Essential World English Slang

[Sureshlasi]

ESSENTIAL WORLD ENGLISH SLANG

If you want to want your English to sound "cool" and "with it", or if you want to understand the street English spoken around the world, then this list is for you! On this page you will find what might be considered the most essential slang. Therefore we recommend any advanced learner of English try and learn at least some of these words. The page is arranged in alphabetical order, so just scroll down to check out the full list. If you can't find the meaning of any English slang, try leaving a message on our board.

Note: Slangs must be avoided in English Writing because they`re sometimes considered informal. They`re often exploited for Gossips and Informal talks.

A

airhead: stupid person.

ace: excellent, great.

Adam and Eve - Rhyming Slang for 'believe'

aggro - short for aggravation or violence

amber fluid : beer

anorak - geek, nerd.

apples and pears - Rhyming Slang for 'stairs'.

arse about/arsing about - to fool around

arse-about-face: something that is in a mess or crooked

arseholed: very drunk

arvo : afternoon

Aussie : Australian

awesome: great and impressive.

B

backhander (1): a payment given, normally in a secretive fashion.

backhander (2): hit someone.

ball (1): a fun time.

ballistic - to go mad with rage

bang [slightly offensive](1): to make love

bang (2): a powerful effect.

banged up - to be put in prison.

bangers - another name for sausages.

barbie : barbecue, grill.

barf (1): vomit.

barmy - a foolish person, mad.

barney - row, violent argument.

beans: money.

beast [offensive] - an ugly woman.

beat: tired.

beemer: a BMW.

bitzer : mongrel dog (bits of this and bits of that!).

bladdered - very drunk

blag - a robbery

bloke - man

blotto - 'very drunk'

boat race - Rhyming Slang for 'face'.

bod: body.

bonkers; go bonkers: crazy.

bonzer : great.

booboo: a mistake.

bovver - trouble, usually fighting.

booze: alcohol.

boozer (1): a pub

boozer (2): someone who likes alcohol.

brass monkeys - cold weather

bread: money.

brew (1): tea or coffee.

brew (2): beer.

brill - short for 'brilliant'.

bull: bullshit; lie.

bullshit [offensive]: lie; dishonesty.

bugger - a mild form of abuse or an exclamation.

bunk-off - to be absent without permission

bunk-up - to make love.

bushed: extremely tired.

C

cabbage - someone who is a bit slow or stupid

cakehole - mouth..

catch some rays: get some sunshine.

char / cha - tea.

cheesy: cheap; lacking in good taste.

chicken: coward.

chook : a chicken

chuck up: vomit

chuck a sickie : take the day off sick from work when you're perfectly healthy.

ciggy - slang for cigarette.

cock and bull story - a rubbish story, nonsense.

(to) cop it - to die, to get into trouble.

cool: excellent; superb.

cooler, the: gaol; jail; prison

couch potato: a person who watches too much television.

cozzie : swimming costume

cranky : in a bad mood, angry.

crap [slightly offensive] (1): something worthless.

crap [offensive] (2): excrement.

crap [slightly offensive] (3): falsehoods and lies.

crikey - an expression of astonishment.

crust - money / wage.

cushy - easy.

D

dead cert - something that is definite.

deck: to hit someone.

dicey: unpredictable; risky.

dill : an idiot.

ding-dong - argument or fight.

dipstick - idiot, fool.

dirt: extremely bad person.

div/divvy - stupid or slow person.

doodle - something thats easy / no problem.

dodgy - dubious person or thing.

dog [offensive] - an ugly girl.

done over - beaten up

dope - a slow or stupid person.

doobry - a nonsensical word used when you forget the name of something

dorky: strange; peculiar.

dosh - money.

dosser - down-and-out, tramp.

down under : Australia and New Zealand.

Drongo : a dope, stupid person.

dude: a male.

dump [slightly offensive] - to defecate.

dynamite: powerful; excellent.

dinosaur: something out of date or old fashioned.

E

evil: great; excellent.

eyeball: to stare long and hard at someone or something.

eyepopper: something or someone visibly astounding.

F

fab: fabulous.

face-off: confrontation.

fag : cigarette

far out - splendid.

fart [offensive] (1): an escape of gas from the bowels.

fart [slightly offensive] (2): an unpleasant person

fat head - an idiot or dull person.

fender-bender: small accident.

filth [offensive] - the police.

five finger discount - shoplifting.

flaky: unpredictable.

flashback: sudden memory.

flick (1): film; movie.

flick (2): to give something or somebody the flick is to get rid of it or him/her

floating : intoxicated

floozie - a mistress or girlfriend.

flommox - confuse

flutter - a bet (on horse racing or football)

footie - Abbreviated form for football.

for crying out loud ! - a expression of frustration or anger.

forty winks - a short sleep or nap.

fox: attractive, alluring person.

freebie: something that does not cost money.

full monty - 'the whole lot', everything.

full-on - powerful, with maximum effort.

funny farm - mental hospital or institution.

funny money - counterfeit money.

[Sureshlasi]

G

gaff - house or flat.

gander - to look at.

geek: an unattractive person who works too hard.

get it: to understand something.

glitch: flaw.

gobshite [offensive] - someone who talks rubbish all the time.

go bananas: go slightly mad.

good onya : good for you, well done

goof (1): make a mistake.

goof (2): a silly and foolish person.

goof off: waste time.

goof up: make a mistake.

goofy: silly.

Gordon Bennet - an exclamation.

grand: one thousand dollars.

grass: marijuana.

greaser - slang name for a 1950's style man.

grog : alcohol, beer.

grub: food.

grubby: not clean.

grungy: unclean and stinky.

gut: a person's stomach; belly.

guts: courage.

gyno - gynaecologist

H

hacked off - fed up, annoyed.

hairy: difficult; dangerous.

ham-fisted - clumsy.

hammered - drunk.

handcuffs: an engagement ring or wedding ring

hang a left: make a left turn.

hang a right: make a right turn.

headcase - mad

hep: sensible; informed.

her ('er) indoors - wife, girlfriend.

hickey: a love bite on the skin.

hip: sensible; informed.

hole in the wall - a cashpoint machine or bankomat.

hoo-ha - trouble; commotion

huff - bad mood.

humungous: really big.

hyper: overly excited.

I

icky: unpleasant.

I.D.: identification.

iffy - dubious, doubtful.

I'm outta here: I'm leaving; I'm departing.

in: fashionable.

ivories: teeth.

J

jack around: waste time.

jam (1): trouble.

jam (2): improvise (musically).

jamming, to be : going well.

jammy - lucky.

jerk: stupid or annoying person.

jock: someone good at sports.

K

K : a thousand.

keep your hair on - "keep calm".

kick back: relax and enjoy.

kick the bucket: die.

kip - sleep.

knackered - exhausted.

knees up - party.

knock: condemn, criticise.

knockout: beautiful woman; handsome man.

knock back : refusal (noun), refuse (transitive verb)

kook: peculiar person.

kraut [slightly offensive] - German

L

laid back: relaxed; calm.

lairy - loud, brash.

lame: incompetent.

legless - very drunk.

lip: cheeky talk.

loaded - someone with a lot of money.

loo : toilet

loser: a bungling and worthless person.

lost the plot - crazy/mad.

love handles: excess fat around the waist.

luvverly jubberly - wonderful, great, all is well.

[Sureshlasi]

M

make waves: cause problems.

malarkey - nonsense.

mate - friend

max, to the : maximum.

mega: big.

megabucks: a large amount of money.

mellow: relaxed.

mickey-mouse: unimportant; time-wasting.

minger [offensive] - an unattractive person (usually female).

mongrel : despicable person

mozzie : mosquito

mug : a gullible person.

N

naff - something which is cheap and nasty.

nark - a police informer.

narked - to be annoyed.

neat: cool; great.

nick - to steal.

nipper - a small child.

no-hoper - somebody who'll never do well

nosh - food.

not cricket - not normal or correct.

not all there - someone who is stupid, not bright intellectually

not half! - cetainly, for sure.

not the full quid - someone who is stupid, not bright intellectually.

nuke (1): nuclear weapon.

nuke (2): destroy; delete.

nuke (3): cook something in the microwave oven.

nut (1): odd or crazy person.

nut (2): someone passionate about something.

nutter - crazy person.

nutty - eccentric.

O

off your face - to be very drunk.

out of your tree - crazy, drunk or stoned.

P

pad: someone's home.

pants (1) - an exclamation of frustration.

pants (2) - bad or rubbish.

party: celebrate.

party animal: someone that loves parties.

paws: hands.

peanuts: very little money.

pickled: drunk.

pig out: eat too much.

pigs ear: to make a mistake with something.

pissed (off): angry; upset.

piss-head - a habitual drinker or alcoholic.

piss-up - a big drinking session.

plank - an idiot.

plastered: drunk.

plonker - an idiot

plonk (1) : cheap wine

plonk (2): sit down - as in "plonk your arse down there".

poop out: get tired and quit.

postie : postman

pot: marijuana.

prezzy : present, gift

pro - someone who's good at something; professional.

psycho: crazy person.

puke: vomit.

pumped (up): excited.

R

rabbit - talk.

racket (1): noise.

racket (2): an occupation.

racket (3): something that's dishonest or deceptive.

rat: a despicable person.

rat-arsed - drunk.

(a) riot - something or someone very funny.

rip off (1): stealing.

rip off (2): fraud.

ripper : great, fantastic

rocking: great; excellent.

roll up - a hand rolled cigarette.

rosie lee - tea

rubbish: nonsense; not true.

ruck - a fight.

rug - wig, toupee.

rug rat: a child.

rum - odd, strange.

runs, the: diarrhoea.

S

scoff: to eat.

screw up: to make a mistake.

screw-up: a person who makes a mistake.

scum (offensive] - a despicable individual.

shades - sunglasses.

shagged-out - to feel tired.

shed-load - a huge amount.

shitfaced [slightly offensive] - very drunk.

shithead [slightly offensive]: a stupid, impolite person.

skint - to have no money

skosh - a little bit.

slapper [offensive] - a loose or easy woman.

smeghead - an idiot.

snookered: cheated, stuck.

solid (1): really good; cool.

solid (2): consecutive.

specs: eyeglasses.

split: to leave.

stoned: drunk from drugs or alcohol.

stunner - a very good looking woman.

street smart: knowledgeable about city life.

strewth : exclamation

(I'll be) stuffed : expression of surprise

suck: to be bad and unacceptable.

sunnies : sunglasses

swagman : tramp

sweet - excellent, cool.

T

ta - thanks.

tacky - something of poor taste or style.

tanked (up) - to get very drunk.

tea leaf - Rhyming Slang for thief.

telly - television.

thick as two short planks [offensive] - very stupid.

thingo : Wadjamacallit, thingummy, whatsit, something you don't know the name of!

thou: thousand.

threads: clothing.

ticker (1): the heart.

ticker (2): a watch.

tiddly - slightly drunk.

toss-pot [slightly offensive] - idiot.

totally: really; completely.

to the max: maximum.

troll - an ugly girl.

(the) trots - diarrhoea.

trouble and strife - Rhyming Slang for 'wife'.

trout [offensive] - unattractive woman

turkey (1): failure; flop.

turkey (2): dumb person.

turn-off: something that repulses a person.

U, V, W, Y, Z

umpteen: many; countless.

up for it - to be willing to have a good time.

Uncle Tom Cobley and all - a phrase meaning 'everyone'.

uptight: nervous; anxious.

veg out : relax in front of the TV (like a vegetable)

wad: a lot of money.

wanker - an idiot or an unpleasant person.

wasted: killed.

weed (1): marijuana.

weed (2): someone who is weak.

wheels: car; motorcycle.

whiz: someone who shows a special talent for something.

wicked - excellent, cool.

wimp: weak; feeble.

wimpy: weak.

wind up - to tease.

winks: sleep.

wuss : coward

yabber : talk (a lot)

Yank: an American.

yob - a horrible or uncouth young man.

zeds - sleep.

zero - an unimportant person.

zilch - nothing

zip (1) -nothing.

zip (2) - energy; vigor.

zip it - shut up.