“Care for a drink?” with some of your Brittish pals, but you actually have no idea what they are talking about? Or is it that you like watching classical British dramas like Skins, The Crown, Downton Abbey or the Millennials’ favourite – Love Island, but you are actually confused about by what the characters are saying? No worries we got you covered!
English earned its status as an international language long ago but the English still have their own charming and unique slangs – but its so hard to get! This is a guide to some quirky and popular sayings you would hear frequently on London streets. Check them out:
“Ace” – Ace means more than a card in Poker in the UK. It can be used as both an adjective and a verb to describe someone or something is brilliant. For example, you can say you aced the finals if you are sure you are going to get an A!
“Blimey” – Blimey can be used to express your surprise, either positive or negative. You can use it when it suddenly starts pouring rain or when your friend succeeds at performing a stunt.
“Bloke” – This is equivalent to the American “average joe” which basically means an ordinary man. Nowadays, it is used to refer to a man generally.
“Bloody” – This is definitely one of the most popular ones. It is often used as an expression of anger to is used to emphasize a comment. The most common phrase associated with this is probably “oh bloody hell!”
“Bollocks” Literally it means the things dangling between a man’s feet. But in today’s Britan it’s used to explain anything that seems nonsense! This description here is complete bollocks!
“Cheers” – While the word “cheers” still hold the same meaning of celebrations when toasting a drink with your friends, it carries an extra meaning of “thank you” in Britain. You can often hear people saying “cheers” to each other at the end of a phone call as well.
“Dodgy” – “Dodgy” relates to anything wrong, illegal of just “off”. It can also be used to describe food as nauseous or nauseating. If your friend tells you a person is “a bit dodgy”, it’s best to stay clear of him!
“Fortnight” – This is another common one. It means “a group of two weeks”.
“Gobsmacked”—It’s an expression meaning to be surprised and shocked beyond belief. It literally means when you’re so surprised with your mouth wide open so you use your hand to cover it.
“Gutted”—It means devastated and saddened. You can hear this word frequently on Love Island when the contestants get “pied off” (rejected by their love interest).
“Knackered”—This is equivalent to “tired” and “exhausted”. It is often substituted in friendly circles for “exhausted”.
“Mate” – This is so commonly used by the Brits. It’s equivalent to “buddy”, “pal” or “dude” in America. That’s why there is a line “took me back to Highgate, met all of his best mates” in Taylor Swift’s new song “London Boy”.
“Posh” – This won’t be a stranger to you if you have listened to the Spice Girls or if you are a fan of Victoria Beckham. It’s used to describe anything flashy or classy or expensive in general. The American alternative is “fancy”.
“Fancy”—Speaking of fancy, if you are interested in someone romantically, you could tell that person you fancy him or her!
“Proper”—this word carries two meanings depending on your location and social class. For the higher social class, the word “proper” denotes actions appropriate to certain circumstances. More commonly, it’s used in north and southwest England as an alternative to “very” or “extremely”.
“Sick”—The word “sick” isn’t necessarily negative. Used by the English youth, it means a stronger form of “cool”. For instance, you can say the new iPhone model is proper sick if you find it fascinating.
“Trainers” – This means American “sneakers”. So if you are in London trying to buy some sport shoes, make sure to say “trainers” instead to avoid confusion!
“Reckon” – I reckon he is a good guy! In other words this means in my opinion he is a good guy
If you are as fascinated with British slangs as we are, make sure to download fylp today and find your British language partner!
Do you have more suggestions? Let us know in the comments and we will add them.
Sources:
Some source come from our language learning community,
Others from Urbandictionay
Goodhouskeeping
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