London Slang Dictionary

Planning a trip to England? If you’ve never visited the U.K. before, some of their slang and idioms may be confusing. To help avoid confusion and embarrassment, here is a guide to some common English slang terms:

All right? – Hello, how are you?

Any road – Anyway

Barmy – Crazy

Bee’s knees – Fabulous

Belt up – Shut up

Best of British – Good luck

Chat up – Pick up or hit on

Cheerio – Goodbye

Chuffed – Pleased

Dear – Expensive

Dodgy – Not to be trusted

Duck – A term of endearment

Engaged – Busy

Flog – To sell

Go to a do – Go to a party

Give us a bell – Call me

Hard lines – Bad luck

Honking – Throwing up

I’m easy – I don’t care

Khazi – Bathroom

Kip – A nap

Lurgy – An illness or the flu

Mug – Gullible

Nick – To steal

Nosh – Food

Parky – Cold

Pissed – Drunk

Row – Argument

Septic - American

Sod’s Law – Murphy’s Law

Spend a penny – Go to the bathroom

Stonking – Large

Ta – Thank you

Totty – Girl

Waffle – To talk on and on

Zonked – Exhausted

Here are additional resources on British slang:

http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/ - Extensive dictionary of slang and colloquialisms used in the U.K.

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words04/usage/slang_cockney.html - Explanation and examples of Cockney Rhyming Slang, a different type of English slang

http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml - Dictionary of many common slang terms with examples and contrasts to American slang

http://www.zoology.ufl.edu/bolker/vocab/vocab.html - English slang words broken up into categories

http://septicscompanion.com/ - “The English-To-American Dictionary”

http://www.bbcamerica.com/content/141/dictionary.jsp - BBC’s searchable British/American dictionary

http://www.londonslang.com/ - Another dictionary of British slang

http://www.okcupid.com/tests/take?testid=7375684826361410382 - “Can You Speak London Slang?” Quiz