Brit Slang

1. Bollocks: literally, testicles. Colloquially, a general expression of annoyance or distaste.
2. Cob: a bread roll.
3. Bap: a bread roll.
4. Barm: a bread roll.
5. Kecks: a bread rol—hang on, no, trousers. It’s trousers.
6. Knackered: tired, but very. It can also mean worn-out or damaged.
7. Bladdered: drunk. Insert any noun, add ed on the end of it, and it means “drunk” if you give it the right emphasis. The British have a lot of words for being drunk.
8. Punter: This one has a few meanings and it’s fairly important not to mix them up. It can be used to describe paying customers, usually as part of a crowd or audience, or it can be someone who’s gambling (i.e. someone who’s having a punt, or bet). The third meaning? A sex worker’s client. Seriously, don’t get them mixed up.
9. Owt: something.
10. Nowt: nothing.
11. Gutted: incredibly disappointed.
12. Bird: A woman, usually in the 18-40 age range. Except don’t actually use it, because you’ll sound a) like a dad and b) sexist.
13. Peas: money.
14. Bare: lots of, as in “man’s making bare peas.”
15. Hench: muscular.
16. Tory: a member of the British Conservative Party, used casually in a slightly demeaning way to denote a posh person.
17. Offie: short for off-license; a shop that can sell alcohol for consumption off the premises. Similar to a liquor store, but usually has a greater variety of non-alcohol products.
18. Tosser: a casual insult, equivalent to jerk-off.
19. Pillock: a stupid person. Originally meant “penis,” but barely anyone remembers that.
20. Cwtch: an incredibly Welsh term for a hug (pronounc “kutch,” as if it rhymes with “butch.”) Specifically, a nice, cozy hug that makes you feel all warm inside, like from your nan or something. (It’s pronounced “kutch,” like it rhymes with “butch.”)
21. Pants: underwear, not trousers.
22. Fiver: a five-pound note. See also: tenner, but not twentier That would be silly.
23. Skint: broke, no money. A distinct lack of fivers and tenners.
24. Chuffed: very happy, for example at not being skint after a windfall of fivers and tenners.
25. Peng: good, or (of a person) attractive. “She’s a peng ting [thing].” Other British slang words for attractive include fit, lush, a sort, piff, buff, leng.
26. Pissed: drunk. Again—a lot of words for drunk.
27. Fancy Dress: not “dressing fancy.” Kind of the opposite—if you’re being invited to a fancy dress party, you’re being invited to a costume party.
28. Roadman: Generally someone from London, characterized by heavy use of London-centric slang (modern, not cockney), full matching tracksuits, expensive trainers (sneakers, in American), and hanging around outside shops on street corners.