Have you ever wondered about common UK expressions & slang? Maybe you are going to visit the UK 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 words are greetings and words used in everyday language:
- Ace - amzing, awesome
- All right? - Hello, how are you?
- Barmy - mad or crazy
- Bite your arm off - overly excited to get something
- Blimey - an exclamation of surprise
- Blinding - fantastic
- Blinkered - narrow-minded
- Bloody - used to emphasize annoyance, as in "Bloody hell!" Bleedin' or bloomin' are variations
- Bob's your uncle - that's it!
- Bomb - something impressive
- Bottle it - lose your nerve
- Brill - short for "brilliant"; cool, very good
- Budge up - move over and make some room
- Bum - your bottom
- Bung - throw it here, a bribe
- Camp - gay or effeminate behavior; camp it up - to act flamboyantly or overly effeminate
- Cheerio - friendly way of saying goodbye
- Chuffed - really pleased about something
- Cobblers - rubbish
- Cock up - a big mistake
- Cracking - the best
- Cracking up - laughing
- Do - a party
- Doddle - a cinch, easy
- Dodgy - not to be trusted
- Dog's bollocks - really fantastic
- Fancy - like or desire
- Fanny around - procrastinate
- Fit - attractive or sexy
- Flog - sell
- Flutter - a bet
- Full monty - the whole thing
- Full of beans - lots of energy
- Gander - look around
- Getting off with - making out, kissing someone
- Give me a bell - call me
- Gobsmacked - amazed
- Gormless - clueless
- Grub - food
- Gutted - very disappointed
- Hiya - hi there, hello
- Honking - being sick, throwing up
- 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
- Khazi - bathroom
- Kip - nap
- Knees up - dance, party
- Knock up - wake someone up
- Leg it - run, run for it
- Mate - friend
- Naff - uncool, tacky
- Not my cup of tea - not to my liking
- Nut - head, or to headbutt someone
- Off your trolley - bonkers, crazy, mad
- On about - talking about
- On the pull - looking for a hook up
- Peanuts - cheap
- Porridge - doing porridge is to serve time in prison
- Posh - high class
- Potty - a little crazy, looney
- Ring - call someone on the phone
- Rubbish - trash, garbage
- Rugger - short for rugby
- Smart - refers to the way you are dressed
- Smashing - terrific
- Snog - make out, kiss
- Sorted - organized, arranged, or fixed a problem
- Spend a penny - go to the bathroom
- Stonking - huge
- Swotting - to study hard, cram
- Ta - thanks
- Takes the biscuit - something is annoying or surprising, also "takes the cake"
- Waffle - to talk on and on about nothing
- Wobbler - tantrum
- Wonky - shaky or unstable
- Wotcha - Hi
- Zonked - exhausted
Some old-fashioned expressions are not widely used any more but you might still hear them:
- Beastly - really unpleasant or nasty
- Blast - an exclamation of surprise
- Chivvy along - hurry up!
- Cor - expression of surprise
- Crikey - expression of surprise
- Hard lines/cheese - bad luck
- Jolly - very
Some phrases are regional such as these slang words from Yorkshire:
- Mardy - moody
- Nowt - nothing
- Owt - anything
- Parky - cold
UK Insults
This group of common UK slang has to do with cuss words, insults, and anger. That way you will know if someone is mad at you or if they are insulting you.
- Arse - the same as ass, as in "pain in the arse" or "can't be arsed,"
- Belt up - shut up
- Bollocks - it literally means testicles but describes something that is useless/nonsense; also used as a mild expression of anger/frustration
- Bugger - a mild cuss word, expression of anger/frustration; bugger off - go away; bugger all - nothing
- Cheesed off - annoyed, upset
- Daft - stupid
- Diddle - to rip someone off
- Dim - stupid, also dimwit
- Fanny - a woman's private parts
- Knob, knobhead - a stupid, irritating person, usually a man
- Knock off - to steal
- Minger - an unattractive person (usually a woman)
- Mug - fool, sucker
- Muppet - a stupid or guillable person
- Prat - mildly insulting name
- Puff - a fart
- Richard the Third - Cockney rhyming slang for a turd (poop)
- Shirty - bad tempered
- Slag - a promiscuous person (usually a woman)
- Sod off! - get lost
- Tosser - jerk or idiot
- Twit - idiot
As with any language, new slang words are always being added to the UK vocabulary. For the latest, just listen to those who are under age 30 - they tend to be the most up to speed on the current slang.
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By YourDictionary
Have you ever wondered about common UK expressions & slang? Maybe you are going to visit the UK and want to learn a few of them? Here is a long list so that maybe you won’t be surprised or embarrassed.
