Start Using UK Slang

Are US and UK English different? Slang differs most from regular terminology like trainers instead of shoes and holiday instead of vacation and stay like brit

Language changes. New words enter the language every day. If you visit the UK, you may hear informal language you have never heard before. Use these words to sound like a Brit.

Cuppa

Start simple. Did you know that tea is sometimes called a cuppa? Brits love tea. “Cup of tea” became “cuppa tea” and then “cuppa.”

It is not new, but it is stuck. It is short for “cup of,” however it just means “cup of tea.”

Examples:

Coffee, please?

I start the day with coffee. 

£5 a cup? No way.

Bloody

Next is a common British slang phrase used worldwide. Bloody indicates fury or astonishment.

Another slang phrase from the 1600s, it was a swear word until the 1900s. It is more acceptable now. Bonus: Australia uses it a lot!

Examples:

Holy crap! 

It is absurd! 

Bloody freezing! 

Mate

Another simple UK slang phrase. Mate can be used to address a friend or a stranger.

Examples:

Hi pal, hello again.

Sir, may I sit?

My friends surprised me. 

Round

Brits love tea and pub drinks. Round will presumably be heard there. Instead than buying beverages individually, you take turns buying rounds.

Examples:

What do you want?

Whose round? 

Doing rounds? 

Dodgy

Dodgy is awful. Context determines how horrible. Any person, object, or action can be dubious. Dodgy can vary from suspicious to unlawful.

Examples:

Stomach issues.

I never liked him, he looked sketchy. 

She got caught performing shady business. 

Pissed 

Another multi-meaning slang phrase. Pissed is intoxicated, but pissed off is angry. Using piss for pee is more obscene. Taking the piss can mean being silly or unreasonable.

Examples:

Pissed, he can not drive. 

She always teases me. 

£5 for coffee? They are joking.

Junk

Rubbish is the British word for trash and an unpleasant sentiment.

Examples:

I am sick all week.

No admission? Rubbish!

Stop babbling.

Tired

Knackered can mean exhausted or broken. The word may have come from elderly workhorses that could not work anymore.

Examples:

I am exhausted from yesterday night's lateness. 

Running exhausted me. 

My TV needs replacing.