When you travel to England and start talking with the locals you are going to come across British slang words. You will most likely stare back blankly or pretend like you know what they are talking about and get it hopelessly wrong. To help you make sense of the interesting but downright confusing things you are going to hear, read this guide on some of the words Brits say and what they mean.
Here are 26 British Slang Words and Phrases You Need to Know Before You Travel to the UK:
1. You alright? = How are you?
This is by far the hardest one to get use to and you will hear it all the time. Don’t worry people don’t think you look sick. It’s just their way of asking how you are going.
2. Dinner = Lunch
So what do they call dinner?….
3. Tea = Dinner
It’s confusing but just go with it.
4. Skint = When you have no money
5. Lovely jubbly = Great
Remember it’s lovely jubbly NOT lovely jubblies.
6. Chippy = A fish and chip shop
They always ask if you want peas or curry with your fish and chips. Try both. Surprisingly, both go well with it.
7. She’s fit = You are saying she’s hot
Watch the In-betweeners before you go. It’ll help.
8. Contactless = Pay pass
9. Piss on chips = When you have messed something up big time for yourself or someone else
I first heard this when I was talking to some Northerners. Apparently, the saying came about when some drunk guy in the UK put his chips on the ground to take a piss and accidentally gave his chips some yellow garnish.
10. Chav = A young, rude, brash person
Calling someone a Chav can be quite offensive by the way.
11. Potato crisps = Chips
12. Bollocks = Testicles
13. Cob or bap = bread roll
14. Ps (pronounced “peas”) = Money
15. Peng = Good or a way to say someone is good-looking
16. Cappin = Lying
17. Pants = Undies
This caught me out a few times. Pants are pants to me but here they call them trousers.
18. Fiver = Five pound note
19. Tenner = Ten pound note
20. Lush = Brilliant
You will hear this a lot in Bristol.
21. On the pull = Looking for sex
22. Mint = Great
23. Bell end = Penis
24. Johnny = Condom
25. Gont = It’s the North Wales version of C U next Tuesday and it sounds exactly like how we would say it
In the town of Caernarfon it’s actually a friendly term used for mates. Not convinced? Neither was I until one sunny morning I got called a gont by a lovely grandma over breakfast. Still not sure if I just got called a C*#% by a grandma over breakfast.