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COMMON CONTEMPORARY
SLANG:
These slang expressions are regularly used in
contemporary English, specially in Britain. Some of them are well established,
but most are recent or new words or phrases.
With some exceptions (e.g. for contrast), this
list does not include very well-established slang words that appear
in all good dictionaries. It does not include dialectal or regional
slang, swear words or "bad language". Words marked "impolite" should be
avoided in most situations.
Note for students: It is not advisable
for the learner of English to "learn" slang. Most slang words are either
very short-lived, or else regional (dialect). London slang from the 1980's
would for instance be largely incomprehensible to a New Yorker in the 2000's!
ace: really good, exceptional.
anorak: very boring person,
person who has no character.
bash, have a bash: (1) try
to do something, (2) have a party.
bird: woman, female.
blag: talk in persuasive
language (blag in, blag out).
blown away by: very impressed
by.
box , on the box:
television, on TV.
brass: money.
brill: really good, brilliant.
broke (adjective): without
any money.
bucks: dollars.
bum abound: go round doing
nothing.
chill out: stop being excited,
become calm. (c.f. cool it.)
Chinese, go for a Chinese:
have a take-away Chinese meal.
chippie: fish and chip shop
cool it: don't get excited,
be more calm.
cool: good, fashionable.
crack up: (1) disintegrate
under pressure, (2) laugh uncontrollably.
crap (impolite): excrement,
shit, something with no value.
crash (out): go to bed,
go to sleep
cut it out: shut up, stop
talking.
cut up (adjective): distressed,
sad.
do over: burgle, steal from
dope: drugs.
doss: sleep
dough: money
dude: person, man
easy, I'm easy; I don't
mind, I have no preference one way or the other.
fazed: worried, disconcerted
(and unfazed: cool, calm )
fag (noun): (GB) cigarette:
(USA) homosexual, gay.
flak, take the flak:
criticism, blame, take the blame
funny farm: hospital
for mentally retarded people, asylum.
grand: thousand (pounds
or dollars)
grass (noun): 1. cannabis.
2. An informer. (also supergrass).
grass (verb): to give information
about someone (to the police or the authorities).
grub: food.
gutted: very annoyed, very
angry with oneself
guy: man, boy, person
hair, keep your h. on: stay
calm, don't get alarmed
halls: university student
residences.
hand, lend a: help.
hang on: wait
hell of a (adjectival expression):
enormous, giant, big.
high, he's on a high: elated,
in a very good mood.
high: he's high: he's under
the influence of drugs.
hole in the wall: cash distributor,
cash machine
hump, he's got the hump....
: he's (very) angry with ...
kip: sleep
knackered: tired, exhausted
knock someone up: (GB) wake
someone up: (USA - impolite) have sex with someone.
knot, tie the knot: get
married.
lad: brash young man who
tries to be popular with other lads, see lager
lout
ladette: female version
of lad
lager-lout: hooligan, young
male who drinks too much cheap beer.
mate: friend
mental: mad, stupid, idiotic.
miffed: disconcerted, taken
aback
naf, naff: of poor quality,
rubbish
neat: really good, appreciated.
nerd: person who is passionately
interested in computers.
nick (noun): prison
nick (verb): take, steal
pad: the place you live
in.
PIN number: personal identification
number used at a hole in the wall.
piss off: go away, stop
it
piss off, as in You piss
me off: You bore or annoy me.
pissed off: angry, fed up
pissed: drunk.
plastic: plastic bank card,
Visa card etc.
Pond: the Atlantic Ocean
pop pills: take drugs
psyched up: tense, anxious
puke: vomit, be sick
quid: pound (sterling)
rat, to rat on someone: to
give information about someone.
sack, hit the: go to bed.
sad: pathetic, poor, opposite
of cool.
sarnie: sandwich.
score with... : have sex
with...
screw, have a screw loose: be
mentally retarded.
screw: (a) extort money
from a person, overcharge for something. (b) (impolite) have sex with a
person.
screw it up: do something
very badly, fail at something (e.g. an exam)
screwball: idiot.
shack up with: live with.
shattered: very tired, distressed
shoot down to: go quickly
to...(e.g. shoot down to the station).
shoot up: inject a drug
(such as heroin).
sickie, take a: be absent
from work because you are (or are pretending to be) sick.
skive: avoid work, avoid
going to work.
slag someone off: to say
unpleasant things about someone to other people.
slag: a woman who sleeps
around with different men.
sleep around: have sex with
lots of different people.
sleep over: spend the night
at someone else's house.
slog, a hard s.: something
very difficult.
snog: kiss, embrace.
stoned: under the influence
of cannabis.
strapped: short of money.
a swift one: a quick drink.
switch, hit the: turn on
or turn off (TV, etc.)
takeaway: restaurant seeling
take-away food.
throw up: vomit, be sick
(puke).
twisted, he's twisted: he
is a bit strange.
twit: idiot, stupid person.
unfazed: cool, calm
wank: masturbate
wanker: (impolite) stupid
person, un-cool person
wheelie, do a: cycle with
the front wheel in the air.
wheels: car, vehicle.
wicked: fantastic, really
good.
Yucky, yug, yuggy: disgusting,
unpleasant
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