British slang
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British slang
Regional slangs
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Differences with American slang
Spelling
Some slang words are shared between British and American English, with a difference in spelling only. Slang naturally has no fixed orthography, and is written as whatever comes readily to mind. This can generate confusion with readers who do not pronounce letters the same way. One particular concerns the letter "r", which some dialects of British slang assume isn't emphatically pronounced.
British American erm um arse ass
Other equivalent words
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British | American |
Bare | Mad amounts |
Berk (from "Berkshire Hunt", cockney rhyming slang for cunt) | Irritating person, jerk |
Bobby, The Fuzz | Police Officer |
Blagger | Liar |
Bloke | Man, Dude |
Bloody | Damn (as an adjective) |
Bog off | Fuck off |
Bog roll | TP (toilet paper) |
Bollocks | Nuts (male genitalia) |
Bugger | Anal sex, screw |
Buffting | Hottie |
Camp | Flamer (as in overly flamboyant) |
Class | Cool, Awesome, Pimp |
Crew | Street gang, backup (in a fight/confrontation) |
The dog's bollocks (mutt's nuts), Bees Knees, Cats Pyjamas | The best there is |
Fag | Cigarette |
Faggot, Bumbash, Knobjockey, Hermer, Chutney Ferret | Gay, Homosexual |
Fit | Good-looking, hot |
Geezer | Man, Guy, Unknown Person |
Git, Prick, Bell-end, Knob-end, Twat | Incompetent, stupid, annoying, or childish person |
Ickle | Li'l |
Knackered | Exhausted, Wiped, Crashing |
Knobhead | Dickhead |
Loo | Toilet, the John, Pisser |
Minger | Ugly or filthy-minded person |
Nick | Jack, Lift, Grab, Steal, Rob |
Nutter | Crazy person |
Poof/Poofter, Fairy, Queen, Bender, Bent | Homosexual |
Scrote | Jackass, Asshole |
Shag | Screw, fuck, have sex with |
Skint | Broke (as in "penniless") |
Skank | Ripped-off, daylight robbery, expensive |
Slag, Slapper, Tart, Scrubber, Wastegash | Slut, Skank, Ho |
Smart | Sharp |
Taxed | Jacked, Stolen, Robbed, Mugged |
Wank | Male masturbation |
Wanker | Crude name for a jerk (male) |
Wasteman | Loser |
Words with no American equivalent
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Word | Meaning |
Morfen | The desire to do something more often** |
Blates/Blatently | Obviously, in full view of something |
Fag end | The last part of a period of time |
Gob | Mouth; spit |
Gobsmacked | Flabbergasted, dumbfounded, astounded, speechless |
Handbags | A harmless fight. Stems from handbags at dawn, which is a play on pistols at dawn |
Scabby | Lucky (e.g. a basketball shot that you would never expect to go in, and it does) |
Snog | To make out, aggressive kissing |
Take the piss (out of) | To mock. "Are you taking the piss?" is most commonly heard |
Tosser | Literally someone who masturbates (to toss off), but generally means an idiot or someone whom the speaker doesn't like |
Wanker | Literally someone who masturbates (verb - to wank), but generally means an idiot or someone whom the speaker doesn't like |
Hench | A muscular, well-built male or a derogatory term for large females |