COMMON

CONTEMPORARY
ENGLISH SLANG:
These slang expressions are
regularly used in contemporary
English, specially in Britain. Some
of them are well established, but
most are recent or new words or
phrases.
With some exceptions (e.g. for
contrast), this list does not include
a lot of very well-established slang
words that appear in all good
dictionaries. It does not include
SMS or "text" language. It
does not include dialectal or
regional slang, unless these are
understood well beyond their
region; it does not include swear
words or "bad language". Words
marked "impolite" should be
avoided in most situations.
Note for students: It is not
advisable for the learner of English
to "learn" slang. Most slang words
are either short-lived, or else
regional (dialect). London slang
from the 1980's would for instance
be largely incomprehensible to a
New Yorker in the 2000's!
ace: really good, exceptional.
anorak: very boring person, person
who has no character.
ballistic: furious, extremely angry
(as in "He'll go ballistic when he
hears that")
bash, have a bash: (1) try to do
something, (2) have a party.
bird: woman, female.
blab: talk, give away secrets

blag: talk in persuasive language

(blag in, blag out). (Do not confuse
with brag, to boast)
blown away by: very impressed by.
box, on the box: television, on TV.
brass: money.
brill: really good, brilliant.
broke (adjective): without any
money.
bucks: dollars.
bum abound: go round doing
nothing.
chav: aggressive cultureless
teenager or young person, with no
social aspirations, and probably
jobless.
chick : girl
chill out: stop being excited,
become calm. (c.f. cool it.)
Chinese, go for a Chinese: have a
take-away Chinese meal.
chippie: fish and chip shop
cool it: don't get excited, be more
calm, calm down.
cool: good, fashionable.
crack up: (1) disintegrate under
pressure, (2) laugh uncontrollably.
crap (impolite): excrement, shit,
something with no value.
crash (out): go to bed, go to sleep
cut it out: shut up, stop talking.
cut up (adjective): distressed, sad.
do over: burgle, steal from
dope: drugs.
doss: sleep
dough: money
dude: person, man
easy, I'm easy; I don't mind, I have
no preference one way or the other.
fazed: worried, disconcerted (and
unfazed: cool, calm )

fag (noun): (GB) cigarette: (USA)

homosexual, gay.
flak, take the flak: criticism, blame,
take the blame
funny farm: hospital for mentally
retarded people, asylum.
grand: thousand (pounds or dollars)
grass (noun): 1. cannabis. 2. An
informer. (also supergrass).
grass (verb): to give information
about someone (to the police or the
authorities).
grub: food.
gutted: very annoyed, very angry
with oneself
guy: man, boy, person
hair, keep your hair on: stay calm,
don't get alarmed
halls: university student residences.
hand, lend a: help.
hang on: wait
hell of a (adjectival expression):
enormous, giant, big.
high, he's on a high: elated, in a
very good mood.
high: he's high: he's under the
influence of drugs.
hole in the wall: cash distributor,
cash machine
hump, he's got the hump.... : he's
(very) angry with ...
iffy: dubious, of dubious quality
kip: sleep
knackered: tired, exhausted
knock someone up: (GB) wake
someone up: (USA - impolite) have
sex with someone.
knot, tie the knot: get married.
lad: brash young man who tries to be
popular with other lads, see lager
lout. (Traditionally, a lad is just a
Scottish word meaning
a boy or young man)

ladette: female version of lad

lager-lout: hooligan, young male
who drinks too much cheap beer.
lass: girl, young lady (Traditional
Scottish word)
mate: friend
mental: mad, stupid, idiotic.
miffed: disconcerted, taken aback
naf, naff: of poor quality, rubbish
neat: really good, appreciated.
nerd: person who is passionately
interested in computers.
nick (noun): prison
nick (verb): take, steal
pad: the place you live in.
PIN number: personal identification
number used at a hole in the wall.
piss off: go away, stop it
piss off, as in
You piss me off: You bore or annoy
me.
pissed off: angry, fed up
pissed: drunk.
plastic: plastic bank card, Visa card
etc.
Pond: the Atlantic Ocean
pop pills: take drugs
psyched up: tense, anxious
puke: vomit, be sick
quid: pound (sterling)
rat, to rat on someone: to give
information about someone.
sack, hit the: go to bed.
sad: pathetic, poor, opposite of cool.
sarnie: sandwich.
score with... : have sex with...
screenager : person who spends
their time looking at their computer,
iPad, mobile phone or TV neologism based on the words
screen and teenager, though
applicable to all ages.

screw, have a screw loose: be

mentally retarded.
screw: (a) extort money from a
person, overcharge for something.
(b) (impolite) have sex with a
person.
screw it up: do something very
badly, fail at something (e.g. an
exam)
screwball: idiot.
shack up with: live with.
shattered: very tired, distressed
shoot down to: go quickly to...(e.g.
shoot down to the station).
shoot up: inject a drug (such as
heroin).
sickie, take a: be absent from work
because you are (or are pretending
to be) sick.
skive: avoid work, avoid going to
work.
slag someone off: to say
unpleasant things about someone
to other people.
slag: a woman who sleeps around
with different men.
sleep around: have sex with lots of
different people.
sleep over: spend the night at
someone else's house.
slog, a hard s.: something very
difficult.
snog: kiss, embrace.
stoned: under the influence of
cannabis.
strapped: short of money.
suss out: work out, find the solution
a swift one: a quick drink.
switch, hit the: turn on or turn off
(TV, etc.)
takeaway: restaurant seeling takeaway food.
throw up: vomit, be sick (puke).

twisted, he's twisted: he is a bit

strange.
twit: idiot, stupid person.
unfazed: cool, calm
wank: masturbate
wanker: (impolite) stupid person, uncool person
wheelie, do a: cycle with the front
wheel in the air.
wheels: car, vehicle.
wicked: fantastic, really good.
wind up: to tease or try to
deliberately aggravate someone
Yucky, yug, yuggy: disgusting,
unpleasant