Common UK Expressions & Slang
Have you ever wondered about common UK expressions & slang? Maybe you are going to visit there and want to learn a few of them? Here is a long list so that maybe you won’t be surprised or embarrassed.
Common UK Expressions & Slang
This first group of common UK expressions & slang are greetings and words in everyday language.
- Ace - brilliant, which means very good
- All right? - Hello, how are you?
- Barmy - mad or crazy
- Best of British - good luck
- Bite your arm off - overly excited to get something
- Blast - an exclamation of surprise
- Blimey - an exclamation of surprise
- Blinding - fantastic
- Blinkered - narrow- minded
- Bloody - used to emphasize almost anything, also bleeding or blooming
- Blow me - means something like I am so surprised you could knock me over just by blowing, “knock me down with a feather"
- Bob's your uncle - that's it!
- Bollocks - it literally means testicles but describes something that is no good
- Bomb - really expensive, really well, or really fast
- Bottle - courage
- Brill - short for "brilliant"; cool.
- Budge up - move over and make some room.
- Bum - your bottom
- Bung - throw it, bribe
- Camp - gay or effeminate behavior, camp it up - dress in drag
- Cheeky - flippant
- Cheerio - friendly way of saying goodbye
- Chivvy along - hurry up!
- Cobblers - rubbish
- Cock up - a mistake
- Cor - expression of surprise
- Cracking - the best
- Crikey - expression of surprise
- Do - a party
- Doddle - cinch, easy
- Dodgy - not to be trusted
- Dog's bollocks - really fantastic
- Duff - useless, junk, trash
- Dull - boring
- Engaged - busy
- Fagged - bothered
- Fancy - desire
- Fanny around - procrastinate
- Fit - good looking or tasty
- Flog - sell
- Flutter - a bet
- Full monty - the whole thing
- Full of beans - lots of energy
- Gander - look around
- Getting off - making out, kissing, etc.
- Give us a bell - call me
- Gobsmacked - amazed
- Gormless - clueless
- Grub - food
- Hard lines - bad luck
- Hiya - hi there, hello
- Horses for courses - to each to his own
- Hunky-dory - cool, no worries
- I'm easy - I don't care, it's all the same to me
- Jolly - very
- Kip - nap
- Knees up - dance, party
- Knock up - wake someone up
- Leg it - run, run for it
- Mate - friend
- Naff - uncool
- Not my cup of tea - not to my liking
- Nowt - nothing
- Nut - to head butt someone
- Off your trolley - bonkers, crazy, mad
- On about - talking about
- Owt - anything
- Peanuts - cheap
- Posh - high class
- Potty - a little crazy, looney
- Quite - absolutely
- Read - your major at school
- Right - very
- Ring - calling someone on the phone
- Rubbish - trash, garbage
- Rugger - short for rugby
- Smart - refers to the way you are dressed
- Smashing - terrific
- Snog - making out, getting off
- Sorted - fixed a problem
- Stonking - huge
- Swotting - to study hard, cram
- Ta - thanks
- Taking the biscuit - out-do everything else, takes the cake
- Waffle - to talk on and on about nothing
- Watcha - Hi
- Wobbler - tantrum
- Wonky - shaky or unstable
- Zonked - exhausted
UK Curse Words
This second group of common UK expressions & slang has to do with cuss words, insults, anger, breaking the law, and bodily functions. That way you will know if someone is mad at you are if they are insulting you.
- Arse - same as ass, but is much ruder
- Beastly - really unpleasant or nasty
- Belt up - shut up
- Biggie - what a child calls his poop
- Blow off - means to fart
- Bogey - booger
- Bugger - a mild cuss word, bugger off - go away, bugger all - nothing
- Cheesed off - upset
- Clear off! - get lost
- Crusty dragon - a booger
- Daft - stupid
- Diddle - to rip someone off
- Dim - stupid
- Excuse me - what is said if you belch in public
- Fanny - a woman’s private parts
- Filch - steal
- Honking - being sick, throwing up
- Khazi - bathroom
- Knock off - steal it
- Mug - a gullible person
- Nick - steal
- Pardon me - what you say if you fart in public
- Pinch - steal
- Porridge - doing porridge is to serve time in prison
- Prat - mildly insulting name
- Puff - a fart
- Shirty - bad tempered
- Spend a penny - go to the bathroom
- Twit - twit, nitwit