🇬🇧 Speak Like a Brit: 100 Fun British Slang Words & Phrases

🎬 Introduction: Why Learn British Slang?

Imagine you’re watching a new British series and hear someone say, "I was absolutely chuffed to bits!"
You pause.
"Chuffed"? "Bits"?
It sounds strange, but in British slang, it simply means they were very happy!

Slang words are informal expressions that bring English to life.
They help you sound more natural, connect with native speakers, and understand real conversations, movies, and songs.

British slang is full of humour, playfulness, and history.
Learning it not only makes your English better — it makes it more fun, more real, and much more alive

📚 What Are Slang Words?

Slang words are informal words or phrases used by groups of people in casual conversation.
They often break grammar rules, change meanings, or create funny expressions you won’t find in a dictionary.

British slang especially loves:

• Cheeky humour

• Understatement (saying less to mean more!)

• Playfulness with words

Slang constantly evolves, new words appear every year!

🚦 When to Use Slang

✅ With friends or people your own age
✅ In casual conversations, texting, social media
✅ In movies, TV shows, music

🚫 Avoid slang:

• In job interviews or formal letters

• When talking to people who might not understand informal English

• When you're unsure of the meaning!

👉 Tip: Always listen first! If people are speaking casually, it’s safe to use slang too.

🧠 Why Learn Slang?

✅ Understand real English conversations
✅ Sound more natural and confident
✅ Make friends more easily
✅ Laugh at jokes and understand humour!

🗂 How This Guide Works:

We’ve grouped these 100 slang words into real-life categories:

• Casual Conversations

• Everyday Life

• Socialising & Having Fun

• Reactions & Emotions

• Agreement & Disagreement

• Describing People

• Food & Drink

• Work & Daily Routine

Each slang word includes:

• A simple meaning

• A natural example sentence

• A friendly usage tip

🏁 Ready to dive in?

🎬 Casual Conversations

Ace 🎯 – Amazing or brilliant
"That match was ace!"

All right? 👋 – A casual hello
"All right, mate?"

Blimey 😲 – Expression of surprise
"Blimey, it's freezing today!"

Cheers 🍻 – Thank you (or goodbye)
"Cheers for helping me out."

Gutted 😢 – Very disappointed
"I was gutted when I lost my keys."

Knackered 😴 – Exhausted
"I'm absolutely knackered after that hike."

Mate 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 – Friend
"See you later, mate!"

Oi 📣 – Hey! (to get someone's attention)
"Oi! You dropped your wallet!"

Pardon? ❓ – Say again? (polite)
"Pardon? I didn't catch that."

Ta 🙏 – Thank you
"Ta for the lift!"

🏠 Everyday Life

Bits and bobs 🛒 – Miscellaneous things
"I’ve got a few bits and bobs to do today."

Bob’s your uncle 🎩 – It’s done / It's that simple
"Just press the button and Bob’s your uncle!"

Brilliant 🌟 – Excellent
"That’s a brilliant idea!"

Bugger 😖 – Mild expletive (surprise or annoyance)
"Oh bugger, I forgot my keys."

Chuffed 😊 – Very pleased
"I’m chuffed to bits with my exam results."

DIY 🛠️ – Do it yourself (home repairs)
"I'm terrible at DIY."

Faff ⏳ – Mess around, waste time
"Stop faffing and get ready!"

Fortnight 📅 – Two weeks
"I'll see you in a fortnight."

Gobsmacked 🤯 – Amazed
"I was gobsmacked by the view."

Quid 💷 – Pound sterling (£1)
"It costs twenty quid."

🎉 Socialising & Having Fun

Bevvy 🍺 – A drink (usually alcoholic)
"Fancy a bevvy tonight?"

Brolly ☔ – Umbrella
"Better take a brolly, it's raining."

Cheeky 😏 – Playful or slightly rude
"He made a cheeky comment."

Chinwag 🗣️ – A good chat
"Let's have a chinwag over coffee."

Cracking 🌟 – Excellent
"That was a cracking meal."

Doddle 🧠 – Something very easy
"The exam was a doddle."

Fancy 💭 – Like or desire
"Do you fancy a coffee?"

Giggle 😂 – A laugh
"We had a right giggle."

Knees up 🕺 – A lively party
"We're having a proper knees up on Saturday."

Natter 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 – A chat
"We had a nice natter after lunch."

😲 Reactions & Emotions

Barmy 🤪 – Crazy
"He's gone completely barmy!"

Blinding 🌟 – Very good
"It was a blinding performance."

Daft 🙃 – Silly
"Don’t be daft."

Miffed 😠 – Slightly annoyed
"I was a bit miffed not to be invited."

Over the moon 🌝 – Extremely happy
"She’s over the moon about the news."

Pukka ✅ – Genuine, top quality
"That’s a pukka meal."

Sorted 📦 – Organised / Fixed
"It’s all sorted now."

Throw a wobbly 😤 – Have a tantrum
"He threw a wobbly when he lost."

Wicked 🤘 – Brilliant / cool
"That gig was wicked!"

Worn out 💤 – Very tired
"I'm completely worn out."

🤝 Agreement & Disagreement

Bang on 🎯 – Exactly right
"You're bang on with that answer."

Fair enough 🤷 – I accept that
"Fair enough, you have a point."

I reckon 🤔 – I think
"I reckon it’ll rain later."

Not fussed 😐 – Don't mind either way
"I'm not fussed where we eat."

Spot on ✅ – Exactly right
"Your guess was spot on."

Tell porkies 🐷 – Tell lies
"Stop telling porkies!"

Wind someone up 😜 – Tease or annoy
"He loves winding up his brother."

Skive 😏 – Skip work or school
"He skived off work today."

Throw in the towel 🏳️ – Give up
"After two hours, I threw in the towel."

At loggerheads ⚡ – In strong disagreement
"They're at loggerheads over the project."

👥 Describing People

Bloke 👨 – Man
"He's a nice bloke."

Bird 🐦 – Woman (informal, slightly old-fashioned)
"He’s dating a lovely bird."

Geezer 🧢 – Man (sometimes rough around the edges)
"He’s a proper geezer."

Lad 🧒 – Boy or young man
"He’s a good lad."

Lass 👧 – Girl
"She's a clever lass."

Mug 🤦 – Fool
"Don't be a mug!"

Nutter 🤪 – Crazy person (friendly)
"He's a real nutter sometimes."

Old Bill 👮 – Police
"Watch out, it’s the Old Bill."

Posh 👑 – Upper class or fancy
"That restaurant looks posh."

Wally 🤡 – Silly person
"You big wally!"

🍽️ Food & Drink

Bangers and mash 🍽️ – Sausages and mashed potatoes
"Bangers and mash is classic British comfort food."

Butty 🥪 – Sandwich
"I grabbed a bacon butty for breakfast."

Chippy 🐟 – Fish and chip shop
"Let's get dinner from the chippy."

Pint 🍺 – Beer
"Fancy a pint later?"

Rubbish 🚮 – Bad or nonsense
"That film was rubbish!"

Rosie Lee 🍵 – Cup of tea
"I need a strong Rosie Lee after that day."

Scran 🍛 – Food
"Let's grab some scran."

Takeaway 🍱 – Food to go
"We ordered a Chinese takeaway."

Tea 🍽️ – Evening meal (in some parts of the UK)
"What’s for tea tonight?"

Brew ☕ – A cup of tea
"Come in and have a brew."

Work & Daily Routine

Bodge 🛠️ – A clumsy repair
"He bodged the kitchen shelf."

Brassic 💸 – Broke, no money
"I'm completely brassic till payday."

Graft 💪 – Hard work
"It took a lot of graft to finish the job."

Kip 🛏️ – A nap or sleep
"I’m going for a quick kip."

On the dole 🧾 – Unemployed and receiving benefits
"He's been on the dole for months."

Pearly gates 🌤️ – Death (humorous)
"He’s off to the pearly gates one day!"

Pull a sickie 🤧 – Pretend to be ill
"I pulled a sickie to have a day off."

Rough 🤒 – Feeling ill
"I'm feeling rough today."

Shift 🕒 – A work period
"I’m on the night shift tonight."

Sussed 🧠 – Figured something out
"I've sussed out how it works."