British Slang, Phrases And Idioms!

British Slang, Phrases and Idioms!

Finally getting this done! Special thanks to my Pa, because without him I wouldn’t know as much slang as I do LOL, we talk about this kind of thing on the regular, and he's my point of reference for this.

Remember, all of these phrases are very informal/casual, and the point of perspective is from England specifically, some of these words could mean something completely different to someone from a surrounding country. Some are moreso used by older people, while others are typical of a brit of any age. I’ll try my best to indicate as such!

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask! Whether it's in the replies, a DM or an actual tumblr ask! I may do another list/add to this list if I remember more later on. Of course, others are free to add on to this, offer corrections or clarifications, etc! :)

Warnings: Vulgar language, very very brief NSFW mentions

Anyway, Slang and Phrases under the cut!!

Nouns

Berk: an insult, a stupid person. Might be more common with people who are older.

Bird(s): Woman/Women ("A couple of birds") - Can sometimes come off as a little sleazy, but not always. Depends on the way it's used. I'd say it's kind of mostly used in reference to women you aren't that familiar with? Can also be used to mean someone's girlfriend "That's X's bird," Used by all.

Bloke(s): A man/men. Again, I'd say it's mostly used in reference to a guy you aren't very familiar with, but it's not always the case. Used by all.

Bollocks: Nonesense, an exclamation used when you’re annoyed/disagree with something or someone. Used by all.

"That's a load of bollocks," / That's a load of bullshit

"Bollocks to it," / Fuck it

Typically used out of anger or exasperation, but can be used in a light-hearted and joking way.

Bollocking: A strong reprimand. Used by all.

Chops: Mouth or jaws, ("Hit him right in the chops,")

Lad: A guy, typically indicates youth. Used by all.

Lass: A girl, typically indicates youth. Used by all.

Muppet: Also an insult, meaning incompetent or foolish. Used by all.

Mard Arse: someone who is sulking. Used by all.

Can also become a verb - "Mardying"/ Or an adjective: “Mardy”

Telly: TV. Used by all.

Trolleys/Kecks/Knickers: Underwear. First two are likely used by older people, whereas knickers is more commonly used by all. Knickers also specifically alludes/refers to women's underwear.

Yank: An American (Used by Ghost in the first MW2) Can very much have a derogatory tone to it. Used by all.

Adjectives

Battered: of an object, damaged by age and repeated use. Of a person, injured by repeated blows/hits. Used by all.

Bonny: Pretty/Beautiful

Buzzing: Very excited and happy, probably moreso used by younger people

Chuffed: Extremely happy or proud. Used by all.

Daft: Foolish. Used by all.

Dire: Very poor quality (Can still be used to mean serious or urgent) Used by all.

Dodgy: Unreliable, potentially dangerous, dishonest Used by all.

Fancy: Want/Like. Used by all.

Flatter than a witch's tit: Extremely flat

Gutted: Disappointed/Devastated. Used by all ages.

Hammered: Very drunk. Used by all.

Jammy: Lucky, getting lucky without effort ("You jammy bastard.")

Knackered/Shattered: Tired, exhausted / Can also be used to describe something that is broken. Used by all.

Minging: Disgusting/Unpleasant.

Pissed/Pissed-up: Drunk (But can still be used to mean Pissed Off/Angry) Used by all.

Piss easy: Very easy. Used by all.

Piece of Piss: Very easy. Used by all.

Thick: Stupid, dumb (Can be extended into a simile Ex, "Thick as pig shit") Used by all.

Verbs

Batter: strike repeatedly with hard blows, beat the shit out of someone. Used by all.

Collar/Collared: Seize/apprehend, or to stop someone in order to speak to them. Used by all.

Faff/Faffing about: Waste time, doing something (typically something useless) in a really disorganised or pedantic way. Used by all.

Kip: to sleep/nap (literally where my name comes from lmao) Ex. "I'm goin' kip," Used by all.

Leg-it/Legged it/Legging it: Run for it. Used by all.

Mouth/Mouthed/Mouthing Off: talk in a loud, unpleasant or rude/disrespectful way. Used by all.

Nick/Nicked: To steal. Used by all.

Scarper/Scarpered: Run away. Used by all.

Shag: To have sex with someone

Skive/Skived/Skiving: Avoid work or a particular duty by staying away or leaving early. Used by all.

Yank: Pull something very hard. Used by all.

Phrases and Idioms

All over the shop:

Can be used to mean "everywhere" ("You're getting it all over the shop!" / "You're getting it everywhere!")

Can also mean to describe something or someone as being in a disorganised or confused state. ("He was all over the shop,")

Used by all.

Armed to the teeth: Carrying a lot of weapons. Used by all.

Bastard: Can sometimes be used in a similar way to "Dammit!" - an expression of frustration. Used by all.

Can also be used like "damn" when referring to something in frustration. (Ex. "Close that damn door!" would be "Close that bastard door!")

Bastard can also be added after an adjective for added effect "Thievin' bastard," / "Mardy Bastard,"

Bastard in general is a very versatile word, it can be used as an insult but also can just be used to refer to someone generally. See it as a sort of replacement for "guy" in some aspects (but not all). ("Poor guy,"/"Poor bastard,")

Combining the above two, you can get the wonderful phrase "All over the bastard shop."

Bone to pick: Having a grievance with someone. In some cases may indicate reprimanding. Used by all.

Built like a brick shithouse: Describing someone who's very big and very strong. Used by all.

By the skin of one's teeth: By a narrow margin, only just, ("Hanging on by the skin of his teeth"/"Barely holding on") Used by all.

Cheers: Casual term for "Thanks" Used by all.

Christ on a bike: Used to indicate shock, surprise or exasperation, a more humerous take on "Jesus Christ" Used by all.

Fuck me: An exclamation used to indicate annoyance, exasperation and frustration. Can also be used to express surprise or disbelief (Kind of in the way you'd use "Jesus Christ") Used by all.

Gagging for it: sort of like "begging/asking for it" / really wanting something/tempting fate. Can be used in a taunting or threatening way. Used by all.

Ex. “He’s gagging for it.”

Give/Gave someone a seeing-to: Similar to battering someone. But can also mean fucking someone (often used humerously in that context). Used by all.

Have a laugh/Having a laugh: Also has two meanings depending on context, used by all.

1. Joking around, generally having fun with something

2. To express annoyance when you think someone is being unreasonable or unfair

Hell's Bells: an exclamation of annoyance or anger. Can be made into an angrier expression by throwing fuck in the middle. Ex. "Hell's fuckin' bells!" - I'd say used by all, but probably moreso older people.

I'll have ya: A threat, similar to "I'll get you," Severity of the threat depends on context, ranging from collaring someone, to beating the shit out of someone to straight up killing them. Can also be used in a joking way between friends. Used by all.

Innit: Short for "Isn't it" or "Ain't it" Used by all ages.

Pack it in: Stop it/Cut it out. Typically used in a frustrated way. Can be emphasised by adding fuck, ex. "Pack it the fuck in!" Used by all.

Pissing About: Wasting time. Used by all.

Pissing it down: Raining really hard. Used by all.

Piss(ing) Oneself Laughing: Laughing uncontrollably. Used by all.

Pissing Oneself: Very scared. Used by all.

Shaking like a shitting dog: To describe someone who's shaking a lot/shaking badly. More of a northern phrase, I think.

Shit/Shat me/you/them up: To scare someone/make them jump

Ta: Short, casual term for "Thank you" Used by all.

Take the piss/Taking the piss: Used by all, has a few meanings

1. Making fun of/mocking someone in a way that isn’t intended to be serious (teasing) (Sort of like “Fuck with,”)

2. To lie about something in a really obvious, sometimes outrageous way. (”What? Really?” “No, I’m taking the piss.”)

3. To describe someone who’s taking something for granted, taking liberties or being unfair.

Rhyming Slang

Tits-up: something going horribly wrong. Used by all. ("It's all going tits-up,")

Wind(ing) someone up: Similar to taking the piss, purposefully being annoying by making fun, teasing or playing practical jokes. ("Where's X?" "He's winding Y up.") May also be used in disbelief when you think someone is being unfair or dishonest ("Are you winding me up?") Used by all.

Wind up merchant: As above, a wind up merchant is someone who enjoys winding someone up, this name is often given in annoyance by the victim

Rhyming Slang gets its own section because it's a wide and wonderful topic. I can't put every possible option, but I'll pick a few favourites. I highly reccommend anyone who's interested to look into it more. Rhyming slang can also just be made up on the spot, and I'd say it's moreso used by older folk.

To use rhyming slang, you just use the phrase in the place of the actual word you're substituing out. Basically just like using synonyms.

Some rhyming slang can be shortened further into just a word.

Bell Ringers/Bellies: Fingers

Boat Race/Boat: Face

Brown Bread: Dead

Butcher's Hook/Butcher's/Butch: Look

Hank Marvin: Starving, hungry

Pat and Mick: Sick

Plates of Meat/Plates: Feet

Septic Tank/Septic: Yank (An American) 

Tea leaf: Thief

Two and eight: State (Describing someone who is dishevelled or upset.)

Extra/Misc

Depending on the situation, "fucking" can be turned into just "kin"

Ex. "Fucking Hell" can become "'kin 'ell!"

This also applies to "Fuck Off" which can just become "Koff"

Ex. "'koff with that shit,"

Depends on the situation honestly, sometimes the "fu" sound can be a lot more emphasised. The art of british swearing is a delicate one.

Insults can also be made out of pretty much anything, so long as it's put after "You absolute-"

Cunt can be a little divisive when used (some have no problem using it, others find it to be too abhorrent to use) but it's used pretty commonly.

More Posts from Sir-leoondrawsalot and Others

2 years ago

Writing advice...

... About military things from a soldier :)

Pt.1 / ?: Guns

You wanna write a story with a militaristic setting, like CoD or R6S? And you wanna have action, but you've got no clue about guns and gunfights and don't know where to start?

Well, lucky for you or not I know what that feels like and I've also got the combat / real life experience to help ya out!

Feel free to hop in my askbox or dm's and ask questions. I'll gladly elaborate and do my best to answer in full and plenty.

Happy writing y'all! :)

So, first of all: Guns are heavy. As in multiple kilogramms heavy. A loaded rifle can easily weigh anywhere between 3 - 5kg. Handguns can be between 900gr - 2kg. The exact weight depends on the gun itself and wether it's loaded or not. A gun w a full magazine is obvs gonna weigh more than a gun without.

Second of all: Despite what you see in video games, you do not just pull the trigger and blast your whole magazine at the enemy. It takes seconds to empty a rifle but gunfights can last for hours - hence why soldiers are trained to count their shots and only shoot in salves.

Third of all: If a soldier ever gets to the point where they gotta pick up rifles found on the ground cause they're either outta ammo or lost theirs... They're probably fucked.

Fourth of all: Soldiers know their weapons. They know the exact type, the name, how to dis- and reassemble it in under a minute, gloves on and eyes closed. We know everything we could possibly know about our gun, down to the exact number of how much it weighs. And yes, we gotta take our gun apart and thoroughly clean it after every. Single. Use.

Fifth of all: Do not - and I repeat - do not shoot towards the sky. That bullet you just shot will come down somewhere (gravity n all) and no one can predict where and what damage it'll possibly do upon impact.

2 years ago
Layer Effects Tutorial By Robin

Layer Effects Tutorial by Robin

2 years ago
Spider-Verse #1-6 Spidersonas Part 1 / Part 2
Spider-Verse #1-6 Spidersonas Part 1 / Part 2
Spider-Verse #1-6 Spidersonas Part 1 / Part 2
Spider-Verse #1-6 Spidersonas Part 1 / Part 2
Spider-Verse #1-6 Spidersonas Part 1 / Part 2
Spider-Verse #1-6 Spidersonas Part 1 / Part 2
Spider-Verse #1-6 Spidersonas Part 1 / Part 2
Spider-Verse #1-6 Spidersonas Part 1 / Part 2
Spider-Verse #1-6 Spidersonas Part 1 / Part 2
Spider-Verse #1-6 Spidersonas Part 1 / Part 2

Spider-Verse #1-6 spidersonas Part 1 / Part 2

2 years ago

my god .. the multiverse is littered with the corpses of your goddamn failures

My God .. The Multiverse Is Littered With The Corpses Of Your Goddamn Failures
2 years ago
I’m Still Learning Anatomy Myself So I Wouldn’t Use This As More Than Just A General Tip But….
I’m Still Learning Anatomy Myself So I Wouldn’t Use This As More Than Just A General Tip But….
I’m Still Learning Anatomy Myself So I Wouldn’t Use This As More Than Just A General Tip But….

i’m still learning anatomy myself so i wouldn’t use this as more than just a general tip but…. I am fascinated by speculative monster anatomy and this is something i discovered years ago and thought i would impart amongst my fellow monster enthusiasts :)

mind you, the second set of pectorals can look kind of funky so i understand aesthetically why people would prefer not to draw them but! if you are someone interested in anatomy, i think this is a thing people dont really think about when giving their OCs wings/extra limbs and i think it’s kind of neat!

3 years ago

Ummm byee

Ummm Byee
3 years ago
Collection Of All My Obey Me! Anime Countdown Posts I've Been Doing For The Past Week Over On My Twitter!
Collection Of All My Obey Me! Anime Countdown Posts I've Been Doing For The Past Week Over On My Twitter!
Collection Of All My Obey Me! Anime Countdown Posts I've Been Doing For The Past Week Over On My Twitter!
Collection Of All My Obey Me! Anime Countdown Posts I've Been Doing For The Past Week Over On My Twitter!
Collection Of All My Obey Me! Anime Countdown Posts I've Been Doing For The Past Week Over On My Twitter!
Collection Of All My Obey Me! Anime Countdown Posts I've Been Doing For The Past Week Over On My Twitter!
Collection Of All My Obey Me! Anime Countdown Posts I've Been Doing For The Past Week Over On My Twitter!
Collection Of All My Obey Me! Anime Countdown Posts I've Been Doing For The Past Week Over On My Twitter!
Collection Of All My Obey Me! Anime Countdown Posts I've Been Doing For The Past Week Over On My Twitter!

Collection of all my Obey Me! Anime Countdown posts I've been doing for the past week over on my Twitter! Plus a Luke because it was his birthday~


Tags
3 years ago

Kenya's strong statement opposing the undermining of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine during the emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on 21st February 2022.

A powerful and poignant speech.

Paragraphs 10 - 17 are a must read for everyone in the modern world. Read them, then read them again. And again.

Kenya's Strong Statement Opposing The Undermining Of The Sovereignty And Territorial Integrity Of Ukraine
Kenya's Strong Statement Opposing The Undermining Of The Sovereignty And Territorial Integrity Of Ukraine
Kenya's Strong Statement Opposing The Undermining Of The Sovereignty And Territorial Integrity Of Ukraine
  • doctordogboy
    doctordogboy reblogged this · 7 months ago
  • sus-styles
    sus-styles liked this · 10 months ago
  • hatsheep
    hatsheep liked this · 11 months ago
  • badwolfgirl1
    badwolfgirl1 liked this · 1 year ago
  • bbycregan
    bbycregan liked this · 1 year ago
  • zoe-anonimous
    zoe-anonimous liked this · 1 year ago
  • juviqaa
    juviqaa liked this · 1 year ago
  • rosepinkcherry
    rosepinkcherry liked this · 1 year ago
  • kuroinchaos
    kuroinchaos liked this · 1 year ago
  • watenl
    watenl liked this · 1 year ago
  • thraxpatty
    thraxpatty liked this · 1 year ago
  • poppyseedmuffins21
    poppyseedmuffins21 liked this · 1 year ago
  • mywrittingthings
    mywrittingthings reblogged this · 1 year ago
  • mel-mcz
    mel-mcz reblogged this · 1 year ago
  • mel-mcz
    mel-mcz liked this · 1 year ago
  • sashadonat
    sashadonat liked this · 1 year ago
  • k1rrbs
    k1rrbs liked this · 2 years ago
  • tesalicious2
    tesalicious2 liked this · 2 years ago
  • hirassas
    hirassas liked this · 2 years ago
  • artdrawsok
    artdrawsok liked this · 2 years ago
  • callofdooty
    callofdooty liked this · 2 years ago
  • scrollofstarshine
    scrollofstarshine liked this · 2 years ago
  • procrastination-is-my-hobby
    procrastination-is-my-hobby reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • usgsnajs
    usgsnajs liked this · 2 years ago
  • morrigan-ward
    morrigan-ward liked this · 2 years ago
  • let-them-eat-cherrypies
    let-them-eat-cherrypies liked this · 2 years ago
  • antisocial-aces
    antisocial-aces liked this · 2 years ago
  • thea-raeken
    thea-raeken liked this · 2 years ago
  • blazerising
    blazerising liked this · 2 years ago
  • flamesandpages
    flamesandpages liked this · 2 years ago
  • sunniebelle
    sunniebelle liked this · 2 years ago
  • lisa-uepp
    lisa-uepp liked this · 2 years ago
  • bronzeagepizzeria
    bronzeagepizzeria reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • thyseexxvl
    thyseexxvl liked this · 2 years ago
  • xawkward-ariesx
    xawkward-ariesx reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • nerdie-faerie
    nerdie-faerie liked this · 2 years ago
  • elleras
    elleras liked this · 2 years ago
  • jacks-the-flower
    jacks-the-flower liked this · 2 years ago
  • writingstrugglesaugust
    writingstrugglesaugust reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • moonlitramblings
    moonlitramblings liked this · 2 years ago
  • deardiary17
    deardiary17 reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • deardiary17
    deardiary17 liked this · 2 years ago
  • mesfantomes-marie
    mesfantomes-marie reblogged this · 2 years ago
  • lostintro
    lostintro liked this · 2 years ago
  • krissaklikk
    krissaklikk liked this · 2 years ago
  • 4-thehopeofitall
    4-thehopeofitall liked this · 2 years ago
sir-leoondrawsalot - hello travellers!
hello travellers!

wouldn't gliding be faster? || leoon || minor || i make art and i now play genshin ;D

259 posts

Explore Tumblr Blog
Search Through Tumblr Tags