - n - Semen.Backhander - n - Bribe.

Back passage - n - Anus.Back scuttle - n - Anal in-

tercourse.Badger - v - To annoy

someone incessantly.Bagsie - v - Calling dibbs

on something. For exam-ple, I call bagsies on thefront seat of the car.

Bairn - n - Another wordfor baby, usually used in

Scotland.Baldy notion - n - To havean idea or a clue aboutsomething.

Ball bag - n - Scrotum.Balloon Knot - n- The

anus.Ballsed up - adj - A situa-

tion that’s all messed up.Bally - n - Short for Bala-

clava, a type of mask that

covers your face.

Bare - n - To say that thereis a lot of something.

Baltic - n - To describesomething as very cold,referring to the Baltic re-gion.

Banger - n - Short term forthe traditional English sau-sage. When served withmashed potatoes, it'scalled bangers and mash.

Bang on - adj - Exactly orcorrect.

Bang out of order - adj -Totally unacceptable.Bank Holiday - n - A pub-

lic holiday in the UK. Usu-ally they don’t have anyspecial meaning otherthan a day off that allows along weekend. However,Christmas, Boxing Day etcare usually Bank Holidaysas well.

Bap - n - A breadroll.

Baps - n - Another namefor a woman’s breasts.

Barking - adj - Insane orcrazy.

Barmpot - n - A stupid per-son that has the added dis-tinction of being clumsy.

Barmy

- adj - To becrazy or insane.

Barnet - n - Another namefor human hair, Cockneyroots in the location of Bar-net.

Barney - n - To be in bigtrouble.

Barrister - n - A lawyerthat practices in front ofhigher court judges.

Bash on - interj - To go onregardless of the problemsfacing you in a situation.

Bean - n - 1. An ecstasy pill2. The female clitoris.

Bearded clam - n - Fe-male genetalia that’s cov-ered in pubic hair.

Beat the bishop - v - Tomasturbate.

Beavering - v - To work

industriously at some-thing. Not used as muchthese days because of whatthe word ‘beaver’ means in American English.

Bee’s Knees, The - adj -Something that is awe-some and wonderful.

Bedfordshire - n - Bed or bedtime. Said as “I’m offto Bedfordshire.”

Bedsit - n - An apartment where the bedroom servesas the living space similarto a studio apartment.

Beeb - n - Shorthand forthe BBC.

Belisha Beacons - n - The

yellow flashing lights at apedestrian crossing in theUK.

Bell-end - n - The end ofthe male genetalia. Also aninsult to call someone stu-pid. “Don’t be such a bell-end.”

Belt Up - interj - Shut up.Bender - n - 1. An epic alco-

hol drinking session. 2. A

derogatory term for a malehomosexual.

Bent - n - A derogatoryterm for a homosexual.

Berk - n - An idiot or irri-tating person.

Bespoke - adj - Somethingthat is custom made for you. i.e. bespoke cabi-netry.

Best of British - v - To

wish someone good luck.Bevvy - n - An Alcoholicdrink.

Bill, The - n - A slang termfor the Police.

Billy no-mates - n - A per-son who doesn’t have anyfriends.

Billy - n - Amphetaminedrugs.

Bin - n - A trashcan.

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Bin liner - n - A garbage bag that goes in a trash-can.

Bin man - n - Garbageman.

Bint - n - A derogatory word for woman who is

just above a prostitute.Bird - pron - An attrac-

tive girl or woman.Biro - n - A ball point

pen.Biscuit - n - What Ameri-

cans call a cookie. As acorollary it has nothingto do with what Ameri-cans call a biscuit.

Bits and bobs - n - Bits

and pieces.Blag - v - To scam some-

thing. Blagging is to pre-tend to be someone elseto steal their personalinformation or accesstheir bank accounts.

Bleeding - adj - Anotheruse of the word bloody.

Blighter - adj - A man ora boy.

Blighty - n - An olderterm that simply meansBritain.

Blimey - interj - Exclama-tion similar to “Oh no!”or “Oh dear!”

Blinding - adj - Some-thing that is uniquely wonderful

Blink - adj - Somethingthat’s not working. “Onthe blink.”

Blinking - adj -Damned.

Bloke - n - Guy or man.Bloody - adj - The Brit-

ish equivalent to the word damn and it is con-sidered a mild curse

word.Blooming - adj - A much

lighter way to say bloody. The Americanequivalent would be‘darn.’

Blow off - v - Fart.Blower - n - Telephone.Blub - v - To cry.Bob - n - 5 pence piece

(used to be a shilling)

Bob's your uncle - in-terj -There you have it!

Bobbie - n - Police offi-cer.

Bobbins - adj - Some-thing that’s crap.

Bodge - v - Somethinghaphazard or cobbledtogether.

Bodge job - n - A poorly

done job.Bodger - n - A person who works with wood, a wood turner.

Boff - v - To have sexualintercourse.

Boffin - n - Policy wonkor someone that is knowl-edgeable on a subject.

Bog - n - The toilet.Bog roll - n - Toilet pa-

per.

Bog standard - n - Nor-mal or average.

Bogie - n pron - A boo-ger.

Boiler - n - An unkindterm for an ugly woman.

Bollard - n - Metal

post that usually indi-cates a place one shouldnot drive into.

Bollocks - n - 1. Male tes-ticles. 2. Something thatis rubbish or crap.

Bollocking - n - To bepunished severely ortold off.

Bolshie - adj - A rebel.Bolt-hole - n - A hidea-

way place, usually acountry cottage.

Bomb - n - A splendidsuccess.

Bonce - n - The top ofone’s head.

Bonfire night - n - Alsoknown as Guy FawkesDay, fireworks and bon-fires are usually held tocelebrate the capture of

Guy Fawkes.Bonnet - n - The hood ofa car.

Bonny - adj - Scottish for beautiful.

Boot - n - The car’strunk, opposite of the bonnet.

Boozer - n - A pub or bar.

Boracic - n - Withoutmoney. From rhyming

slang 'Boracic Lint' -Skint.

Bottle - n - To have a lotof nerve. He’s got a lot of bottle!

Bounder - n - A uselessperson.

Box - n - A rather rude way to refer to the fe-male genitalia.

Boxing Day - n - Theday after Christmas. Apublic holiday where eve-ryone has the day off butdoesn’t really have anyspecial meaning any-more.

Braces - n - Suspenders.

Brackets - n - Parenthe-ses. ‘( )’

Brassed Off - adj - To be fed up with some-thing that's frustrating you. Similar to 'pissedoff' in American English.

Break wind - v - Fart.Brekky - n - Breakfast.Brew - n - A cup of tea.Brick - n - A person that

you can rely on.Bricking it - n - Some-one who is terrified.

Brill - adj - Short for bril-liant!

Brilliant! - adj - Excla-mation for somethingthat is awesome.

Brolly - n - Umbrella.Brownfield land - n -

Former industrial land

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that is available for re-use.

Brush - n - A broom.BSE - Acronym - Mad

Cow Disease.Bubble and squeak - n

- Boiled cabbage and sau-

sage.

Buff - adj - Sexually at-tractive; Also a word fornude, sometimes usedloosely to describe theact of sex e.g. “We was buffin' for hours.”

Bugger - n - An exclama-tion of dissatisfaction("Oh bugger!"), in a diresituation ("Well, we're

buggered now"), acutesurprise ("Well buggerme!"), dismissal ("bug-ger that").

Buggery - n - The act ofanal sex.

Builder - n - A construc-tion worker or contrac-tor.

Builder’s bum - adj -Plumber’s crack.

Builder’s tea - n -Strong, inexpensive teataken by people in the building trade, usually ina mug.

Bum - n, v - Buttocks.Not particularly rude -more acceptable in po-lite circles than 'arse.’

Bum bag - n- What Americans would call afanny pack (don’t call it

a fanny pack in the UK,see ‘fanny’.)

Bum bandit - n - Homo-sexual, derogatory.

Bum cleavage - n - Thearea between the but-tocks.

Bumf - n - Too much pa-perwork.

Bung - n - To give orthrow a game.

Bunk off - v - To call offsick or not fulfil your du-ties.

Burgle - n - To breakinto a building.

Busker - v - Street musi-cian.

Butcher's - n - To lookat something.

Butty - n - A sandwichusually sold in chipshops that consists ofsausages and chips. Or both.

Brew - n - A cup of tea.

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C

C of E - n - A short way ofsaying Church of England

- England's official stateChurch.

Cabbage - n - 1. Vegetable2. Someone who is brain-dead or catatonic.

Cack - n - Shit. Cack-handed - n - Clumsy

or inept.Caff - n - A café.Cakehole - n - Mouth -

'shut your cakehole'

Camp - adj - Effeminate orhomosexual.Camper van - n - Recrea-

tional vehicle.Candy floss - n - Cotton

Candy .Cans - n - Headphones.Car boot sale - n - Swap

meet or flea market wherepeople sell items from the back of their car.

Car park - n - Parking lotor parking garage.

Caravan - n - Anotherterm for Recreational Vehi-cle.

Cardie - n - Short for cardi-gan which is a type ofsweater.

Carrier bag - n - Shop-ping bag.

Carry on - v - To continue with something.

Cat's eyes - n - Reflectors

located on the road in thecenter line. Central reservation - n -

The median of the road.Chancer - n - A person willing to take risks ortake a chance.

Chap - n - A man, bloke orguy.

Chat up - v - Trying topick someone up in a baror elsewhere.

Chattering Classes - n -Snobby upper class peoplechiming in on something.

Chav - n - A derogatoryterm used towards thelower classes with a simi-lar meaning to ‘white

trash’ but applies to allraces.

Chavtastic - n - Some-thing that is in poor tastethat a Chav would appreci-ate.

Cheeky - adj - Risqué ortoo clever.

Cheerio - interj - Good- bye!

Cheers - interj - Simply

means thank you but italso works as a drinkingtoast.

Chelp - v - To disagree vo-cally with someone with-out sufficient grounds todo so.

Chemist - n - Pharmacist but it should be noted theycan also provide simplemedical advice without

having to go to a doctor.Chesterfield - n - Hardleather sofa.

Chinese Whispers - n - What Americans wouldcall Chinese Telephone.

Chipolata - n - A small sau-sage.

Chippy - n - A fish andchip shop.

Chips - n - French Fries,usually thick cut.

Chivvy on - v - To hurryalong.

Chock-a-block - adj -Closely packed togetheri.e. a busy schedule.

Chocolate box - adj - Ex-cessively decorative and

sentimental, like the oldpictures on boxes ofcandy. Usually used to de-scribe a quaint village.

Chocolate drops - n -Chocolate chips.

Christmas Cracker - n - A Christmas tradition inEngland. It’s a tube, nicely wrapped with a small ex-plosive inside so when you

open it there’s a loud pop.Inside is a token prize, a joke and a paper crown.Usually done at ChristmasDinner.

Chinless Wonder - adj - A person of upper class ex-traction who’s clueless orlacks depth of character.

Chuff - v - Fart. Chuffed - adj - To be quite

pleased about something,not to be confused withthe singular version above.

Chugger - n - Short forcharity mugger, someone who prowls Britain’s highstreets and pressures peo-ple to donate money tocharities (they earn a com-mission on each dona-tion).

Chunder - v - To vomit.

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Chunky Chips - n - Verythick cut French fries.

Cider - n - Alcoholicform of apple juice.

Ciggy - n - A cigarette.Clone town - n - The

process where all the

high streets in Britainhave the same big chainstores so they all lookpretty much the sameand push out small local businesses.

Close - n - A cul-de-sac.Clunge - n - A very very

rude word for the female vagina not to be used inpolite or even impolite

conversation.Coach - n - A bus. Cobblers - n - Stupid

nonsense. Similar to rubbish.

Cock - adj - A very versa-tile insult but basicallyan idiot.

Cock-up - v - To messsomething up really badly.

Codswallop - n - Non-sense. Colleague - n - Co- worker

College - n - A schoolthat specializes in single year studies. Done be-tween leaving school andgoing to a university.

Collywobbles - n - Theheebie-jeebies.

Come a Cropper - v -To fail miserably.

Concession - n - A dis-count for a specificgroup (seniors, students,etc).

Confuddled - v - To be

confused or not under-stand a situation.

Cooker - n - Otherwiseknown as an oven.

Cop off - v - Kiss. Copper - n - Policeman.Cor - interj - Ohhh!Cor blimey - interj -

Said to be an abbrevia-tion of 'God Blind Me'. An interjection that has

changed meaning overtime. In early novels it was used in the same way as 'damn' to expressexasperation or frustra-tion. In recent years it isregarded as a mild ex-pression of surprise orshock. Sometimes usedto comic effect ('Blimey!It's the Rozzers!' - 'Good-

ness me! The police!'), ina deliberate reference toit being archaic usage.

Coriander - n - The herbcilantro.

Corrie - n - Short forCoronation Street - asoap opera aired on ITV.

Cot - n - Baby crib. Cot death - n - SIDS.Cotton buds - n - Cotton

swabs.

Cotton wool - n - Cotton ball.

Council house - n - Pub-lic housing or a housingproject.

Courgette - n - Zucchini.Court shoes - n -

Woman’s high heeledshoe - a pump.

Cow - adj - A woman ofcontempt - a rude bitch.

Cowboy - n - A dishonestor incompetent trade worker.

Cream Crackered - adj - To be extremely tired.

Creche - n - Day-care ornursery.

Crikey - interj - Generalexpression of surprise.

Crisps - n - Potato Chips.Crumbs - interj - An-

other common expres-sion of surprise.

Crumpet - n - A yummyteacake.

Crusty Dragon - n - A booger.

Cuppa - n - A cup of tea.

Current account - n - Achecking account.Cutlery - n - Silverware.CV - n - Short for Curricu-

lum Vitae but Americans would simply call it aRésumé.

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D

Dab hand - n - To be par-ticularly skilled at some-

thing.Dabs - n - Fingerprints.Daddy long-legs - n - Not

to be confused with thetype of spider, it actuallyrefers to the crane fly.

Dado - n - A chair railingon a wall.

Daft - adj - An idiot, stu-pid, or foolish person.

Daft Cow - adj - A rude

and stupid overweight woman.Dago - n - Derogatory term

for a Spanish, Italian orforeign person.

Damp - n - Mold or wet rotthat is common in olderhomes.

Damp Squib - adj - Anevent which you think will be exciting but which actu-

ally turns out to be a disap-pointment.

Damper - n - The shockabsorber on a car.

Dangly-bits - n - Malegenitalia.

Dapper - adj - A welldressed and well spokenindividual, can be used asa compliment or an insult.

Daylight robbery - n - Ahighway robbery.

Dear - adj - Something

that is expensive or costly.Dekko --n - A look, glance- to take a look at some-thing.

De-mister - n - De-froster.De-plane - v - To exit an

aircraft. Destroyed - adj - To be very drunk or intoxicatedon drugs.

Diamond Geezer - n - Arespected older gentle-

man, phrase mainly usedin London.

Diary - n - A person’sschedule or calendar. Nota personal journal.

Dibbles - n - Police officeras in Officer Dibble from

Top Cat.Diddle - v - To swindle or

con someone.Digestive - n - A biscuit

that you dunk in your tea,sort of like a cookie that’ssupposed to aid in diges-tion.

Dim - adj - Someone whois stupid.

Div - adj - An idiot.

Divvy - n - An idiot.DIY - abbr - Shorthand forDo it Yourself - i.e. forhome improvement pro- jects. “Fancy doing a littleDIY this weekend?”

Do - n - A party.Doddle - n - Something

that is very easy.Dodgems - n - Bumper

cars.

Dodgy - adj - Somethingshady or rather dubious. Also can apply to some-thing that was poorlymade or doesn’t work well.

Dog-end - n - A cigarette butt.

Dogging - v - The act ofhaving sex in public parks while people watch.

Dog's bollocks - n - Some-thing especially good is“the dog's bollocks”.

Dog's breakfast - n - Acomplete mess.

Dog's Dinner - n - Thesame meaning as ‘dog’s

breakfast’.Dogsbody - n - A lowly ser- vant or functionary

Dole - n - The variousforms of welfare arelumped under this term.To be on the Dole is to liveoff the state.

Done Over - v - To be beaten up by someone.

Donkey's years - n -

Something that happeneda long time ago.Dosh - n - Money.Doss - v - To be lazy and

not do much.Double-barreled - adj -

The practice of upper-class people having morethan one last name joinedtogether with a hyphen.

Dozy - adj - A person whois rather slow.

Draught - n - We say‘draft’ as in a cold draft.

Draughts - n - The gameof checkers.

Drawing-pin - n - Athumb tack.

Dressing gown - n - A bathrobe.

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F

Faff - v - To dither or screwaround, pussyfoot around.

Fag - n - A cigarette.Fag-end - adj - The used

stub of a cigarette, and byextension the unpleasantand worthless loose end ofany situation. "It was theFag End of my shift, and I was knackered".

Faggot - n - A type of sau-sage.

Fairie cake - n - Also

known to Americans as acupcake. Fairy lights - n - The gen-

eral name for ChristmasLights.

Fancy - v - To desire or want to do something.

Fancy dress - n - To weara costume.

Fancy dress party - n - Aparty where costumes are worn.

Fanny - n - A woman's va-gina. Not for use in polite

conversation.Feck - n - An exclamation

of anger of frustrationsimilar to f*ck.

Filch - v - To steal some-thing.

Flannel - n - Baby’s wash-cloth

Flash - adj - Somethingthat is showy or ostenta-tious.

Film - n - A movie. Brits would generally say they want to see a film not amovie.

Filth - n - A not so niceterm for the police.

Fit - adj - A word used todescribe an attractive woman or male.

Fitted - v - To have some-thing installed.

Fiver - n - Five pounds ster-ling.

Fizzy drink - n - Soda-popor soft drink.

Flag - adj - To be tired orlose all energy.

Flat - n - An apartment.

Flatmate - n - A room-mate in your flat.

Flog - n - An attempt tosell something that maynot be worth the money being asked.

Fluff - n - Dryer lint.Flutter - v - A brief go at

gambling.Fly tipping - v - The act of

dumping your trash in a

place you’re not supposedto. Football - n - What Ameri-

cans quaintly call soccer.Football Pitch - n - A

field where British Foot- ball is played.

Footie - n - A shorthandterm for Football.

Footpath - n - A publicpath through the country-

side for walking.Fortnight - n - Two weeks.Often used in the UK when talking about time.

Freehold - n - Owning both the land and the building on the land.Sometimes in Britain a dif-ferent person owns theland and the building. See‘leasehold’.

Freesat - n - A selection offree channels you can re-ceive via satellite with adish and a receiver.

Freeview - n - A selectionof digital channels you can view for free if you pur-

chase a Freeview receiver, which usually has addedfeatures.

Fringe - n - Hair bangs.Fry-up - n - Another name

for the full English break-fast as most of the meal isfried in some form.

Full English - n - A fullEnglish breakfast usuallyconsists of eggs, sausage,

black pudding, bacon,mushrooms, baked beans,hash browns, and half atomato.

Full Monty - n - The en-tire take or everything thatis desired.

Full stop - n - Period. Thetype at the end of a sen-tence.

Fun fair - n - Carnival or

amusement rides.

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G

Gaffe - n - A home.Gaffer - n - The boss.

Gaffer tape - n - Ducttape.

Gagging - v - Desperate ina derogatory way. i.e. She was gagging for it.

Garden - n - Back yard.Gash - n - Derogatory term

used for the female genita-lia.

Gatropub - n - A pub thatserves food, sometimes

pretentiously.Gay - adj - Something thatis bad, e.g. "It was 'gay' be-ing mugged."

Gazump - n - To accept ahigher offer on somethingat the last minute.

GCSE’s - n - Academictests that take place beforethe A-levels (many stu-dents stop here and ‘gradu-ate’).

Gear lever - n - The stickshift in a manual car.

Gearbox - n - A car’s trans-mission.

Geezer - n - Someone you respect.

Geordie - n - Someonefrom the Newcastle area.Made famous in GeordieShore, a spin-off of MTV’sJersey Shore.

Get off - v - To makeout with someone.

Get on - v - To do some-thing. Commonly used in‘How did you get on?’

Get the Nod - v - To getpermission to do some-thing.

Get your end away - v -To have sex.

Giddy - n - To get dizzy orexperience vertigo.

Ginger - n - A person with red hair.

Ginger beer - adj - De-rogatory term for a homo-sexual.

Git - n - An incompetent,stupid, annoying, or child-ish person.

Give over - interj - To give

up. Give way - interj - To yield

when driving.Give You a Bell - v -

Means to call someone onthe phone.

Glop - n - Thick substanceor unappetizing food.

Go - v - To try something.i.e. To give it a go.

Gob - n - Your mouth in a

derogatory sense. Shot your gob!Gobshite - n - Bullshit.Gobsmacked - adj - Flab- bergasted, dumbfounded,astounded, speechless.

Golf buggy - n - Golf cart.Googly - n - A cricket ball

that bounces around ran-domly when it lands.

Gone off - v - Something

that’s gone bad or expired.Gormless - adj - Someonelacking in common sense.

Grammar - n - A text- book.

Grammar School - n -Elementary school.

Grand - n - Used in placeof thousand (i.e. "Thishouse is worth 140grand").

Grass - n - A snitch.

Green fingers - n - Some-one who is adept at the gar-dening arts.

Greenbelt - n - The landaround cities and town inBritain that is left undevel-oped to preserve the envi-

ronment.Greenfield - n - Land that

can’t be developed or builtupon that’s left to exist forthe purpose of pretty land-scapes.

GP - n - General Practitio-ner - your regular familydoctor.

Grizzle - n - To grumble ormoan, see whingeing. Also

a fussy baby.Grockle - adj - A deroga-tory term for a Tourist, pri-marily used in SouthernEngland.

Grotty - adj - Somethingthat is gross.

Growler - n - A very rudeterm for female genitalscovered in pubic hair.

Guff - v - Fart. Guinea - n - A older unit of

currency that meant 1Pound and 1 Shilling.

Gutted - adj - To be devas-tated or shocked aboutsomething.

Guv'nor - n - The boss.Gyp - n - Something that’san irritating pain.

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H

Hacked-off - adj - An-noyed or stressed.

Haggis - n - LegendaryScottish dish consisting ofa sheep’s minced heart,liver, and lungs cooked inits own stomach with on-ion, oatmeal, and spices.

Haha - n - Trench dug atthe end of a garden inplace of a fence to the viewisn’t spoiled.

Hand-luggage - n - Carry-

on baggage.Handbag - n - A woman’spurse.

Handbags - n - A harm-less fight

Handbrake - n - Parking/Emergency brake in a car.

Hard shoulder - n -Shoulder on the side of theroad that’s paved.

Hash - n - The # symbol.

Have a go - v - To givesomething a try.

Have a go hero - n - A per-son that attempts to de-fend their home or prop-erty against an intruder with force.

Haver - n - To ramble inco-herently.

Having kittens - interj -To be extremely nervous.

Head boy - n - Highestachieving boy in a class

similar to valedictorian.Health and Safety - n - An all encompassing termof derision geared towardsuseless safety rules andregulations.

Helmet - n - 1. The glansof the penis 2. A fool.

Hen night - n - Bache-lorette party.

Her Majesty's pleasure- v - To be put into prison.

Higgledy-piggledy - adj -Something all jumbled upor in disarray.

High street - n - Mainstreet.

High tea - n - Late after-noon light meal that usu-

ally involves a cup of tea.Hill-walking - n – Hiking.Hire - v - To rent some-

thing. i.e. A hire car.Hire car - n - A rental car.Hob - n - A range or stove.Hockey - n - Field hockey.Holiday - n - What we would call a vacation orany time off of work. Britsusually get 28 days paid

holiday. That’s not a typo.Hoodie - n - A young per-son usually known fortheir misdeeds who areidentified by their distinc-tive clothing, a hoodedsweatshirt.

Hoover - n - A vacuumcleaner.

Hoovering - v - The act of vacuuming.

Horses for Courses - v -To each his own.Housing Estate - n - A

sub-division but it canalso mean a public hous-ing estate as well.

Hum - n - A bad smell.

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I

Icing sugar - n - Pow-dered sugar.

Ickle - n - Something verysmall.

Indicator - n - Turning sig-nal in a car.

Innit - interj - Shortenedfrom "ain’t it" or isn’t it.

Interval - n - Intermissionor a break in performance.

Ironmonger - n - The oldname for a hardwarestore.

Ivories - n - Teeth.

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J

Jabs - n - Vaccinations orshots.

Jacket potato - n - A baked potato. Jam - n - Jelly.Jam sandwich - n - A

term for Police Car.Jammy - adj - Someone who is lucky.

Jammy dodger - n - Alucky person.

Jelly - n - What the Britishcall Jell-O™, not to be con-

fused with Jam, see above.Jerry - n - Someone fromGermany, derogatory.

Jim-jams - n - PajamasJock - n - A Scottish per-

son, usually male.Jobsworth - n - An official who strictly adheres torules and regulations. SeeHealth and Safety.

John Thomas - n -Male genitalia.

Joint - n - A large piece ofmeat like a beef loin.

Jolly - adv - Very good.Jollies - n - Pleasure or

thrills. Jubblies - n - A woman’s breasts.

Jumble sale - n - A garagesale.

Jumped up - adj - Arro-gant.

Jump leads - n - Car jumper cables.

Jumper - n - A sweater.

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K

Kagoul - n - A poncho or windbreaker jacket.

Kecks - n - Pants or trou-sers. Kerb - n - A curb. Kerb crawler - n - A per-

son who solicits streetprostitutes.

Kerfuffle - n - To make a big fuss about something.

Kip - n - A word for sleepor to get some sleep (havea kip).

Kirby grip - n - Bobby pin.Kit - n - Clothing or sportsequipment.

Kitchen roll - n - Papertowel.

Kiwi - n - Someone fromNew Zealand.

Knackered - adj - Ex-hausted, tired, also 'bro-ken'

Knackers - n - Vulgarname for testicles.

Knees-up - n - A party.Knickers - n - Women’s

underwear, see pants. Knob - n - Male genitalia.

Knob head - adj - A stu-pid, irritating person.

Knob jockey - adj - Homo-sexual, derogatory.

Knob-end - adj - An idiot,or tip of penis (see bell-end).

Knock about - n - Sport-ing practice.

Knock up - v - To bang onsomeone’s door. Does notmean to impregnate.

Know your onions - phrs - To be very knowledge-able on a particular subject.

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L

L-plates - n - Special li-cense plates you’re re-

quired to have on your car while learning to drive inthe UK.

Lad - n - A boy or an imma-ture grown male.

Laddette - n - An imma-ture woman.

Ladybird - n - A ladybug.Lager - n - A type of beer

popular in England.Lager lout - n - A person

who misbehaves whiledrunk.Lairy - adj - To be noisy or

abusive.Larder - n - Pantry.Lav - n - Short for lavatory.Lay-by - n - Rest area

along the highways.Leasehold - n - A posses-

sory right to live in a build-ing or flat but not owningthe land upon which it

sits. Common for apart-ments. Leases are usually

for 99 or 999 years.Left luggage - n - A place you can leave your luggagesafely (for a fee) while youtravel or shop.

Leg it - v - To run hur-riedly.

Leg over - n - Sexual inter-course.

Lemonade - n - While inthe UK if you ask for

Sprite or 7-up you’ll begiven this which is basi-cally carbonated lemon-ade.

Lie-in - n - The act of sleep-ing in.

Lift - n - An elevator.Limey - n - An English per-

son.Local - n - The local pub.Lodger - n - A person who

rents a room in your

home, lower on the scalethan a flatmate.

Loft - n - The attic area of ahouse.

Lolly - n - A popsicle.Loo - n - The bathroom.Lorry - adj - A semi or

heavy goods truck.Lost the Plot - n - Some-

one who's gone mad.Love - n - A kind form of

address (“Excuse me,love”).

Luv - n - Honey or darling.

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M

M and S - abbr - Short-hand for the department

store Marks andSpencer’s, the Britishequivalent to JC Penney. Also affectionately knownas Marks and Sparks.

Macintosh - n - Light wa-terproof jacket, alsoknown as a Mac.

Mad - adj - Crazy. Made Redundant - v -

Someone whose job no

longer exists.Maisonette - n - A set ofrooms for living in, typi-cally on two stories of alarger building and withits own entrance from out-side.

Manc - n - Someone fromManchester.

Mancunian - n - A polite way to say someone isfrom Manchester.

Manky - adj - Dirty orfilthy.

Manual gearbox - n - Amanual transmission on acar.

Marmite - n - A strangespread usually eaten ontoast made of yeast ex-tract. An acquired taste of-ten listed as one of thetops things Brits livingabroad miss from home.

Marrow - n - The vegeta-

ble squash.

Mashed - n - High fromsmoking cannabis.

Mate - n - A good friend.Maths - n - Mathematics.

They say the S. Meat and two veg - n -

Male external genitalia.Mental - n - Crazy or in-

sane.

Mews - n - The short nar-row street behind a houselike an alleyway.

Mews house - n - Smallhouse located on a mewsstreet that often housedservants and horses but

have since been convertedinto homes.

Miffed - adj - Pissed off.Mileometer - n - A car’s

odometer. Mince - n - Ground beef.Mince pie - n - A sweet pie

usually enjoyed at Christ-mas stuff with fruit andmincemeat (which is notactually meat).

Mind - v - To be aware of.“Mind the Gap.”Minge - n - Female genita-

lia, derogatory.Minger - adj - An ugly or

filthy-minded person.There is usually an implica-tion of poor hygiene or body odor in the usage.

Minted - n - To be wealthy.

Mobile phone - n - We would say cell phone orcellular phone. Most Brits just say mobile.

Moggy - n - A cat.Mole grip - n - Vise grip.Molly-coddled - adj - To be overly looked after.

Mong - n - Derogatoryterm for someone with spe-cial needs.

Monged (out) - n - To beseverely drunk or high.

Moose - n - A very unat-tractive woman

Moreish - adj - To wantmore of something.

Motor - n - An antiquated

term for an automobile.Motorway - n - The

equivalent would be an in-terstate highway.

Move house - v - To moveto a new house.

Multi-story car park - n - A parking garage.

Muck in - v - To help withor assist in something.

Muggins - n - A simple per-

son or someone silly.Mum - n - Mother. Munter - n - An ugly per-

son.Muppet - n - An idiot.

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N

Naff - adj - Something thattacky or otherwise in poor

taste. Nappy - n - Baby’s diaper

Narked - adj - Being in a bad mood

Natter - n - Chatter.Natty - adj - Cool. Naughty bits - n - A polite way to say male genitalia.

Nause - adj - An annoyingperson.

Navvy - n - Road worker.

Nearside - n - The side ofthe car that’s closest to thecurb.

Newsagent - n - A conven-ience store where you can buy newspapers, maga-zines and snacks anddrinks. Also known as anewsy.

Nick - v - To steal or arrest.

Nicked - v - To be arrestedor something that was sto-

len.Niggle - v - To pester.Nimrod - adj - Another

name for a weasel, butalso used to called some-one stupid.

Nip - v - To go off and dosomething quickly.

Nippy - adj - Cold. Nob - n - A member of the

nobility class.

Nonce - n - A pedophile.Non-starter - n - An ideaso absurd it has no chanceof being a success.

Nosey parker - n - A per-son who gossips and won’tmind their own business.

Nosh - n - Food.Nought - n - The number

zero. The Brits will almostnever say zero.

Noughts and crosses - n - The game of tic-tac-toe.

Nowt - n - Nothing. Number plate - n - Li-

cense plate. Numpty - n - An idiot.Nutter - n - A crazy per-

son.

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O

O-levels - n - Series of ex-ams that took place a few

years before you’re A-levels. Replaced the theGCSE’s in the 1980’s.

OAP - Acronym - Old AgePensioner - someone liv-ing on social security.

Off one's onion - adj -Crazy.

Off one's rocker - adj -Crazy.

Off one's tits - adj - High

on drugs.

Off one's trolley - adj -Crazy.

Off-license - n - An off li-cense is a place where youcan buy alcohol and othersmall household goods.I.e. the corner shop. Alsoknown as the offie.

Offside - n - 1. The side ofthe car that is farthestfrom the curb. 2. Compli-

cated rule in football thatgenerates endless debate.

Oi - interj - Hey! Old Bill - n - The police.

Old banger - n - An oldcrappy car.

OH - n - Other half - signifi-cant other.

Omnibus - n - 1. A gather-ing of a week’s radioshows or a soap opera intoone large episode. 2. Whatthey used to call buses.

On the blink - adj - Some-thing that doesn’t work.

On the fiddle - phrs -Cheating.

On the piss - v - gettingdrunk, drinking alcohol.

On the pull - v - Out look-ing for sex.

One - n - Referring to your-self in the third person,The Royal We.

One Off - n - A special orone time event.

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P

P45 - n - The form used when someone is being

fired or made redundant. P.A. - n - A personal assis-tant, secretary.

Pack it in - v - To give up.Pantomime - n - A

strange tongue and cheekplay often performed atChristmas time that’spopular with families. Apanto has to be seen to beunderstood.

Pants - n - 1. Women’s un-derwear. 2. Somethingthat is total crap.

Paracetamol - n - TheBritish equivalent to Tyle-nol.

Paraffin - n - Liquid kero-sene.

Parky - adj - Cold or chilly.Pastille - n - A type of

small candy.

Pasty - n - A meat or vege-table filled pastry originat-

ing in Cornwall.Patience - n - The cardgame of solitaire.

Pavement - n - The side- walk.

Pear-shaped - adj - Some-thing that’s gone wrong.

Puckish - adj - To be a lit-tle hungry.

Peculiar - adj - Somethingthat is unique.

Pedo - n - Shorthandphrase for pedophile.

Pelican crossing - n - Atype of crosswalk on Brit-ish streets.

Pensioner - n - An elderlyperson that’s retired andcollects their state pen-sion.

Perspex - n - Plexiglass..Pervy - adj - Perverted.Petrol - n - Gasoline.

Phone box - n - Phone booth.

Phut - adj - Gone out,something that’s stopped working.

Pig's ear - n - To make amess out of something.

Pikey - n - A pejorativeterm used, mainly in Eng-land to refer to gypsies orpeople of low social class,offensive.

Pillock - n - An idiot.Pimm's - n - A summery

alcoholic drink popular inthe UK.

Pinch - v - To steal.Pint - n - A standard unit

of drink measurement inthe UK that’s roughlyequal to 20 ounces.

Pips - n - Seeds Piss-artist - n - A lazy per-

son. Pissed - adj - Drunk Pissed up - adj - Drunk Pitch - n - Grassy surface

suitable for football orcricket.

Plane-spotter - n - A per-son who hangs around air-ports and looks at air-planes.

Planning Permission - n - The process of getting a building permit in the UK,often involving several lay-ers of government and ap-provals. Can take years.

Plaster - n - A band-aid.

Plastered - adj - Ex-tremely drunk

Plasticine - n - A type ofmodeling clay used tomake Wallace and Gromit.

Plimsolls - n - Canvasshoes with a rubber sole.

Plod - n - The policePlonker - adj - An idiot.Po-faced - adj - Glum.Polo-neck - n - A turtle-

neck sweater.Ponce - n - A homosexual,

derogatory.Pong - n - A bad smell.Pongo - n - An infantry-

man in the military.Porkies - n - Lies.

Portakabin - n - Pre-fabricated building oftenused as a temporary office.

Portaloo - n - Portajohn.Posh - adj - Someone or

something that is veryhigh class.

Post - n, v - 1. The mail. Topost something is to mailsomething. 2. The post isalso your daily delivery ofmail.

Postgraduate - n - A university level grad student.

Pot noodle - n - Ramennoodle soup.

Potholing - n - Spelunk-ing.

Potplant - n - A pottedplant.

Potty - adj - A little loopyor nuts.

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Power Cut - n - An elec-tricity black out.

Poxy - adj - Crappy.Pram - n - Baby’s

stroller.Prang - n - Minor car ac-

cident.

Prat - n - A particulartype of idiot, jerk, orasshole.

Prawn - n - Shrimp.Prefect - n - Head boy in

a school.Prep school - n - A type

of boarding school forchildren.

Presenter - n - A radioor TV anchorperson.

Pub - n - Public house,the local bar.Pub Grub - n - Simple

food usually served inpubs or bars. Fish andChips is a great exampleof Pub Grub. Differsfrom the type of foodserved in a gastropub, which is fancier.

Public school - n - De-spite the confusingname, a public school isactually a private exclu-sive school like Harrowor Eton. Also called an‘independent school’.

Pudding - n - The des-sert part of meal - notactual pudding.

Pukka - interj - The genu-ine article.

Pull - v - To have sex with someone.

Pump - n - Gym shoes.Puncture - n - Flat tire.Punt - v - To give some-

thing a try, Punter - n - A cus-

tomer or patron.Purse - n - A little bag

that holds change.Pushchair - n - A child’s

stroller where the childsits upright.

Put paid - v - To settle amatter.

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Q

Quango - Acronym -Quasi-autonomous non-

governmental organiza-tion. An organizationthat’s usually started bythe government or has gov-ernmental powers that’snot run by the govern-ment. It is usually a placeto send troublesome politi-cians by giving them cushy jobs. Examples are theBBC and Visit Britain. See,TV show Yes, Minister.

Quay - n - A dock where boats are unloaded. Pro-nounced key.

Queue - n, v, pron. - A lineor to stand in line.

Quid - n - 1 Pound Sterling(e.g. "That car only costs500 quid.")

Quids-in - n - To be inprofit or to be all in onsomething.

Quim - n - Female genita-lia.

Quite - n - A general termthat means ‘kind of’.

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R

Rag & bone man - n - Ascavenger who makes

value out of garbage.

Randy - adj - To be sexu-ally aroused.

Rat-arsed - adj - Quitedrunk.

Razz - v - Vomit. Reckon - adv - To believe

something is true. Registration - n - A car’s

license plate.Removal men - n - A mov-

ing company that helps you move house.

Return ticket - adj - Around-trip ticket.

Rent boy - n - A male pros-titute.

Revise - v - To study.Right - adj - To emphasize

the meaning of something.“He was a right git.”

Ring piece - n - The anus.Rocket - n - Arugula salad.

Rodger - v - To have sex.Romp - v - To have sex.

Ropey - adj - Somethingthat’s rather iffy. Roundabout - n - A traffic

circle. Row - n, pron - An argu-

ment. Rozzer - n - A police offi-

cer.RSPCA - Acronym - Royal

Society for the Preventionof Cruelty to Animals.

Rubber- n - An eraser(does not mean a con-dom).

Rubbish - n - 1. Garbage 2. A nicer way to say bullshit.3. To criticize.

Runner - v - To run out onthe bill at a restaurant.

Rucksack - n - Backpack.

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S

Sack - v - To fire someoneor be fired from your job.

Saloon - n - Standard 4door family sedan car.Samey - adj - Something

that’s similar.Sarnie - n - Sandwich.Savoury - n - Non-dessert

food. Scarper - v - To run away.Scone - n - Buttery biscuit,

usually served with tea with clotted cream and jam.

Scotch egg - n - A Scotchegg consists of a hard- boiled egg wrapped in sau-sage meat, coated in bread-crumbs and deep-fried.

Scouser - n - Someonefrom Liverpool.

Scrotty - adj - Dirty.Scrubber - n - Someone who is dirty or perceivedpoor, an offensive term.

Scrummy - adj - Some-thing that is delicious.

Scrumpy - n - Alcoholicapple cider.Scupper - v - To obstruct.Sectioned - v - To be com-

mitted to a mental healthfacility against your will.

See a man about a dog -v phrs - Attend a secretdeal or meeting or to go tothe toilet.

Sell-by-date - n - Expira-tion date (like on food).

Sellotape - n - Scotchtape.

Semi-detached - n - Usu-ally a pair of houses thatshare a common wall andare mirror images of eachother - a duplex. Also,called a ‘semi’ for short.

Sent down - v - To be sentto prison.

Septic - n - An American.

Serviette - n - Napkin. Shag - v - To have sex.Shambles - adj - A chaotic

mess of something.Shambolic - adj - Some-

thing in complete disarraysimilar to a shambles.

Shandy - n - A mixture oflager with Lemonade (seedefinition of lemonade.)

Shat - n - Another way ofsaying ‘shit’ but in the pasttense.

Shattered - adj - To beemotionally devastated orextremely tired.

Shedload - n - A largequantity of something.

Shilling - n - A form of cur-rency before Britainswitched to the decimalthat means five pence.

Shirty - adj - Irritable.Shite - n - Shit. Shop - n - A store.Sick - n - The standard

term for vomit or to throwup. “Oh man, I’m coveredin sick.”

Sickie - n - To take a dayoff of work or school butnot actually be sick.

Skinfull - n - The amountof alcohol needed to makeone drunk.

Skint - adj - To be broke.Skip - n - Dumpster.Skipping - v - Dumpster

diving.Skirting board - n - Base- board.

Skive - v, n - To be lazy ortake an unwarranted dayoff, pull a sickie.

Skivvies - n - Another word for underwear or un-dergarments.

Slag - v - A whore. To call a

woman a slag is a grievousinsult.Slag off - v - To denigrate

someone, start rumors,usually in the victim's ab-sence.

Slap - n - Cosmetic make-up, used in a derogatory way to indicate the personis wearing too much.

Slap head - n - A bald

man.Slapper - n - A slut.Slash - v - To urinate.Sleeper - n - Railroad tie.Sleeping policemen - n - A speed bump in the road.

Slip-road - n - An exit on/off ramp on a highway.

Smarties - n - A chocolatecandy similar to M&M’s but are unrelated to the American candy alsocalled Smarties.

Smashing - adj - Awe-some!

Smeg - n - Smeg is a vulgar-ism or expletive usedthroughout the TV Show Red Dwarf . Although nospecific meaning is evergiven, it and its derivativesare regularly used as a de-rogatory term.

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Snakes and ladders - n - The board game chutesand ladder.

Snog - v - Passionate kiss-ing, not sex.

Sod - n, v, adj - A idiot,moron, or annoying per-

son.Sod Off - v - To tell some-one to ‘piss off.’

Soft-Shoulder - n -Roadside shoulder that’smade of gravel.

Soldiers - n - Littlestrips of bread used fordipping into a boiledegg.

Solicitor - n - A lawyer

that deals with contractsand other personal legalmatters and can repre-sent clients in lowercourts, not a barrister.

Sorted - adj - A problemthat has been fixed.

Sound - adj - To be reli-able or trustworthy.

Spanner - n - A wrench.Commonly used in thephrase to ‘throw a span-ner in the works’ mean-ing to break something.

Spare - adj, n - 1. To beat one’s wits end. 2.Used in reference to the younger sibling of theheir to the throne (i.e.Prince Harry).

Spastic - n - A very insult-ing and derogatory term

for someone who is men-tally challenged.

Speedo - n - British abbreviation for the speed-ometer - not to be con-fused with the article ofclothing.

Spongle - n - Someone who is high on drugs.Spotted dick - n - A type

of spongecake with rai-sins in it.

Sport - n - The Britishsay Sport as a plural in-stead of Sports.

Spot on - adj - Perfectlycorrect.

Spots - n - Pimples, zits.

Sprog - n - A youngchild.Squiffy - adj - Some-

thing that’s gone wrong.Stabilisers - n - Training wheels on a bicycle.

Stag night - n - A bache-lor party.

Starkers - v - To be com-pletely naked.

Starter - n - The appe-tizer portion of a meal.

Steady on - interj - Hold your horses.

Steaming - adj - Ex-tremely drunk, or ex-tremely angry.

Sterling - adj - Awe-some!

Stick - n - Walking stickor cane.

Sticking plaster - n - A band-aid.

Stockings - n - Ladiestights.

Stodgy - adj - Somethingthat’s old fashioned.

Stone - n - A strange unitof measure unique toBritain that measures 14

lbs usually used to meas-ure the weight of a per-son.

Stonking - adj - Some-thing really big.

Straight away - interj -Right away.

Strawberry Creams - n - A woman's breasts.

Strimmer - n - A weed- whacker.

Stroppy - adj - Unrea-sonably grumpy.Stuffed - v - Sexual inter-

course (i.e. ‘get stuffed’).Subway - n - A pedes-

trian walkway locatedunderground.

Sultana - n - A goldenraisin.

Sun cream - n - Sun-screen.

Suspenders - n - Gar-ters.

Suss - v - To figure some-thing out.

Swede - n - Rutabega.Sweets - n - Candy. Swift half - n - A half

pint of beer or lager.Swimming costume - n

- Bathing suit.Swizz - n - A small con.

Swot - n - To cram for atest, to study hard.

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T

Ta - interj - A simple thank you.

Tackle - n - Male genitalia.Tad - adj - A little bit ofsomething.

Take-away - n, v - 1. A fastfood establishment. 2. Toact of getting food and tak-ing it home.

Taking the mickey - in-terj - Pulling one’s chain.

Taking the piss - n -Mocking, taking advan-tage of someone.

Tally-ho! - interj - Good- bye!

Tannoy - n - Public Ad-dress (PA) system.

Tarmac - n - A paved road.Tart - n - Prostitute or

loose woman.Tat - n - Cheap piece of junk, usually applied tosouvenirs.

Tatty - n - A descriptionfor something that’s tired

and out of fashion. Like anold Seaside resort town.Tea - n - Also known as

tea-time, it’s an eveningmeal.

Tea-break - n - Coffee break.

Tea-towel - n - A dishcloth.

Telly - n - Short for televi-sion.

Terraced Houses - n - Aseries of houses that line astreet and all look thesame.

Tetchy - adj - Irritable.Thrupney bits - n - Woman’s breasts.

Tick - n - To check some-thing off on a list.

Tickety-boo - adj - Whensomething is going

smoothly or proceedingquickly.

Tights - n - Pantyhose.Till - n - Check-out counter

in a store.Tip - n - A garbage dump

or a place that’s a mess.

Tippex - n - Whiteout orliquid paper (somethingthat’s rarely used muchanymore).

Tipple - n - A civilized alco-holic beverage.

Titchy - n - Something thatis very small.

Tits up - adj - Somethingthat’s gone all wrong.

Todger - n - Male genita-

lia.

Toe-rag - n - A total scum- bag.

Toff - n - Someone who isfrom the upper classes, it’sslightly derogatory.

Tomato sauce - n -Ketchup/catsup.

Top-up - v - To top offsomething, make it full oradd to it.

Torch - n - Flashlight.Tosh - adj - Nonsense.Tosser - adj - A person who likes to pleasure them-selves but generally usedas an insult against an id-iot.

Touch-up - v - To feel upor grope.

Trailer tent - n - A pop-upcamper.

Train-spotter - n - A per-son who stands around waiting for interestingtrains.

Trainers - n - Gym shoes.Tram - n - A streetcar - ba-

sically a bus on rails.

Tramp - n - Homeless per-son. Travellers - n - A group of

people who travel aroundBritain and live in make-shift campsites - often ille-gally, modern day Gypsies.Sometimes called IrishTravellers, but they’re notalways Irish. They’re uni- versally hated by everyone

as they often cause a blight on the landscape.Treacle - n - Molasses.Trilby - n - A type of men’s

hat. Trolley - n - A shopping

cart in a store.Trollop - n - A woman with loose morality.

Trolly dolly - n - Air stew-ardess, derogatory.

Trots, the - n - Diarrhea.Trousers - n - Pants/

slacks.Tube - n - The London Un-

derground.Twee - adj - Some-

thing that’s quaint.Twig - v - To catch on to

something.Two up, two down - n - A

house with two roomsdownstairs and two rooms

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upstairs, popular in Vic-torian times.

Twonk - n - An idiot.Tyke - n - A rascally

child. Tyre - n - How the Brit-

ish spell tire.

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U

Undercarriage - n - 1.Male or female genitals. 2.

The underside of your car.Underground - n - Usu-ally refers to the LondonUnderground but thereare other undergroundsubway systems in the UK.

Uni - n - Short for Univer-sity or College

University - n - Even ifthey’re going to a college,the post-secondary schoolpart of their educationalcareer is called University.Going to university, whenI was at university, etc.

Up for it - phrs - To be upto doing something - en-thusiastic about it.

Up the duff - v - To bepregnant.

Uphill gardener - n - Ahomosexual, derog.

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V

VAT - Acronym - Value Added Tax. Essentially a

20% sales tax on prettymuch everything. Verge - n - Shoulder on the

side of the road. Vest - n - Piece of clothing

worn under your shirt. Video - n - What the Brit-

ish called a VCR. Village green - n - Com-

mon land at the center of a village where people canplay Cricket or Football.

Vino - n - Poor quality inex-pensive wine.

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Y

Y-fronts - n - Men’s under-garments.

Yank - n - Generally howBrits like to refer to Ameri-cans.

Yob - n - A young hooligan,usually identified by wear-ing a hood.

Yonks - n - A long time. Yummy Mummy - n - A

young, good lookingmother.

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Z

Zapper - n - TV remotecontrol.

Zebra crossing - n - Pe-destrian crossings onroads.

Zed - n - The British pro-nounce the letter Z as‘zed.’ They don’t say ‘zee.’

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British Insults

While we generally covered what

is and isn’t an insult in the main

dictionary, we thought it’d be use-ful for quick reference to summa-

rize all our favorite insults in one

place. This is not an exhaustive

list by any means.

Tosser - Supreme asshole or

jerk.

Wanker - Idiot or someone who

enjoys to masturbate.

Slag - Whore, the worst kind.

Cheese Eating Surrender Mon-

keys - The French.

Lost the plot - Gone crazy or

completely stupid.

Daft Cow - Dumb, large woman.

Arsehole - Asshole.

Barmy - Stupid or crazy.

Chav - Low Class trash.

Dodgy - Something that’s shady

or doesn’t work well.

Git - Moron, Idiot.Gormless - Complete lack of

common sense.

Manky - Disgusting.

Minger - Very unattractive wo-

man.

Muppet - Dimwit (not the pup-

pet variety).

Naff - Tacky.

Nutter - Someone’s who’s clearly

crazy.

Pikey - Used to slight Gypsies or

Irish. Travellers.

Pillock - Idiot.

Plonker - Idiot.

Prat - Idiot, asshole.

Scrubber - A nicer way to say

slag.

Trollop - A lady of questionable

morals.

Uphill Gardener - Another way

of saying homosexual.

Twit - Idiot.

Knob Head - Dickhead.

Piss Off - Go Away.Bell End - Dick Head (bell end

also means penis).

Lazy Sod - Useless idiot.

Skiver - Lazy sod.

Knob - Dick.

Wazzock - Someone so dumb

they can only do manual labor

(from Yorkshire).

Ninny - Brilliant but inferior.

Berk - Idiot.

Airy-fairy - Not strong, weak.

Ankle-biters - Children.

Arse-licker - A sycophant.

Arsemonger - A person that

generate contempt.

Chuffer - An annoying perfu-

sion.

Daft as a bush - Silly, Crazy.

Dead from the neck up - Stupid.Gannet - Greedy person.

Gone to the dogs - rotten, dete-

riorated.

Ligger - Freeloader.

Like a dog with two dicks - Man

whore.

Mad as a bag of ferrets - Crazy.

Maggot - A despicable person.

Mingebag - A bad person, an

asshole who might be cheap.

Not batting on a full wicket -

Eccentric person. a little crazy

or odd.

Plug-Ugly - Very Ugly person.

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London Slang

One thing you’ll notice when you

travel to London is all the differ-

ent words they use to describethings. Sometimes they make

sense, sometimes they don’t. We

thought it would be useful to put

together a list of words you’ll usu-

ally only hear in London. So,

here’s your guide to some useful

London Lingo.

Tube - London Under-ground Network.

The Knowledge - The cu-mulative knowledge ofLondon’s black cab driversthat they have to learn to be licensed. They have tolearn every street in Lon-don.

BoJo - Boris Johnson, thecurrent mayor of London.

Boris Bike - The bikes lo-cated in various places

around London that youcan rent by the half hour.Boris Bus - Boris John-

son’s key platform of re-placing the old LondonRoutemaster bus.

Red Ken - The name ofLondon’s former MayorKen Livingston wholeaned VERY far to theleft.

The Standard - What

some call the EveningStandard - the evening pa-per dedicated to London.

The City - The City of Lon-don - the square mile bitof central London thatgoes back 2 thousand years.

Square Mile - Physical boundary of the City ofLondon.

Congestion Charge - Taxon all cars entering thecentral London congestioncharge zone.

Silicon Roundabout - Area around Old Streetthat’s a hub for new media

and tech companies.Council Estate - Publichousing.

The Blitz - Period in 1940 when London was bombed by the Nazis.

M25 - The Orbital Highwaythat encircles London.

Westway - Elevated High- way in West London.

Mind the Gap - Watch your step when steppingfrom a train to a platformon the Tube.

The Palace - When some-one says the Palace they’realmost always referring toBuckingham Palace, theQueen’s official residencein London.

Buck House - Bucking-ham Palace.

The Tower - Tower of Lon-

don. A-Z - A popular London

map guide that’s indispen-sable to locals and longterm visitors (extra note -Londoners will say ‘A toZed’).

GMT - Greenwich MeanTime.

Cockney - Someone born within earshot of the bellsof St Mary-le-Bow.

Offy - Convenience Storethat also sells alcohol.

Off License - ConvenienceStore that also sells alco-

hol.Take Away - Cheap foodto go.

Crossrail - New cross Lon-don underground railwayline currently under con-struction.

Bobby - London Police-man

Clip Joint - A club thatclaims to be a strip club but usually comes with£100 bottles of water. Avoid.

Zebra Crossing - Pedes-trian crossing.

Home Counties - Genericname for the countiesaround London which are:Bedfordshire, Berkshire,Buckinghamshire, Cam- bridgeshire, Dorset, Essex,Hampshire, Hertford-

shire, Kent, Middlesex, Ox-fordshire, Surrey and Sus-sex.

Nappy Valley - Areas ofLondon with high birth-rates like Battersea.

The Big Smoke - Anotherterm for London.

Oyster Card - A electroniccard used to pay for the

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Tube without a paper ticket. Often you get a cheaper fare this way.

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Cockney Rhyming Slang

Cockney Rhyming Slang is believed to have originated in themid-19th century in the East End of London, with sources sug-gesting sometime in the 1840s. The Cockney population are well-known for having a characteristic accent and speech patterns.

It remains a matter of speculation whether rhyming slang was alinguistic accident, a game, or a secret language developed inten-tionally to confuse non-locals. If deliberate, Cockneys may alsohave used it to maintain a sense of community. It is possible thatit was used in the marketplace to allow vendors to talk amongstthemselves in order to facilitate collusion, without customersknowing what they were saying. Another suggestion is that crimi-nals may have been used it to confuse the police.

What follows is a list of words that rhyme, but also a list of wordscommonly used by Cockney speakers.

A

Adam and Eve - Believe. Afters - Short for the term

'after hours'. Agro - Short for violence. Alan Whicker(s) - Rhym-

ing Slang for 'knickers'. All over the gaff/shop -

Someone that's in a mess. Allright / awright - Greet-

ing that means ‘is every-thing all right?’

Apples and pears -Stairs.

Artful Dodger - Lodger. Ascot Races - Braces. Aunt Joanna - Piano.

Ayrton Senna - RhymingSlang for 'tenner'.

B

Backhander - A dodgypayment.

Baked Bean - Queen.Baker's Dozen - Cousin.Ball and Chalk - Walk.Ballistic - To go mad.

Banged up - To be put inprison.Bangers - Another name

for sausages.Banjaxed - Meaning

drunk or stoned.Barmy - A mad person.Barnaby Rudge - Judge.Barnet Fair - Hair.Barney - Violent argu-

ment.Barney Rubble - Trouble.

Battlecruiser - Boozer.Bean flicker - A lesbian.Beer monster - A laddish

heavy drinker.Bees and honey - Money.Bell - A telephone call.Bender - A drinking spree,

or a gay bloke.Bent - Stolen.Bent as a nine bob note

- Illegal.Bimbo - A young woman

considered sexually attrac-tive but of limited intelli-gence.

Bird lime - Time inprison.

Bit of awright - Used bymen to refer to an attrac-tive young lady.

Blinder - Amazing or won-derful.

Blow-off - Fart.Blower - Slang for tele-

phone.Bluey - Pornographic video.

Bo Peep - Rhyming Slangfor 'sleep'.

Boat Race - Face.

Bob Hope - RhymingSlang for 'dope'.

Borasic lint - RhymingSlang for 'skint'.

Bottle - Courage.Bottle and glass - Arse.Botty boy - Offensive

slang for gay man.Bovver - Fighting.Brahms and Liszt -

Pissed (drunk).

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Brass Tacks - Facts.Bread - Rhyming slang

for 'money'.Bread and Cheese -

Sneeze.Bread and Honey -

Money.

Bricks and Mortar -Daughter.Bristol City - Breasts.Brown Bread - Dead.Bubble and Squeak -

Greek.Bubble Bath Laugh.Bun in the oven - Mean-

ing pregnant.Bunk-off - To be absent without permission.

Bunk-up - Sexual inter-course.

Butcher's hook - Alook.

C

Cabbage - Bit slow orfoolish.

Cabbaged - Used fortired of drunk.

Cack - Rubbish.Cakehole - Mouth.Caned - Drunk or

stoned.Carpet muncher - Les- bian.

Chalfont St. Giles -Piles.

Chalk Farm - Arm.Char / cha - Tea.Charlie - Cocaine.

Chief - Used to address aman.

China - Rhyming Slang,short for 'China plate','mate'.

China plate - Mate(friend).

Chip - To leave.Choked - Very disap-pointed.

Chronic - Terrible.Chutney ferret - Gay

man.Claire Rayner's - Rhym-

ing Slang for 'trainers'.Claret - Slang for blood.Cobblers - Rhyming

Slang, short for 'cobblersawls', 'balls'.

Cock and bull story - Arubbish story.

Cock and Hen - Ten.Cop shop - Police sta-

tion.Cows and Kisses - Mis-

sus (wife).Crack - Something that

is a laugh.Crikey - Astonishment.Crust - Money.

Currant bun - Sun (alsoThe Sun, a British news-paper).

Custard and jelly -Telly (television).

D

Daisy Roots - Boots.Darby and Joan -

Moan.

Dead cert - Definite.Diamond geezer - A

reliable person.Dicky bird - Word.Dicky Dirt - Shirt.Diesel dyke - A butch

lesbian.

Diggs - Lodgings.Ding-dong - Argument.Dinky Doos - Shoes.Dodgy - Dubious person.Dog and bone - Phone.Dog's dinner - Over-

dressed.Dog's meat - Feet [from

early 20th c.].Done over - Beaten up.Doris - A woman who is

plain.Dosh - Money.Dosser - Tramp.Double bubble - Double

time.Duck and Dive - Skive.Duke of Kent - Rent.Dustbin lid - Kid.

E

Elephant's Trunk -Drunk.

Emma Freud's - Rhym-ing Slang for hemor-rhoids.

Extracting the urine -Taking the piss.

F

Family jewels - Rhym-ing Slang for 'balls'.

Farmer Giles - Rhym-ing Slang for 'piles'.

Fireman's Hose - Nose.Float an air biscuit -

To fart.Flowery Dell - Cell.Folding - Paper money.

Fridge and freezer -Rhyming Slang for 'gee-zer'.

Frog and Toad - Road.Funny farm - Mental

hospital.Funny money - Counter-

feit money.

G

Geezer - A man.Ginger beer - RhymingSlang for queer.

Gone for a Burton -Rhyming Slang for 'toleave'.

Goolies - Balls, testicles.Gooner - An Arsenal fan.Goppin' - Ugly or dis-

gusting in some way.Gordon Bennet - An ex-

clamation.Got the nod - To receive

approval.Gregory Peck - Rhym-

ing Slang for 'neck'.Guv'nor or guv - Mean-

ing 'boss'.Gypsy's kiss - Piss.

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H

Hacked off - Fed up, an-noyed.

Had it away on histoes - To run awayquickly.

Half-inch - Pinch (tosteal).

Hammered - Drunk.Hampstead Heath -

Rhyming Slang for'teeth'.

Hampton Wick - Prick.Hank Marvin - Starv-

ing.Herbert - A foolish per-

son.

Hole in the wall - Cash-point machine.Holy Ghost - Rhyming

Slang for ‘toast’.How's your father - A

euphemism for sex.

I

In stook - In trouble.Irish pig - Wig.

Isle of Wight - Tights.

J

Jack Jones - RhymingSlang for 'own'.

Jam-jar - Car.Jazz mag - Pornographic

magazine.Jimmy Riddle - Piddle.

Joanna - Piano (pro-nounced 'pianna' inCockney).

Johnny-bag - Condom.Juiced / juiced up - Very drunk.

K Keep your hair on -

Keep calm.Khyber Pass - Arse.Kick and Prance -

Dance.Kick it off - Start a fight.Knocking shop -

Brothel.

L

Lady Godiva - Fiver.Laugh n a joke -

Smoke.Leave it out - Stop do-

ing that.Leg-over - To have sex-

ual intercourse.Leggit - Run away fast.Legless - Very drunk.

Lionel Blairs - Flares.Loaf of Bread - Head.Loop the loop - Soup.Lost the plot - Gone

crazy/mad.Luvvly jubbly - That all

is well.

M

Manor - Territory, area,turf.

Mickey Bliss - Piss.Mince Pies - Eyes.Minging - Drunk, dis-

gusting.Missus - Bit of a lad's

term for the wife.Nonkey - A term for

£500.Moolar - A slang term

for money of uncertainorigin.

Mork and Mindy - Windy'.

Motor / motah - A car.

Mug / muggins - A foolor victim.Muppet - A foolish or stu-

pid person.Mutt 'n Jeff - Rhyming

Slang for deaf.Mystic Meg(s) - Rhym-

ing Slang - for 'legs'.

N

Nadds, nadgers - Testi-cles.Naff - Cheap and nasty.Naff off - "Go away".Night out on the tiles - A late night out, usuallydrunk.

Nipper - A small child.Nonce - A sex offender.North and south -

Mouth.

Notes - A term used tomean money in general.

Nugget - A pound coin.

O

Off your face - To bedrunk.

Off your trolley /rocker - A bit mad,crazy.

Oily (rag) - RhymingSlang for cigarette.

Old fruit - An affection-ate address.

On the game - To beprostitute.

On the job - To be in- volved in sexual activity.Orchestra stalls - Balls.Out of your tree -

Crazy, drunk or stoned.

P

Pan handle - An erec-tion.

Pat and Mick - Sick.

Pear-shaped - It hasgone wrong.Peckham Rye - Tie.Pen and ink - Rhyming

Slang for 'stink'.Pete Tong - Rhyming

Slang for 'wrong'.Pictures of the Queen

- Paper money.Plates of meat - Feet.Pony - Slang term for

£25.

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Pony and Trap - Crap.Porky pies - Rhyming

Slang for 'lies'.Powder your nose -

Taking cocaine.

R

Rabbit (rabbit andpork) - Rhyming Slangfor 'talk'.

Radio Rental - Rhym-ing Slang for 'mental'.

Raspberry ripple - Nip-ple.

Raspberry tart - Fart.Rat-arsed - Drunk.Roast Pork - Fork.

Rosy Lee - Tea (drink).Round the Houses -Trousers.

Rub-a-Dub - Pub.Ruby Murray - Curry.Rug - Wig, toupee.

S

Sausage Roll - Goal.Scarpa / scarper -

Rhyming Slang for 'torun off'.Scrounge - To beg or

sponge.Septic tank - Yank.Sexton Blake - Rhym-

ing Slang for 'fake'.Shagged-out - To feel

tired.Shed-load - A huge

amount.Shell-like - The ear.

Shell-out - To have topay for

Sherbert dab - Rhym-ing Slang for 'cab'

Skin and Blister - Sis-ter

Skin diver - Rhyming

Slang for 'fiver'Skint - To have nomoney

Skirt - Young attractive woman.

Sky Rocket - PocketSpliff - Common term

for a cannabis cigarette.Spondulics - Money.Steffi (Graff) - Rhyming

Slang for 'laugh'.Steve Mcqueen's -

Rhyming Slang for ‘bake beans’.

Stuffing - To performsexual intercourse.

Stunner - A very goodlooking bird.

Sweeney Todd - Flyingsquad.

Syrup of figs - Wig (sic).

T

Tables and chairs -Stairs.

Tea leaf - Thief.That old chestnut - See

chestnut.The nick - Police station,

or prison.Thrupenny bits - Rhym-

ing Slang for 'tits'.Tits-up - All gone wrong.

To go down - Sent toprison.

Todd Sloane - Alone.Tom and Dick - Sick.Tomfoolery - Jewelry.Tommy Trinder - Win-

dow.

Trouble and strife - Wife.Trouser action - A gen-

eral euphemism for sex-ual activity.

Two and eight - State(of upset).

U

Uncle Tom Cobley and

all - Everyone.

V

Vera Lynn - Gin.

W

Weasel and stoat - Rhyming Slang for 'coat'.

Well ard/hard - Some-

one or something that is very tough.

Whistle and flute - Suit(of clothes).

Wind up - To tease, toperform a prank.

Wind-up merchant -Someone who special-izes in teasing.

Wonga - Money.

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Scottish English Words

Here is a list of common Scottish

English words and phrases. This

is not meant to be an exhaustivelist but an overview of the most

commonly used phrases. Gener-

ally, words that are used com-

monly throughout the rest of Brit-

ain have been excluded from the

list.

A

Auld - Old. A-wiz-nae - I was not. A, ah - I. Aboot - About. Aff - Off (off yer heed). Ah ya bastart - Ouch, that

hurt. Am no - I am not. Am ur - I am. Am-ur-nay - I am not.

An empty - The residents who live in the house arenot present and peopletake advantage by havinga party in the "empty"house.

Anno - I know. Arse / erse - Bum. As-laat - "I was like that";

i.e., I was remarked to say. Awrite - Alright. Aye - Yes.

B

Bairn - Baby.Bltic - Really cold (It's bal-

tic!).Bampot - An idiot, un-

hinged person (He is a bampot).

Barras - A short slangterm for a place called the

Barrowland in the eastend of Glasgow.

Bastirt - Bastard, also aterm of endearment.

Bawbag - Scrotum, pejora-tive (That guy's a bawbag).

Bawhair- A recognized

unit of measurement.Baws - Testicles.Bevvy - Drink.Bisom - ‘Ya wee bisom’ which means difficult women, spoilt bratty girl.

Blether - Inane chat.Bletherskite - To talk rubbish.

Blootered - Drunk.Boaby - Police. Can also

mean penis (She's pure get-tin the boaby the night!!).

Boak - To throw up.Bobee - 6 pence in old

money.Boggin - Smelly, dirty

(That's boggin'!).Bolt - Go away ("wanty bolt!").

Bonglie - Highlanders calltourists ‘Bonglies.’

Boot - Ugly woman (Shut

it, ya boot!).Bowfin - Smelly.Brassic - Skint.Braw - Beautiful.Breek - Trousers.Burd - Girlfriend/

Boyfriend.Burn - Small river (Let's

awa' up that burn).

C

Cannae - Can not.Cannie - Careful (caw can-

nie be careful ).Chapel - Catholic church

("I am going to chapel on

Sunday").Claes - Clothes.Clatty bint - Dirty girl.Cludgie - Toilet.Crabbit - Crab.Cummoan - Lets go.Cushie - Meaning pigeon.

D

Dafty - Silly.

Dancin - Nightclub.Dead - Usually used with

"pure" in front to describesomething (That's puredead brilliant!!!).

Diddy - Did he?Dinnae - Don't ("Dinnae

dae that!").Dobber - A fool/stupid per-

son. Also means "dick-head" ("Whit ye daein ya

dobber?!").Donner - A walk (cominfur a wee donner doon yon-der?).

Doon - Down.Dreich - Cold as in it’s a

driech day outside.Dug - A dog.Dunderheed - A nice fool.

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E

Dejit - Idiot.

F

Dae - From (a ken where

yur dae).Feert - To be scared,

afeared (I'm feert of thedark).

Fitbaw - Football.Fizzog - Face.Fud - A complete and ut-

ter dobber .

G

Gadgie - An old man.Gan - Go.Gantin - Smelly/really wanting something.

Geggy - Mouth.Gingin (pronounced

"ging-in") - Disgusting .Glaikit - A fool.Glasgow Kiss - A head- butt.

Glesga - Glasgow.

Bobble - Blowjob.Gomeril - Fool.Gonnae no dae that -

Please do not do that.Gowpin - Sore body

part.Gran - Grandmother.Granda - Grandfather.Guay strangy bairn -

Meaning a baby’s nappyneeds changing!

Gutties - Gym shoes/Trainers.

H

Haar - Fog.Hackit - Ugly.

Hame - Home "am awayhame."

Haud your wheest -Quite.

Hauf ' - A measure of whiskey.

Hawd - Hold, stop"wanty hawd that?"

Hawd yer wheeshd -Stop talking.

Hawn - Hand "watch ma

hawn."Heed/heid - Head "a'vegot a sare heed."

Honkin - Smelly/dirty.Hoose - House "it's in

ma hoose."How? - Why?Howfin/howlin -

Smelly.

I

I dinnae ken - Don’tknow.

J

Jag - An injection.Jake(y) - A homeless or

unkempt person (usuallydescribing an alcoholic).

Jaked - Being in a stateof drunkenness (I was jaked last night).

Jessie/jessy - Wimp/biggirl's blouse.

Jobby - Poo; plural form"jobbies."

K

Ken - Term for the word'know.'

L

Lang - Surname.Lecky - Electricity - often

used in reference to bills

(she didn't pay her leckythis month).

Liftit - To be arrested bythe police.

Loaby - Hallway, lobby,passageway.

Loch - Lake.Loupin - Cry sore/

infested with lice ("Myheid is loupin.").

M

Magic - Great/excellent.Maist - Most.Maw - Mum (Aye yer

maw).Mawkit/ manky - Very

dirty (Your trousers aremawkit!! Ya manky wee bam!!).

Meltit/melted - To bestoned on drugs - (Ah was pure melted man!).

Mibay - Maybe.Minted - Rich/wealthy

("Look at his motor, hemust be minted.).

N

Nae danger - No prob-lem ("Ye want mince andtotties fur yur dinner?Nae danger").

Napper - Head.Naw - No.Ned - Acronym for 'non-

educated delinquent',

useless waster, trouble-maker.Neeps – Mashed turnips.Nip - Kiss a single meas-

ure of an alcoholic spirit,often whisky.

Nippin - Stinging.Numpty - A useless

individual/moron.Nut - 1. Head 2. Or an-

other term used for the word no.

O

Oaf - Off.Oan yer bike - Go away.Oan yer trolley - Go

away.Oot - Out.Outwith - Outside.

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P

Pan - Break or disfigure("pan the windows in").

Peely wally - Pale orpasty.

Pish - Piss.

Pished - Drunk.Polis - The police.Pure - Very, totally

("she's pure no right".)used to emphasis some-thing.

Q

Quality - Great/excellent("That film was qual-

ity.").

R

Radge - A fit of rage.Roamin - Taking a walk.

S

Scheme - Residentialarea usually council es-

tate.Scooby - Clue, (no clue).Scramble - Go away.Scunner - One who

pisses you off.Scunnered - To be

pissed off.Scunnurt - Fed up

(Ah'm pure scunnurt).Shite - Shit.Shneck - Kiss.

Shneeb - Smoke.Shoogle - To take.Skelp - To smack or hit

someone/thing.Skiddies - Gentleman's

undergarments withtraces of last nights din-

ner.Skuddy - Naked.Solid - Hard, tough.Sook - Big softie (ya wee

sook).Squint - Not straight.Steamin - Drunk.Stramash - A distur- bance, a noisy racket, ora crash

Swallae - To swallow,also means alcohol.

T

Talking oot yer fannyflaps - Lying.

Tan - Smash windows(I'm gonny tan yer win-daes).

Tanned - To drink/drunk or to vandalize.

Tap - To borrow moneyfrom someone.

Tatties/tatters - Pota-toes.

That's a sin - What ashame.

Toaty - Small/tiny.Tube - An idiot/fool.Turkish - A piece of

poop.Twally - A person of

lesser intellect.

W

Waldies - Wellies. Wan - One (number or

referring to an object orperson).

Wean - (pronounced

"Wayne") - Child. Wee small - A child. Willy – A man’s penis.

Y

Yer erse is oot the win-dae - You are revealing your bottom.

Yin - One (not the number but referring to a per-

son or object).

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West Country English

Here is a sampling of several

popular and obsolete words and

phrases common in the English West Country. Some of these

words may sound familiar from

the hit British TV show Doc Mar-

tin. We indicate with each word

where it’s primarily spoken.

Acker (North Somerset,Hampshire, Isle of

Wight) - Friend.

Alaska (North Somer-set) - I will ask her.

Allernbatch (Devon) -Old sore.

Alright me ansum (Corn- wall & Devon) - How are you, my friend?

Alright me babber (Som-erset) - Similar to Alrightme ansum.

Alright my luvver (justas with the phrase alrightmate, when said by a per-son from the West Coun-try, it has no carnal conno-tations, it is merely a greet-ing. Commonly usedacross the West Country).

Anywhen (Hampshire,Isle of Wight) - At anytime.

Appen (Devon) - Per-haps, possibly.

Arable (Devon, Dorset,

Somerset, Wiltshireand the Isle of Wight) -(From horrible), oftenused for a road surface, asin Thic road be arable.

Bad Lot (North Somer-set) - E.g. They'm a badlot, mind.

bauy, bay, bey(Exeter) - Boy.

Beached Whale (Corn- wall) - Many meanings,most commonly used tomean a gurt grackle.

Benny (Bristol) - To lose your temper (from a char-acter in Crossroads).

Billy Baker (Yeovil) - Woodlouse.

Bodmin (Cornwall) -Gone crazy.

Boris (Exeter) - Daddylonglegs.

Cheerzen/Cheers'en(Somerset, Bristol) -Thank you (from Cheers,then).

Chinny reckon (NorthSomerset) - I do not be-

lieve you in the slightest(from older West CountryEnglish ich ne reckon 'Idon't reckon/calculate').

Chine (Isle of Wight) -Steep wooded valley.

Chuggy pig (North Som-erset) - Woodlouse.

Chump (North Somer-set) - Log (for the fire).

Chuting (North Somer-

set) - (pronounced shoot-ing) Guttering.

Comical (North Somer-set, Isle of Wight) - Pe-culiar, e.g. 'e were propercomical.

Combe (Devon, Isle of Wight) (pronounced'coombe') - Steep wooded valley.

Coombe (Devon, NorthSomerset, Dorset) -Steep wooded valley.Combe/Coombe is the sec-ond most common place-name element in Devonand is equivalent to the Welsh cwm.

Coupie or Croupie(North Somerset, Dor-set, Isle

Documents

British Slang Dictionary Ibooks.iba