63 London Slang Terms
London, the vibrant capital of the UK, is a buzzing metropolis where old meets new, and cultures from all over the world come together. Known for its iconic landmarks like Big Ben and the bustling markets of Camden, it’s a city that’s always on the move.
But it’s not just the landmarks that make London unique—its slang is just as colourful and dynamic as the city itself. Whether you’re grabbing a cuppa or riding the tube, London slang has its own flair.
SlangHub's Top Picks
SlangHub unpick some of the slang terms you might hear out and about in the capital.
Here’s our top 10 slang terms, to help you speak like a true Londoner!
1. Peng – Someone who is attractive or good-looking.
“That guy is peng, innit?”
2. Bare – A lot of something.
“There’s bare people at the party tonight!”
3. Mandem – A group of male friends.
“The mandem are coming round later to chill.”
4. Bait – Obvious or easily noticed.
“That move was so bait, everyone saw it!”
5. Peak – Unfortunate or unlucky.
“It’s so peak that you missed the concert.”
6. Innit – Short for “isn’t it?”, often used for emphasis.
“That’s cool, innit?”
7. Creps – Another word for trainers.
“Check out my new creps, they’re fresh!”
8. Wasteman – A useless or lazy person.
“He’s a proper wasteman!.”
9. Skint – Having no money.
“I can’t go out tonight, I’m skint!”
10. Leng – Something or someone very attractive.
“She’s absolutely leng!”
Other Popular London Slang Terms
1. Allow it – To forget about something or let it slide.
“Allow it, mate, it’s not worth the hassle.”
2. Bruv – Short for brother, used to address a close friend.
“What’s good, bruv?”
3. Butters – Ugly or unattractive.
“That shirt is butters, mate.”
4. Cotch – To chill or hang out.
“Let’s cotch at my place later.”
5. Don – A respected or cool person.
“He’s the don of this area.”
6. Ends – Neighbourhood or area.
“I’m heading back to my ends.”
7. Fam – Short for family, used to refer to close friends.
“What’s happening, fam?”
8. Gassed – Excited or hyped up.
“I’m gassed for the weekend!”
9. Gaff – House or flat.
“We’re having a party at my gaff tonight.”
10. Grub – Food.
“Let’s get some grub before the film.”
11. Link – To meet up with someone.
“I’ll link you at the park later.”
12. Mug – A fool or someone easily taken advantage of.
“Don’t let them take you for a mug!”
13. Par – An insult or disrespect.
“That comment was a par, mate.”
14. Rinse – To overuse or exhaust something.
“I’ve rinsed all my data this month.”
15. Safe – Used to show agreement or that someone is trustworthy.
“He’s safe, you can trust him.”
16. Wagwan – What’s going on?
“Yo, wagwan bro?”
17. Jarring – Annoying or frustrating.
“Her constant texting is jarring.”
18. Lofty – Arrogant or stuck-up.
“He’s acting a bit lofty lately.”
19. Moist – Weak or soft.
“Stop being so moist and just ask her out!”
20. Bun – To smoke or burn something.
“Let’s bun a cigarette.”
21. Brap – An exclamation of excitement, often used in grime music.
“That drop was mad! Brap!”
22. Chirps – To flirt with someone.
“He’s been chirpsing her all night.”
23. Deep it – To think about something seriously.
“Don’t deep it, life’s too short.”
24. Duck out – To leave quickly.
“I’m going to duck out early tonight.”
25. Feds – The police.
“Watch out, the feds are about.”
26. Finesse – To trick or deceive someone.
“He tried to finesse me out of £20.”
27. Gwan – Short for “going on,” asking how someone is.
“Yo, what’s gwan?”
28. Jam – To chill out or relax.
“Let’s just jam at home today.”
29. Live – Exciting or full of energy.
“That party was live last night!”
30. Low it – Forget about something or let it go.
“Low it, it’s not worth the argument.”
31. Neek – A nerd or someone who is socially awkward.
“He’s such a neek.”
32. Pattern up – To get something organised or sorted out.
“I need to pattern up my room before guests come over.”
33. Shook – Scared or frightened.
“He was shook when the dog barked at him.”
34. Skepta – To be doubtful or skeptical.
“I’m a bit Skepta about that deal.”
35. Snaked – Betrayed or double-crossed.
“He snaked me by telling the boss.”
36. Tekkers – Skillful or impressive technique.
“Those football tekkers were insane!”
37. Truss me – Trust me.
“It’ll be fine, truss me.”
38. Vexed – Angry or upset.
“I’m proper vexed about what happened.”
39. Wavy – Cool or trendy.
“Your outfit is looking wavy today.”
40. Yute – A young person.
“The yutes around here are always causing trouble.”
41. Bricky – Nervous or scared.
“I was feeling bricky before the exam.”
42. Buss – To break or reveal something.
“Buss that move at the club tonight!”
43. Clapped – Ugly or unattractive.
“That jacket is clapped, mate.”
44. Crud – To act tough or aggressive.
“He’s moving all crud since he got that new job.”
45. Dash – To throw something.
“Dash me the remote, fam.”
46. Fly – Looking sharp or fashionable.
“You’re looking fly in that jacket!”
47. Galdem – A group of female friends.
“The galdem are coming over later.”
48. Heavy – Impressive or great.
“That tune is heavy, bro!”
49. It’s a mazza – A crazy or wild situation.
“That party was a mazza, people were dancing on tables!”
50. Jammy – Lucky.
“You jammy git, winning that raffle!”
51. Nang – Amazing or cool.
“That concert was nang, fam.”
52. On job – Focused and working hard.
“He’s proper on job with his studies.”
53. Reh teh teh – Used when explaining something but skipping details. *“He was like ‘reh teh teh’ and then we left.”
