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Slang A-F
Airhead: stupid person
ace: excellent, great
Adam and Eve - believe
aggro - short for aggravation or violence
all mouth and no trousers -Boastful exageratting...E.g."You shouldn't pay any attention to him, he's all mouth and no trousers."
all over the shop -1. In a mess, out of order, disorganized.
2. Everywhere. E.g."I've been all over the shop this morning and I can't find her anywhere."
alright! - Hello. A greeting. (Northern dialect- awreet)
ankle-biters - Children, especially crawling babies
anorak - An unsociable person, with an obsessive interest in a hobby or subject.Originates from the 'trainspotter' look, of wearing anoraks
any cop -Of value, of any worth,any good. E.g."What about that new film? Is it any cop?"
any road -Anyway. [Northern use]
argy-bargy -Trouble, noisy arguing.
armpit: dirty, unappealing place
arse-hole - An idiot, bastard
to arse about - to fool around
arse about face: something that is in a mess
arseholed: very drunk
arsed - bothered. Usually in the negative sense of 'can't be arsed.' E.g."I can't be arsed with work today."
arse-lick -To grovel
arse-licker -A sycophant
arse-up -to do something badly,fail.E.g."You wouldn't have arsed it up if you'd got yourself ready"
...as fuck -An intensifier. E.g."It was rusty as fuck, so wasn't worth repairing."
ay-up!-A greeting, hello. [Midlands/North use. Dialect]
Aussie : Australian
babe - 1.A young good looking female
2. An affectionate name for a girlfriend
bad egg -A bad person.Someone who might lead you into trouble
badger -To bother ,harrass.E.g."Stop badgering her, leave her alone"
bad hair day - A day when you are unable to arrange your hair in a nice way.Used figuratively for a problematic and difficult day.
to bad mouth - To insult someone
bad news - A troublesome person. ''He's bad news,he is.He's always getting into trouble''
backhander : a payment given in a secretive fashion,a bribe
backhander : a slap with the back of the hand
bag lady -A homeless woman who carries all her possessions in bags.
bag of bones - A very thin person or animal.
to have a ball : to have a fun time
The ball and chain - A large iron ball attached to the ankle by a chain that prisoners wear when they are working outside of the prison.Used here to mean your wife or girlfriend.
A balls up -A mess up, a 'cock-up'. E.g."I've made a right balls-up of my life."
to go bananas : To get angry
ballistic - to go mad with rage
bang [slightly offensive]: to make love
banged up - to be put in prison
banger -1.A sausage.bangers and mash-sausages and potato.
2.(old banger) A run-down car.
bang on -Exactly correct. ''He was bang on with his answer''
bang on about (something) - To talk on and on uninterestingly, to nag. E.g."What're you banging on about now??!"
bang out of order -Totally unacceptable.''You were bang out of order calling my boy a thief!''
bang to rights -Caught red-handed.Caught doing a crime
barking (mad) -Insane, crazy
barmy - crazy
barney - row, violent argument
barry -Good, nice.[Edinburgh use]
bash -1. An event, a party.
2.An attempt. E.g."Try having a bash at the next question if you can't answer the first."
basket case - An emotionally unstable person, a completely useless person. Originally an amputee, especially a soldier, who had lost all four limbs, coined during the First World War.
bat for both sides -To be bisexual.Bat as in cricket.
bat for the other team -To be homosexual.
batty man -A homosexual man From batty meaning bum.
beat: tired
beat seven shades of shit out of someone -To thoroughly beat up.
beddable -Sexually desirable
bedsit -A small flat with only 1 little room(no kitchen, bathroom ,living room or bed room)
Beeb- Nickname for the BBC television company
beef (something) up-To increase in size or volume; to make stronger.
Beergut – Big belly
begging for it -A general comment on another person's supposed, if not actual, want for sex. E.g."Cor, look at her! She's begging for it."
bell - To telephone (someone). E.g."I'll bell you tonight with the news."
belly-ache- To complain persistently.
belly-up-1. Dead.2. Failed, bankrupt.
belt -To hit
belt up!-Be quiet! Shut up!Dont misbehave!
bent 1. Homosexual, as opposed to 'straight'
2. Criminal, corrupt. E.g."You can usually buy your freedom; the cops are bent and paid poorly."
3. Illegal, stolen. E.g."I'm not touching that telly, it's bent."
berk(burk)-Idiot. The word comes from Berkeley Hunt, meaning 'cunt'. This expression is generally accepted as inoffensive despite its source
(the) best thing since sliced bread -Absolutely the best thing ever.
better half - One's wife, husband or partner.
bible basher - A religous person
(old) biddy -A woman, usually an elderly woman
big deal! -A sarcastic exclamation for not being very impressed
big girl's blouse -A weak person
The (old) bill - Police
bimbo – A goodlooking woman but not very intelligent
bin -To throw away
bird - woman/girlfriend
bit of (an) all right-Something very good. Often heard used with reference to a good looking person. E.g."She's a bit of alright! I'm going to ask her out."
bit of rough - A sexual partner below your normal standards
bit of skirt -A woman
bit on the side -1. A sexual relationship extra to your usual partner, an affair.
2. The other person in a sexual affair.
to bitch : to complain
blabbermouth -A person who reveals too much in conversation, a gossip.
bladdered - very drunk
blag -1.To lie, or use clever talk to get out of a situation E.g."I blagged my way out of paying"
2.A con, a 'scam'.
3. A violent robbery or raid.
blank -To rudely ignore. E.g."He just blanked me and continued walking.."
bleeder -an idiot or bad person
bleeding -Used as an intensive. E.g."That bleeding idiot from next door is drunk again."
Blighty -England
Blimey! -An exclamation of surprise. An abbreviated form of blind me. 'cor blimey'.
blinding -Excellent, wonderful. E.g."We had a blinding time last night."
bloke - man
bloody -Expressing annoyance as an intensifier. E.g."That bloody idiot needs a good thumping."
-As an adverb. E.g."I'll bloody thump that idiot."
bloody hell! -An exclamation of surprise or frustration.
bloody-Nora! -An exclamation of surprise or anger.or 'ruddy-Nora!'
blow -Cannabis or marijuana.In the U.S. it refers to cocaine though.
blow a fuse / gasket -To be very angry.
blow away -1. To kill.
2. To amaze.''That film blew me away''
blower -The telephone. From the 'speaking tube', which you blew to attract a person's attention before having a conversation through it.
blow-off -To break wind
blow the whistle on-To inform on.
blue - pornographic
boffin -A hard working school pupil.A person involved in scientific/technical research
bog -A toilet.
bog-roll -Toilet paper.
bollocks 1. Testicles.
2. Rubbish, nonsense E.g."That film was bollocks."
(the) bollocks -1.The best, a thing or situation of excellence. 'dog's bollocks'.
''bollocks!'' An expression of anger, frustration, or defiance.
bollock (something) up -To make a mistake, to mess something up.
bollocks to that!-A defiant exclamation.
bonce -The head.
bonk -To have sex
bonkers; go bonkers: crazy
booze: alcohol
boozer : a pub
boozer : 1.Pub 2.A big drinker
bore stiff -Bore completely.
bossyboots -A person who bosses others around,
botch(bodge) job -1. A makeshift construction or repair
2. A thing done badly.
botch (up) - verb 1. To build or repair in a makeshift manner.
2. To do something badly.
Noun. 1. A makeshift construction or repair.
2. A thing done badly.
bottle 1.Courage, confidence. E.g."He's scared, he's lost his bottle."
2. To smash a bottle into a person's face
bottle it/out Verb. 1. To lose courage.
brass monkeys - cold weather
bread: money
brew : 1.tea
2.beer
brick A helpful and reliable person.
brickie bricklayer.
brief - A solicitor or barrister.
to be Broke – to have no money
brolly - umbrella.
Brummie A native of Birmingham
bruv A term of address, usually for a friend. From brother.
Bubble (and squeek) : Greek
bull: bullshit.a lie
bug 1. To annoy, to bother.
2. To spy on via a hidden microphone.
bugger !-1. for someone you don't like
2. A situation or event that is difficult E.g."It's a real bugger she cant come tonight"
Bugger!-Exclamation. Expressing annoyance or frustration.
To bugger (up) To ruin, break. E.g."If I find out it was you that buggered my walkman, then you can forget about borrowing anything else again"
bugger all- Absolutely nothing at all. E.g."There's bugger-all on the telly these days"
bugger(ed) if... -Beginning a phrase will mean 'there's no way', such as "buggered if I'm going to pay for all of it".
bugger me! -An exclamation of surprise.
bugger-off -Get lost, clear off.
built like a brick shithouse Large, sturdy, strong. Often used for people.
bum-chum -A person with an apparently overly close friendship with another person
bundle - A large quantity of money.
bung -To give or throw. E.g."Go on, bung her an extra tenner for trying."
bunk off -To avoid going to school lessons
bushed: very tired
butty/buttie A sandwich.
buzz off !-Go away!
By gum! An exclamation of surprise or amazement. [Northern dialect]
Cardboard city - Large areas of London and other cities where homeless people sleep in cardboard boxes in the streets
cakehole - mouth
catch you later! -Goodbye!
catch some rays: get some sunshine
Charlie- Cocaine.
char / cha - tea
chat up -To talk to someone in order to ask out on a date
cheerio! -Goodbye!
cheers -Thanks
cheesed off - Fed up
cheesy -Corny, cheap,lacking in good taste
cherry-Virginity as in to lose yourcherry
chicken: coward
chin-wag Noun. A conversation or chat.
Verb. To chat, talk.
chippy Noun. 1. A chipshop. {Informal}
2. A carpenter. {Informal}
choice! - sarcasticly saying that something isnt very nice or appropriate
chops - The mouth. ''Close your chops when you're eating''
chubbychops- a podgy person.
chuck it down - To rain heavily
chuck up: vomit
chuck a sickie : take the day off sick from work when you're perfectly healthy
ciggy - cigarette
clean -Having no drugs, weapons or illicit goods on you. E.g."You can't arrest me officer, I'm clean!"
clink- Prison
clippie -A bus conductor. The employee, extra to the driver, who checks and supplies tickets on some buses.
clock 1. To notice
2. To hit or punch.
clobber - 1.Clothes and personal belongings
2.To hit
cloth-ears -Someone who has poor hearing or doesn't pay attention to what he is being told
cock and bull story - a rubbish story, nonsense.Not the truth
coffin dodger -An elderly person.
coke - Cocaine
(the) cold shoulder -The act of deliberately ignoring.E.g."I gave her the cold shoulder."
come a cropper -To fail
come it -."Don't come it with me! I said you can't have any more money."
the come on - the green light for possible sexual relationship
come onto -To 'chat up'.
con artist/man -A confidence trickster.
conk (out) Verb. 1. To breakdown, stop working. E.g."The electrics conked"
cool: excellent
cooler, the: gaol; jail; prison
cor blimey! -This mild exclamation of surprise is a corruption of the oath god blind me.
corker - An excellent thing or person.
cost a bomb -To be very expensive.
couch potato: a person who watches too much television
cough (up) -To hand over something, or reveal some information, often reluctantly. E.g. "I've already coughed up a month's wages, and can't afford any more."
cowboy outfit -A group of people, unscrupulous and unqualified in business, working under the guise of a respectable business.
cowboy -A person who is unscrupulous and unqualified in business. Often with regard to 'cowboy' builders.
cozzie : swimming costume
crackhead-An addict of 'crack' (freebased cocaine).
crackhouse/den - A flat selling crack
crack on -1.To progress, to go quickly. E.g."We'll crack on after lunch." ...2.to finally understand
crack on to -To come onto somebody, to make sexual advances. E.g."She was cracking on to me all night, and every other bloke at the club."
crackpot -1.An insane or eccentric person or thing...."I'm not going along with Suzanne's crackpot ideas."
crack up 1. To breakdown with laughter.
2. To mentally breakdown
cradle snatcher -A person who dates or marries someone much much younger than themselves.
cranky : in a bad mood, angry
crap [mildly offensive] :1. shit 2.worthless
crapper-A toilet.
crappy -Rubbishy, useless, of poor quality.
crease up -To laugh heartily.
creepy-crawly -An insect, or spider
crikey! - an expression of astonishment.
crust - money / wage
cunt -* Undoubtedly the most offensive and taboo of all swear words, but its use is becoming more frequent. Consequently it is gradually losing its offensiveness and perhaps in time will become as accepted as 'fuck' in its use. The word goes back to Middle English, cunte1. Vagina 2. A bad,awful person
3. A very familiar term with a friend E.g."Hello you old cunt, how are you? You're looking well."
5. A difficult thing or task. E.g."I'm not offering to help him move house, he's got a piano and it'll be a cunt of a job to shift it."
6.Cunt! - An exclamation of anger, surprise, frustration, disappointment.
cunt-faced- Very drunk
cushy -Of an easy nature. Originates from the Hindustani khush meaning pleasant.
cushy number -A situation that is easy and without stress.
C-word -A coy euphemism for 'cunt'.
damage -The cost, expense. E.g."What's the damage for the drinks?"
dead cert -A sure thing. E.g."It's a dead cert,this horse will win."
deck: to hit someone and make them fall down
deep shit-Serious trouble.
deffo -definitely. [Mainly Liverpool use.]
diamond geezer -A really wonderful man, helpful and reliable[Mainly London use]
dicey -Risky.
ding-dong - argument or fight
dipstick - idiot, fool
dirty: offensive; pornographic
dish the dirt -To reveal the truth or gossip.
dishy -Sexually attractive.
div - stupid or slow person
do a runner -to leave without paying for something
a doddle - something thats easy / no problem
dodgy - dubious person or thing
dog - an ugly girl
dog-end -The end part of a cigarette after smoking.
the dogs -Greyhound racing. {Informal}
dog's bollocks -The best. E.g."This song is the dog's bollocks.".Also 'cat's whiskers', 'bee's knees' and 'mutt's nuts'.
do in-To beat up, to kill.
done in - very tired.''I'm done in from all that walking''
do one-To go away. ''Do one,will you''
do my head in -To mentally disturb. E.g."Will you stop going on and on, you're doing my head in."
do your nut - To be very angry, to throw a tantrum.
done over - beaten up(for a person)or robbed(for a a shop or business)
dope - a slow or stupid person
dole - Social security benefits
dosh - money
dosser - down-and-out,homeless,tramp
do the business -Do what is necessary to achieve the required result. E.g."If you don't do the business, we are going to fail."
dough-Money.
down in the dumps -Miserable, depressed. E.g."I'm not coming out tonight, I'm feeling a little down in the dumps."
down under : Australia and New Zealand
dozy -Dimwitted, stupid, slow
take a dump [slightly offensive] - to do a toilet
dyke [offensive] - lesbian
dynamite: powerful; excellent
dinosaur: something/ONE out of date,old fashioned
draw -Cannabis or marijuana
drive-by -The shooting of guns at a particular target from inside a car. Common with street gangs in U.S. and now in Britain.
dropdead gorgeous -Stunningly attractive.
duckin' and diving -A reply to the questioning of one's recent activities meaning 'this and that'.Can be completed with the finishing phrase, fuckin' and skiving.
earbashing : nagging,severe telling off
earner -A profitable job or enterprise.
earwig -To listen into a conversation not meant for your ears. E.g."If you heard things said about you that you didn't like, then you shouldn't earwig into other peoples conversations."
easy-peasy -Very easy. Usually a children's expression.
eejit - An idiot. Originally Anglo-Irish pronunciation of idiot.
eff all - A euphemism for 'fuck all'
effing -A euphemism for 'fucking'.
effing and blinding -Using obscenities such as swear words, usually in annoyance. E.g."I've never seen him so angry, effing and blinding like nobodys business''
eff off -Euphemism for 'fuck off!'
Essex girl(slightly offensive)-Stereotypically describing a female from the Essex region, or a female of the style of an 'Essex girl'. Characteristics may include being working class, sexually promiscuous, fashion conscious, heavily drinking, confident and of low morals.
expat -Someone living in another country
To eyeball someone/thing : to stare long and hard at someone/thing
eyepopper: something or someone visibly astounding
face-off: confrontation
fag [offensive] (1): homosexual
(2): cigarette
family jewels - Rhyming Slang for testicles
far out - great
old fart : older person a bit on the miserable side
fat chance -No likelihood of something happening. E.g."You want him to clean up? Fat chance! He's too lazy"
fatso(alittle offensive)-A name for someone who is overweight or obese
Fed up : bored or tired of something
feel up -To sexually grope, or molest.
fiddle -To cheat.
filth [offensive] - the police
fit - sexually attractive
five finger discount - shoplifting
fiver - A five-pound note
flash -Showy, ostentatious ''Look at him,flash sod.Driving around in his new car''
flasher -A person who indecently exposes themselves in public.
flashback: sudden memory
flick : film; movie
to give someone/thing the flick: to get rid of it or him/her
The flicks -The cinema.
flip -1.An expression of annoyance. A very mild euphemism for 'fuck'.
2. To become mentally unstable, or excited.
flipping -A euphemism for 'fucking' as an intensifier. E.g."That flipping idiot just ignored me, like I wasn't there."
flog - To sell. ''They were flogging them cheap down the market''
floozie - a mistress or girlfriend
Flop - to fail ''The new Pacino film was a flop''
Flutter (to have a flutter) - a small bet (on horse racing or football)
flying fuck - Used in the phrase"I couldn't give a flying fuck" to mean I dont care at all
fool around -To act promiscuously.
footie/footy - football
for crying out loud ! - a expression of frustration or anger
for fucksake! -An exclamation of anger.
form -A criminal record.''he's got form''
for Pete's sake! -An exclamation of anger, or frustration.
(To catch ) forty winks - a short sleep or nap
four-eyes (slightly offensive)A wearer of glasses
four letter words-All encompassing euphemism for swear words, such as 'fuck' 'cunt' 'wank' etc.
freebie: something that does not cost money
freeze your bollocks off - To be very cold E.g."I've been freezing my bollocks off out here waiting for you all day!"
French kiss : kissing with the tongue
fruitcake -A crazy or eccentric person.
fuck - verb 1. To have sex
2. To tire out, to break, to ruin, to destroy. E.g."You've fucked the engine by keeping the revs too high for too long."
Fuck! An exclamation of annoyance, frustration or surprise.
Generally used as an intensive to a phrase, such as "What the fuck do you think you're doing?".Noun. 1. Sexual intercourse. E.g."I was drunk and the bar was about to close, so I asked her for a fuck."
2. A contemptible person.
3. A sexual partner. E.g. "She's a good fuck."
fuckable Adj. Sexually desirable.
fuck about / around -To mess around or idle away time.
fuck-all - Nothing. E.g."I had fuck-all to eat today"
fucked up Adj. 1. Ruined, broken.
2. Distressed, mentally disturbed.
fucking -A general intensifier. E.g."That fucking idiot deserves what he got"
fucking hell! An exclamation similar to 'fuck!'
fuck it ! -1.A general dismissive exclamation. 2.Forget about it,dont worry
fuck me!-An exclamation of surprise or amazement.
fuck off-as a verb 1. To go away, to leave. E.g."He felt sick and fucked off home."
2. To anger or annoy. E.g."He's really fucking me off with his moaning."
Fuck off! - 1.Used aggressively, in a sense of go away, 2.with a lighthearted slant such as don't be stupid.
Fuck off - adjective.Powerful, imposing. E.g."This big fuck off bloke came up and punched me, just for talking to his girlfriend!"
fuck this for a lark! -Used when you dont want to carry on doing something. ''Fuck this for a lark,Ive had enough.Im going home''
fuck up - To mess up, or 'to have fucked up' meaning to have messed things up severely.
'To be fucked up' verb -poor state of mental or physical health.
Noun. 1. A shambles. E.g."My wedding day was a total fuck up"
2. An inept person.
fuck you! - An aggressive exclamation of anger and defiance.
full monty - 'the whole lot', everything
full-on - powerful, with maximum effort
full of shit -Mistaken, wrong, speaking nonsense. E.g."I'm not listening to you anymore, you're full of shit."
full whack -The maximum price or rate. 'top whack'.
funny business-Misbehaviour or deception.
funny farm - mental hospital or institution
funny money - counterfeit money
The fuzz - Police
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Last updated March 2006
web design by Glen Croucher,2006