British Slang and Phrases: Meanings
This is a list of British slang words and phrases with their meanings:
- A tidy packet: A lot of money.
- Aerial: A piece of equipment made of wire or long, straight pieces of metal for receiving or sending radio and television signals.
- At an angle: Diagonally.
- Breeches: Short trousers/pants fastened just below the knee.
- Buckle: A piece of metal at the end of a belt which is used to fasten it.
- Buttercup: A wild plant with small, shiny, yellow flowers that are shaped like cups.
- Carbon copy: A copy of a document, letter, etc., made with carbon paper.
- Cardsharper: A person who earns money by cheating when playing cards.
- Catch on: To understand something.
- Check up on: To make sure that somebody is doing what they should be doing.
- Clink: Prison.
- Coarse: Rough, rude, and offensive.
- Come to that: Used to introduce something extra that is connected with what has just been said.
- Conjuring tricks: Tricks where something is made to appear as if by magic.
- Conjuror: A person who does magic tricks.
- Cop: Policeman.
- Court: The place where legal trials take place and where crimes, etc. are judged.
- Crafty: Clever at getting what you want, especially by indirect or dishonest methods.
- Crummy: Poor quality, unpleasant.
- Daft: Silly, stupid.
- Darn: A word used to emphasize the word that comes next.
- Dashing: Go somewhere very quickly.
- Derby Day: A famous horse race held every year in the second week of June at Epsom.
- Despise: Dislike and have no respect for somebody or something.
- Don’t slack off: Keep up your speed; don’t go slower.
- Dreaded: Causing fear.
- Eighteenth century: Made in the eighteenth century, that is, between 1701 and 1800.
- Epsom: A small town around forty miles south of London where there is a racecourse.
- Fine: A sum of money that must be paid as punishment for breaking a law or rule.
- Flabbergasted: Very surprised or shocked.
- Flat out: At top speed.
- Folks: People in general.
- Gasped: To take a quick, deep breath with your mouth open, especially because you are surprised or in pain.
- Gob: Lump.
- Good and proper: Thoroughly and completely.
- Good grief: An expression of surprise, used to emphasize what is being said.
- Grinned: Smiled widely.
- Growl: (Of animals, especially dogs) To make a low sound in the throat, usually as a sign of anger.
- Grunt: (Of animals, especially pigs) To make a short, low sound in the throat.
- Guv’nor: Governor, a form of address used by one man to another, especially to one who is of a higher social class.
- Haymaking: The process of cutting and drying grass to make hay.
- Headed for: Going to.
- Hefty: Large; larger than usual or expected.
- Hitched up: Pull up a piece of your clothing.
- Hitchhiker: A person who travels by asking for free rides in other people’s cars, by standing at the side of the road and trying to get passing cars to stop.
- Huffily: In an offended or annoyed way.
- In plain clothes: Not in uniform.
- It don’t do: It’s unacceptable.
- Keep mum: Keep quiet; do not say anything.
- Lamely: In a way that does not sound very confident or that does not persuade other people.
- Lane: A section of a wide road, that is marked by painted white lines, to keep lines of traffic separate.
- Leaned: To rest on or against something for support.
- Leaped: Jumped a long way.
- Little job: An informal expression used in an admiring way, describing a product.
- Loomed up: To appear as a large shape that is not clear, especially in a frightening or threatening way.
- Lousy: Awful, horrible, poor quality.