100 UK Slang Terms
What’s up geezer! In the United Kingdom, slang is often used as a fun, quirky, and ever-evolving way of speaking that reflects the rich and diverse culture. From classic Cockney rhyming slang to the latest street lingo, it’s a language all on its own and can, at times, be hard to understand.
Whether you’re having a ‘cheeky’ pint at the pub or trying to make sense of your mate’s ‘banter’, UK slang keeps conversations colourful and full of personality.
But how do you know your UK from your American Slang?
Don’t worry, SlangHub got you covered with some of the most common phrases and what they really mean.
SlangHub’s Top Picks: UK Edition
If you’re ready to sound like a true Brit, here’s our top 10 favourite UK slang terms that truly capture the heart of British culture:
1. Banter – A playful and friendly way to exchange teasing remarks.
“We had some great banter at the pub last night!”
2. Cheeky – Doing something unplanned yet pleasurable.
“Let’s grab a cheeky Nando’s!”
3. Knackered – When someone is completely exhausted.
“I’m knackered after that long day at work.”
4. Gutted – Very disappointed.
“I was gutted when my team lost the match.”
5. Bloke – Another informal term for a man.
“Stuart? Yeah he’s a top bloke.”
6. Dodgy – Dishonest or unreliable.
“That second-hand car looks a bit dodgy.”
7. Skint – Having no money.
“Can’t come out tonight, I’m skint!”
8. Mate – Friend or buddy.
“How’s it going, mate?”
9. Chuffed – Very pleased or happy.
“I’m proper chuffed with my new job.”
10. Faff – To waste time or procrastinate.
“Stop faffing around and get on with it!”
A-Z of 90 Popular UK Slang Terms
1. Ace – Something excellent.
“That new song is ace!”
2. All to pot – When things go wrong.
“This project’s gone all to pot!”
3. Arsed – Bothered or care.
“Sorry, but I really can’t be arsed to go out tonight.”
4. Barmy – Crazy or foolish.
“You’re barmy as they come!”
5. Bee’s knees – Something great.
“These new trainers are the bee’s knees.”
6. Belter – A great thing or person.
“That performance was a belter!”
7. Bodge – A quick, sloppy repair.
“He’s bodged the fix on that chair.”
8. Bonkers – Absolutely crazy.
“That idea is bonkers!”
9. Bottle – Courage.
“He didn’t have the bottle to ask her out.”
10. Brassic – Broke, without money.
“I’m brassic until payday.”
11. Bugger all – Nothing.
“I’ve done bugger all today.”
12. Butty – A northern term for a sandwich.
“Do you want a bacon butty?”
13. Chinwag – A chat or talk.
“I can’t wait for a good, old-fashioned chinwag.”
14. Clanger – A big mistake.
“He dropped a clanger at the meeting.”
15. Cock-up – A mistake or error.
“That was a proper cock-up.”
16. Cracking – Excellent or great.
“That was a cracking show!”
17. Cream crackered – Extremely tired.
“I’m cream crackered after the gym.”
18. Daft – Silly or foolish.
“Don’t be daft, you’ll be fine!”
19. Dead chuffed – Really pleased.
“I’m dead chuffed with the surprise party.”
20. Doddle – Something very easy.
“That exam was a doddle.”
21. Donkey’s years – A long time.
“I haven’t my friend in donkey’s years!”
22. Flog – To sell something.
“I’m going to flog my old bike.”
23. Fit – Attractive.
“He’s so fit!”
24. Full of beans – Energetic.
“The kids are full of beans today.”
25. Gaff – House or home.
“We’re heading back to my gaff after the party.”
26. Gobsmacked – Amazed or shocked.
“I was gobsmacked when I saw Amanda’s makeover.”
27. Grub – Food.
“Let’s grab some grub before the movie.”
28. Guvnor – Boss or person in charge.
“He’s the guvnor around here.”
29. Hank Marvin – Starving.
“I’m Hank Marvin after that hike.”
30. Hunky-dory – Everything is fine.
“Everything’s hunky-dory.”
31. Jammy – Lucky.
“You jammy sod, winning the lottery!”
32. Jiffy – A short amount of time.
“I’ll be there in a jiffy.”
33. Kerfuffle – A fuss or commotion.
“What’s the kerfuffle?”
34. Kip – Sleep or nap.
“I need a kip after lunch.”
35. Knob – An idiot.
“Don’t be such a knob.”
36. Leg it – Run away.
“Quick, leg it before they see us!”
37. Lurgy – A cold or illness.
“I’ve caught the lurgy from the office.”
38. Miffed – Annoyed.
“I was a bit miffed that you couldn’t make it.”
39. Minging – Disgusting.
“That food was minging!”
40. Mug – A fool or someone easily tricked.
“Don’t take me for a mug.”
41. Naff – Uncool or lame.
“That outfit is so naff.”
42. Nicked – Stolen or arrested.
“My bike got nicked!”
43. Numpty – A silly or foolish person.
“You’re such a numpty sometimes.”
44. On the pull – Looking for a romantic connection.
“He’s out on the pull tonight.”
45. Pants – Rubbish or bad.
“That movie was pants.”
46. Pavement pizza – Vomit.
“Someone left a pavement pizza outside the pub.”
47. Peckish – A bit hungry.
“I’m a bit peckish. Should we go for dinner now?”
48. Pip pip – A posh way of saying goodbye.
“Cheerio, pip pip!”
49. Plonk – Cheap wine.
“Shall we grab a bottle of plonk?”
50. Pukka – Genuine or high quality.
“That jacket is pukka!”
51. Quid – One pound (£1).
“It only cost me a few quid.”
52. Rammed – Packed or crowded.
“The train was rammed this morning.”
53. Row – An argument.
“They had a massive row last night.”
54. Sarnie – Sandwich.
“I’ll have a ham and cheese sarnie, please.”
55. Scrummy – Delicious.
“That cake was scrummy!”
56. Skive – To avoid work or school.
“He’s always skiving off lessons.”
57. Snog – Kiss.
“They had a cheeky snog at the party.”
58. Sorted – Organised or arranged.
“It’s all sorted for Saturday night.”
59. Spanner – A fool.
“You complete spanner!”
60. Strop – A bad mood or tantrum.
“She’s in a right strop today.”
61. Taking the mickey – Teasing or mocking.
“He’s only taking the mickey, don’t mind him!”
62. Telly – Television.
“I can never find anything to watch on the telly anymore.”
63. Throw a wobbly – When someone has a tantrum.
“He threw a wobbly when he lost the game.”
64. Tickety-boo – Going well.
“It’s all tickety-boo here!”
65. Tosser – An insulting way to describe a person who is rude or annoying.
“You’re such a tosser.”
66. Twat – A fool or idiot.
“He’s acting like a right twat.”
67. Up for it – Keen or ready to do something.
“I’m up for it if you are!”
68. Waffle – Talk or write at length with little substance.
“He waffled on for ages during the meeting.”
69. Wanker – A highly offensive term for someone that is unpleasant.
“You really are such a wanker.”
70. Welly – Effort or power.
“Give it some welly!”
71. Whinge – To complain or moan in a persistent way.
“Can you stop whinging and get on with it.”
72. Wicked – Awesome or great.
“That concert was wicked!”
73. Winds me up – Annoys me.
“It really winds me up when people are late.”
74. Wonky – Not right or crooked.
“That picture’s a bit wonky.”
75. Yonks – A long time.
“I haven’t seen you properly in yonks!”
76. Zonked – Completely exhausted.
“I’m absolutely zonked after that run.”
77. Zebra crossing – A pedestrian crossing that is marked with black and white stripes.
“Make sure to use the zebra crossing outside the school as there’s lots of traffic.”
78. Blinding – Excellent or brilliant.
“That was a blinding performance!”
79. Gobby – Talkative or loud.
“She’s a bit gobby isn’t she?”
80. Lad – A young man who’s a bit cheeky.
“He’s a proper lad.”
81. Lash – A heavy drinking session.
“We had a proper lash last night.”
82. Plonker – A fool.
“You absolute plonker!”
83. Radge – Angry or mad.
“He went totally radge when he heard the news.”
84. Scran – Food.
“Let’s get some scran, I’m starving.”
85. Tight – Stingy or cheap.
“He’s so tight, never buys a round.”
86. Throw in the towel – To give up on something completely.
“I’ve had enough of this. I’m ready to throw in the towel.”
87. Wavy – Trendy or cool.
“That outfit is so wavy!”
88. Zed – The letter ‘Z’.
“It’s pronounced ‘zed’ not ‘zee’!”
89. Yob – A rude or aggressive young man.
“A group of yobs were causing trouble outside.”
90. Whip-round – A collection of money from a group.
“We’re doing a whip-round for her leaving gift.”
