A Slang dictionary - British informal expressions and slang

Words beginning with:  A . B . C . D . E . F . G . H . I . J . K . L . M . N . O . P . Q . R . S . T . U . V . W . X . Y . Z .  Abbreviations used

K Noun. 1. A thousand, a kilogram, a kilobyte.
2. Ketamine. An animal anaesthetic taken illicitly for its unusual semi-hallucinogenic qualities.
kabish? Verb. Understand? Also spelt kapeesh, capeesh. An anglicization of the Italian capisci? [Orig. U.S.]
kak * Noun. 1. Rubbish, nonsense.
2. Excrement.
* Cf. 'cack'.
kankles Noun. Fat ankles and calves that lack definition and appear to merge. A combination of the words calf and ankle. Usually spelt 'cankles'. [Early 2000s. Possibly orig. U.S.]
kaput Adj. Finished, worn out, unable to function, completely broken.
kark (it) Verb. To die. Also 'cark it'. [Orig. Aust. 1970s]
Karen Noun. An over-entitled middle-class woman, usually white, who invariably has unreasonable demands when unhappy with a service, e.g. will demand to see the manager in a supermarket in order to complain about the prices. Derog./Offens. [Orig. U.S. Late 2010s]
karzy Noun. A lavatory, toilet. The word lavatory is in itself, a euphemism for a place to wash. From the Italian for house, casa. Numerous alternative speilings include khazi, kharzie, karsey, karzey, and kazi.
kaylied Adj. Very drunk. Also spelt kalied.
kecks Noun. Trousers. Cf. 'kegs'. [Northern use]
keeker Noun. A black eye. Because with a black eye you can only keek, meaning peep. [Scottish use]
keen as mustard Phrs. Very enthusiastic, eager.
keep it zipped Vrb phrs. Don't talk, stay quiet. [Orig. U.S.]
keep mum Vrb phrs. Stay silent, keep quiet, don't tell anyone about it. See 'mum'. {Informal}
keep one's pecker up Vrb phrs. To remain cheerful, to not let the situation get one down. {Informal}
keep tabs on Vrb phrs. To keep informed about.
keep your hair on! Exclam. Calm down! or remain calm! {Informal}
keepy-uppy Noun. A game that involves keeping a ball (usually a football) off the ground for as long as possible by mainly using one's head and feet, although any body part can be used except one's arms or hands. E.g."I've been practicing my keepy-uppies and can now do 150." [1960s]
keg Verb. To pull down a person's trousers as a mischevious act. E.g."It was so funny; we kegged him on the high street in full view of all the Saturday shoppers."
kegging Noun. A mischevious act of pulling down a person's trousers in order to cause them embarrassment.
kegs Noun. 1. Trousers. Cf. 'kecks'.
2. Men's underwear.
Keith Cheggars Adj. Pregnant. Rhyming slang on 'preggars'. Cheggars, a nickname for Keith Chegwin, a British TV show presenter and personality. Also spelt Keith Cheggers and often abb. to cheggars.
ken Verb. To know. [Scottish use]
kerb crawler Noun. A person who drives slowly to view street prostitutes, with the intention of procuring their services. {Informal}
kerb crawling Noun. Driving slowly to view and procure the services of prostitutes working the street. {Informal}
ker-ching! Exclam. The sound of a cash till ringing, expressed to signify monetary profit. Also as ka-ching and kerching. E.g."We made £40,000 profit when we sold the house. Ker-ching!" Cf. 'cha-ching!'
kerfuffle Noun. A commotion or fuss. Also occasionally spelt cafuffle, cufuffle and curfuffle. {Informal}
kermit Noun. The toilet. Rhyming slang, from Kermit the Frog, meaning 'bog'. Kermit, a puppet character on the U.S. TV show the Muppets
ket Noun. Sweets, confectionary, candy. [North-east use]
kettle Noun. 1. A watch or wrist watch. Possibly from rhyming slang kettle and hob, meaning fob. [Mainly London use]
2. An enclosed space containing demonstrators or protestors, formed by a police cordon. {Informal}
Verb. To contain people, typically protesters or demonstrators, by forming a police cordon around them. {Informal}
Kev Noun. A young person who typically wears branded sportswear, baseball caps, trainers or Rockport boots, etc. [Midlands/North use]
kev car Noun. A modified car, including such things as alloy wheels, spoilers, loud sound systems etc. See 'kev'.
kevved up Adj. Typically with reference to a car, mechanically and performance enhanced, restyled to look extra sporty.
kewl * Adj. 1. Excellent, wonderful.
2. OK.
* An alternative spelling of 'cool' that's becoming more evident on the WWW.
Khyber (Pass) Noun. Buttocks, anus. Cockney rhyming slang on 'arse'.
kibosh Noun. To end, to terminate, to finish off. E.g."We were kiboshed as soon as we set off." See 'put the kibosh on'.
kick (something) Verb. To give up (something), usually referring to the giving up of addictive drugs.
kick in Verb. To begin. E.g."The drugs kicked in just as I was talking to my boss. I made a quick exit."
kickin' * Adj. 1. Full of life and energy. E.g. "The club was kickin' last night."
2. Excellent.
* from kicking.
kick in the arse /ass Noun. Bad luck, an unfortunate setback. E.g."He had his passport and money stolen when he was at the market, which was a kick in the ass, especially as I had to then pay for everything for the rest of the holiday."
kick in the balls /bollocks Noun. A setback, a disappointment. E.g." Losing in the final after all that hard work through the season was a kick in the bollocks."
kick it Verb. To die. A shortening of kick the bucket.
kick off Verb. 1. To start trouble. E.g. "If we don't keep the noise down he's going to kick-off again and call the police."
2. To begin. E.g."The meeting kicked off with a welcoming speech by the Managing Director." {Informal}
kick seven bells out of (someone) Vrb phrs. To thoroughly beat up (someone). Also, less commonly, kick seven bells of shit out of someone. Cf. 'kick ten bells out of'.
kick seven shades of shit out of (someone) Vrb phrs. To thoroughly beat up (someone). Cf. 'beat seven shades of shit out of (someone)'
kick some arse/ass Vrb phrs. 1. To beat up someone.
2. To put all one's effort into winning. E.g."OK lads, let's get out on the pitch and kick some ass."
kick into touch Vrb phrs. To reject, discard or finish with (someone/ something). From the game of Rugby, whereby a ball kicked into touch is out of play. E.g."I'm going to kick it into touch today, go home and start again tomorrow morning."
kick ten bells out of (someone) Vrb phrs. To severely beat up (someone). Cf. 'kick seven bells out of'.
kick the arse out of (something) Vrb phrs. To fully utilize, enjoy or make the most of (something), often to the extent that it has now lost its interest. E.g." We've kicked the arse out of holidays in Egypt so I think we'll go to Spain this year."
kick the bucket Verb. To die. E.g."It was very sad when my grandmother kicked the bucket, the day after winning the top prize on the bingo too."
kick the stuffing out of (someone) Vrb phrs. 1. To severely beat up (someone). E.g."Next time I see him I'm gonna kick the stuffing out of him."
2. To trounce (someone), to defeat decisively. E.g."We kicked the stuffing out of them in the earlier rounds of the competition, but lost to them in the final, by just 1 goal."
kick up the arse/backside Phrs. What a person needs to get the motivated, working or moving. E.g."If Annie wants to pass her exams then she needs a good kick up the backside."
kidder Noun. A term of address, generally affectionate use towards someone younger. [Mainly Liverpool use]
kiddie fiddler Noun. A paedophile. Derog.
kiddo Noun. A form of address, usually for a someone younger. Often used affectionately.
kidology Noun. The persistent and intentional deception and teasing of someone for pleasure. {Informal}
kike Noun. A Jew. Derog/Offens. [Orig. U.S.]
kinnell! Exclam. Exclamation of anger or surprise. A contraction of 'fuckin'ell' (fucking hell). Also kinnel and kin 'ell.
kip Noun. 1. Sleep. E.g."Let's stop here for the night and get some kip."
2. The face. A shortening of 'kipper'. [Liverpool /North-west use.]
Verb. To sleep. E.g."Isn't it time you woke them up, they've been kipping for 16 hours."
kipper Noun. The face. E.g."Did you see the miserable kipper on that idiot stood at the back?" [Liverpool /North-west use.]
kipper feet Noun. Feet that point outwards.
kipper's dick Noun. See 'not give a kipper's dick'.
kiss arse/ass Vrb phrs. To act obsequiously.
kisser Noun. Mouth. Origins in boxing.
kiss my arse/ass (!) Adj./Exclam. An expression of disapproval, such as go to hell or get lost.
kit Noun. Clothes. See 'get one's kit off'.
kit and caboodle Noun. See 'whole kit and caboodle'.
kitchen (sink) Noun. A chinese person. From the rhyming slang on 'chink'. Offens.
kite Verb. To fraudulently use dud or stolen cheques. E.g."I got some fantastic sportswear this morning, kiting in the precinct."
Noun. A person who passes dud or stolen cheques.
kit kat shuffle Noun. Female masturbation.
klempt Adj. Hungry. Also 'clemmed'. [Wigan use. Dialect]
klepto Noun. Abb. of kleptomaniac. Derog.
klingon Noun. Faecal remnants that have adhered to anal hairs. Unusual and less common spelling of 'cling-on', possibly inspired by the Klingons from the Star Trek TV/film series.
knacked Adj. Means the same as 'knackered'.
knacker Verb. To wear out, to exhaust, to ruin. E.g."Keep hitting it with that hammer and you'll knacker it." [1800s]
knackered Adj. 1. Tired, worn out, exhausted. E.g."I missed my bus, I've just walked home, I'm knackered, so I'm going to bed. OK?"
2. Broken. E.g."Can we come around to watch TV at yours tonight, our is knackered."
3. Thwarted, prevented from succeeding at a task. E.g."We were knackered after our goalkeeper left, mid season. The replacement let in an average of 6 goals each match and we got relegated to a lower division."
* Also occasionally spelt nackered.
knackering Adj. Tiring, exhausting. E.g."Climbing to the top of the Mount Everest was the most knackering thing I have ever done."
knackers (!) Noun. The testicles.
Exclam. An exclamation of disagreement or annoyance.
knacker-sack Noun. The scrotum, the pouch that holds the testicles. Also as knackersack. See 'knackers' (noun 1).
kneecap Verb. To cripple someone by shooting or hitting their kneecaps as a means of punishment.
knee high to a grasshopper Phrs. Of a person, short in height.
knees-up Noun. A lively party or gathering. E.g."There's going to be a knees-up at Jenny's tonight, it's her birthday." {Informal}
knee trembler Noun. Sexual intercourse whilst standing. Usually hurried sex in an attempt to grab the moment.
knicker Noun. One pound sterling. E.g."The yacht cost us half a million knicker just as a deposit." Cf. 'nicker'.
knickers! Exclam. A exclamation of defiance, exasperation or anger. From the term for female underwear 'knickers'.
knob * Noun. 1. The penis.
2. An idiot, an objectionable person.
Verb. To have sex (with). E.g."I knobbed her when we were younger, years before she was famous."
* Also spelt 'nob'.
knobber Noun. A contemptible person, an idiot. Also nobber.
knobbing Noun. Sexual intercourse. Also as 'nobbing'.
knob cheese (!) * Noun. Smegma. Cf. 'cheese'.
Exclam. An exclamation of annoyance.
* Also spelt nob cheese.
knob-end Noun. 1. The head of a penis.
2. A contemptible person.
3. The very end of something. E.g."Ok, I'll eat the knob-end of the bread, the crusty bits are my favourite."
knob-head Noun. An idiot, a contemptible person. Also knobhead and nobhead.
knob-jockey * Noun. 1. A homosexual male. Derog. Cf. 'sausage jockey'
2. General term of abuse.
* Also 'nob jockey'
knob-off! Exclam. Go away! An exclamation of anger.
knob-rot Noun. 1. A sexually transmitted disease, specifically one affecting males. Cf. 'galloping knob-rot'.
2. Nonsense. E.g."You've been talking utter knob-rot for the last 2 hours. This is what actually happened."
knob-shiner Noun. A contemptible person.
knock Verb. To criticize, find fault with. {Informal}
knock back Vrb phrs. 1. To reject a persons application or request. E.g."I got knocked back 7 times before they accepted my application." {Informal}
2. To quickly drink or eat, to gulp down. E.g."We knocked back a few pints before the match." {Informal}
Noun. A refusal, a rejection. Also as knockback.
knocked up Adj. 1. Tired, exhausted.
2. Pregnant.
knockers Noun. Breasts. Possibly named due to the nature of their movements during activity.
knock for six Vrb phrs. To deal a severe blow, to vanquish, to affect someone severely. Cf. 'hit for six'. {Informal}
knocking on (a bit) Phrs. Aged, old, often implying passed its best.
knocking shop Noun. A brothel.
knock it off (!) Vrb phrs. Stop it. E.g."If you don't knock it off now I'll phone your father and he'll come and take you home."
Exclam. Stop it!
knock-off Verb. 1. To have sex with (someone). E.g."She's just not my type, but I'd definitely knock off her sister."
2. To steal.
3. To stop work. E.g."We knocking off for lunch in 10 minutes, so finish what you're doing."
Noun. 1. Fake, counterfeit.
2. Stolen goods. E.g."I'm not having that DVD player in my house, it's knock-off and my father's a policeman."
knock one out Verb. Usually of males, to masturbate. E.g."He knocked one out whilst watching old episodes of Baywatch."
knock one's pan in Vrb phrs. To work hard, to put in lots of effort. E.g."I've been knocking my pan in at work to get myself a promotion." [Mainly Scottish use]
knock out Verb. To produce, supply or sell. E.g."He's been knocking out cheap sportswear on Stockport market."
knockout Noun. A person or thing that is very impressive or excellent. Also as knock-out. E.g."That new British sportscar is a real knockout." {Informal}
Adj. Overwhelming, excellent, top quality.
knock seven shades of shit out of (someone) Vrb phrs. To thoroughly beat up someone. Cf. 'kick seven shades of shit out of (someone)'.
knock (someone) back Verb. To reject someone or their suggestions. E.g."I asked her for a dance, but she knocked me back and went off with my best friend."
knock (something) on the head Vrb phrs. To stop doing (something). E.g."All his shouting is really annoying me. If he doesn't knock it on the head soon, I'm going to thump him."
knock ten bells out of (someone) Vrb phrs. To severely beat up (someone). Cf. 'kick ten bells out of (someone)'
knock the spots off Vrb phrs. To outdo. {Informal}
knock up Verb. 1. To make pregnant. E.g." I knocked her up and now her father wants me to marry her."
2. To awaken. E.g."If you knock me up on your way to work I'll get a lift in with you."
know one's onions Vrb phrs. Knowledgeable and competent in one's task. E.g."I'll say one thing for Craig, he knows his onions when it comes to repairing car engines."
knuckle sandwich Noun. A punch in the mouth. An aging term that is typically used in a light-hearted way. [Orig. U.S. 1950s]
knuckle shuffle Noun. An act of masturbation.
Verb. To masturbate.
knuckle shuffler Noun. A person who masturbates.
kooky Adj. Crazy, eccentric.
kool Verb. To look (at). Backslang.
Kopite Noun. A supporter of Liverpool football club. From The Kop, a stand/area at the Liverpool ground.
kosher Adj. Correct, legitimate. [Yiddish] {Informal}
kotch Verb. To relax. Also spelt 'cotch'. E.g."We've been kotching and listening to the tunes." [Mainly London use/ Orig W.I.]
Kraut Noun. A German. A shortening of sauerkraut. Offens.
kushty Adj. Excellent, fine, OK. Also spelt cushty, kushdy and kushti. A once predominantly working class term with origins either in the Middle East and/or Romany.
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