English Corner: Common British Slang Words for English Learners

​For people outside of the UK even the word ‘slang’, might be unusual, so to clarify, ‘slang’ refers to the casual use of words that have been newly created and are usually spoken only by select groups of people.
Slang in Britain flourishes, from North to South or East to West you’ll find an interesting mix of English and regional dialects, sometimes heavily influenced by international culture (heighted by internet culture).

You can easily find yourself puzzled by the quick retorts of youth, or the savvy lingo expressed by the professional and even by the old pensioners outdated observations.

Here are some popular british slang words that could help you understand about what the Brit says in their native language.

• Any road: any road is another way of saying “anyway”. It is commonly used by Northern UK. Instead of saying “anyway”, they said “any road”.
• All right: this is technically a form of greeting. It is used a lot in London and southern UK, it means “hello, how are you?” that’s why it is usually said as a question like “all right mate?” you would said it to someone you knew or even a stranger. The normal response is also same “All right”.
• Ace: it means “awesome”.
• Anal: when someone is being anal about something, he is choosing to be an asshole. He is choosing to be tight and strong minded like the anal sphincter. Therefore, you should tell him “don’t be anal”.
• Ass: this means your buttocks, your backside, but mostly a donkey.
• Arse: this word means as same as Ass, but it is much ruder. Some expression about it such as “pain in the arse” (a nuisance), I can’t be arsed ( I can’t be bothered), and “a half arsed attempt” means something was not done properly.
• Aye: it means “yes”
• Bladdered: it means drunk, therefore, if you heard when a British say “you are bladdered”, they mean you are drunk.
• Ballistic: it is used to describe the feeling of getting angry or mad. E.g. he went ballistic ( he went mad).
• Bloke: another word for male.
• Barmy: have gone mad or crazy. If someone tells you that you are barmy, they mean you have gone mad or crazy. E.g. you would have to be barmy if you visited England without trying black pudding!
• Beastly : this word means something or somebody that were really unpleasant or nasty and people will consider it as a snob.
• Blinding: it means great. If something is a blinding success, it means it is a great success.
• Blinkered: blinkered means narrow minded or narrow sighted, they only see one view on a subject.
• Bloody: it is used to emphasis the word. E.g. bloody awesome, bloody hell, bloody awful, bloody brilliant.
• Bollocks: it is typically used to describe something that is no good(that’s bollocks) or that someone is talking rubbish( talking blocks)
• Bugger all : it means “nothing”. If something costs bugger all, it means that it costs nothing. Meaning it is cheap. While if you have bugger all, it means you have nothing.
• Cheers: this word is usually used when drinking with friends. However. It also has other meanings. For instance when saying goodbye you could say “cheers” or “cheers then”. It also means thank you.
• Chips: French fries. It is basically a deep fried finger length potatoes eaten in the UK. These are also known as crisps in the UK.
• Chat up : to be flirtatious, that is to speak to someone with the intent of eventually engaging in sexual intercourse with them.
• Cracking: another word for good. E.g. if a girl is cracking it means that girl is stunning.
• Dear: it means “expensive”. E.g. don’t you think flights to UK are dear?
• Dodgy: bad quality or untrustworthy. Therefore, if someone or something is a bit dodgy, it means it isnt to be trusted.
• DIY : it is the abbreviation of Do It Yourself.
• Excuse me : it is usually used when addressing a stranger, when interrupting or disagreeing with someone or to request a repetition for something that have just been said or explained.
• Fancy: in Britain, it means like or desire or want. E.g. do you fancy a cake? Technically fancy is used for both people and food.
• Grub: food. E.g. I am hungry, let’s get a grub.
• Gutted:  this is a very common slang in Britain. It means to be sad or upset.
• Jolly good: very good. E.g. she is a jolly good singer.
• Daft: basically it has so many meanings, such as stupid, insane, nuts, moronic, and asinine. It depends on context and what would you say about.
• Knackered:  tired or sleepy. E.g. I am feeling a bit knackered today.
• Loaded: it means “rich”. When a Brit says “ that guy is loaded”, it means he is rich.
• Loony: this word means mad or crazy.
• On about: it means what are you talking about?
• One off: this word is used to describe a one-time event that is never to be repeated.
• Piece of cake: it means “something is easy”. E.g. he makes that dance looks like a piece of cake.
• Pissed: another word for Drunk Posh-high class, sophisticated.
• Puke: vomit quid-a pound in English money.
• Smashing: it means “terrific”. Therefore, if something is smashing, it means it is terrific.
• Ta: a slang word for “thank you”
• Taking a piss: it basically means making fun of someone.
• Twat: a word that is used to insult someone who has offended you. It means a person who is a stupid and lacks of good sense of judgement. This is also a slang word for female genital.
• Up for it: to be available. When a British said they were up for it, it means they were willing to come along. E.g. you up fo going up the pub? Yeah mate, I am up fo it.
• Wanker: it is used to describe someone who is a bit of a jerk. It actually means someone who masturbates.
• Wind up: this word has a couple of meaning. In one hand, if something you do is “wind up”, it means you are making fun of someone. On the other hand, if you are “wound up”, it means you are annoyed or you are worried or you are nervous.