British Slang!!! If you are a traveler, especially an American visiting Britain, you should brush up on some of the local slang. Below is a list of awesome British slang words and phrases that you need to study.
Table of Contents
British Slang
Here’s a list of 60 commonly used British slang words and phrases that you will hear when visiting England.
- Cock-up – Screwup
- Brilliant – Wonderful
- Bollocks – Balls
- Fit bird – Attractive woman
- Hoover – Vaccum
- Trolley – Shopping cart
- Ponce – Poser
- Skive – Lazy or avoid doing something
- Fit bloke – Attractive man
- Diary – Calendar
- Know your opinion – Knowledgeable
- Mate – Pal
- Loo – Bathroom
- Kip – Sleep or nap
- Chips – French fries
- Off-license – Liquor store
- It’s monkeys outside – It is very cold
- Easy peasy – Easy
- Burn – Bult
- Dishy – Attractive man
- Bee’s Knees – Awesome
- Plastered – Drunk
- Pissed – Intoxicated
- Wonky – Not right
- Chav – White trash
- Ring – To phone
- Rubbish – Garbage of “That’s crap!”
- Honking – Vomiting
- Stag Night – Bachelor Party
- Bloke – A man
- Wicked – Cool!
- Blinding – Excellent
- Ace – Cool!
- Blimey! – Surprise, anger,… (God blind me)
- Bangers – Sausage
- Plonker – Idiot
- Shag – Screw
- Scrummy – Delicious
- Bugger all – Nothing at all
- Gutted – Devastated
- Sick – Cool
- Blighty – Britain
- Minging – Disgusting
- Posh – High-class
- Give you a bell – Call you
- Nice one – Messed up
- Tad – Little bit
- Tenner – £10
- Bloody – Used for emphasis
- Chuffed – Proud
- Fiver – £5
- Have a gander – Look
- Lost the Plot – Gone Crazy
- Fit – Hot
- Toff – Upper-class person
- Skive – Play hookey
- Fancy – Like something or someone
- Grub – Food
- Quid – £ (one pound)
- Sorted – Arranged
Typical British Slang Words | Infographic
British Slang Words and Phrases You Should Know
‘skive’ appears twice
‘toff’ is mostly out-dated, or now very jocular
I wanna join British of Slang.
Nice I need to learn more
Hoover, Chips, Off-Licence (note two “C’s”), Stag Night, Brilliant, Ring, Diary; are not Slang.
A Diary is not a calendar.
Plastered, Pissed and Minging are slang for the same thing….Drunk. But Minging is usually used for foul-smelling. i.e. Have you smelt that river? it’s minging.
Loo is a toilet not a bathroom.
Ponce is a pimp.
If anyone wants to learn ‘British’ slang, please learn it from the British, you will also get the correct spelling as well.
But Americans dont say “I need to use the toilet” so would you say that “I need to use the Loo” for an American would actually be the equivalent of us saying “I need to use the bathroom” (toilet)? So for me.. loo would be equivalent to bathroom?
I guess it doesn’t matter really. But I love the slang and how they speak!
Hello Bryan, the answer to your question is, yes; I would say “I need to use the Loo” or “I’m going to the Loo”. But we’re not differentiating between one cultures terminology for something and that of another’s. This is the definition of the slag word, if it’s British then it should be a British meaning, imo. e.g. Loo(s) is slang for toilet(s) or WC(s) not bathroom, a bathroom implies there is a bath (or shower) in it; hence the name, a toilet only has one purpose, but a bathroom has many. Of course there is also; The John, Dunny… Read more »
Here are some British slang words for the Police…..The Old Bill or just Old Bill or The Bill, Rozza/Rozzers, The Filth, The Fuzz, Coppers, Bow Street Runners, Peelers, Pigs, Bobby/Bobbies, Dibble, Bluebottles, Flatfoots.