Slang & dialect of the UK

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

la Noun. A form of address unique to Liverpool. Pronounced lah.
labs Noun. Abb. of labia.
lace into Verb. To attack, either verbally or physically.
lacky-band Noun. A corruption of the words elastic band.
lad Noun. Penis. Affectionate use. E.g."I'm going to the clinic this afternoon, my lad's not been right after that shag with your sister."
laddette Noun. A female equivalent of a male who might be considered 'laddish'. Such characteristics might be confident, brashness, loudness, sexist, enjoyment of drinking etc.
laddie Noun. A young man or boy. Often used as a term of endearment. Also as laddy. [Mainly Scottish use] {Informal}
laddish Adj. Of or like the perceived characteristics of a young man or lad, often loud, macho, arrogant and sexist.
ladge Verb. To embarrass. Orig. Romany? E.g."She was well ladged after realising her skirt was tucked in her knickers." [Yorks/Cumbria/NE use]
ladgeful Adj. Embarrassing. [Cumbria/NE use]
ladging Adj. Embarrassing.[Yorks/Cumbria/NE use]
ladyboy Noun. A male to female part transexual. [Orig. use from East Asia?]
lady garden Noun. The female pubic area, the vagina and pubic hair.
Lady Godiva Noun. A five pound note. Rhyming slang for fiver. Lady Godiva, a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman and the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, who reportedly rode a horse completely naked through the streets of Coventry on Market Day. [Mainly London use]
lady lumps Noun. Women's breasts.
Lady Muck Noun. A pompous, conceited female who considers themselves above their peers. Cf. 'Lord Muck'.
lag Noun. A convict, or ex convict. Often heard as old lag. [Early 1800s]
lager boys Noun. Young men who over-indulge in alcohol and consequently become loutish.
lagered (up) Adj. Drunk, intoxicated through the use of lager.
lager lout Noun. A young person whose anti-social behaviour is primarily instigated by the excessive drinking of alcohol. {Informal}
lagged /laggered Adj. Drunk, intoxicated with alcohol. E.g."I was totally laggered last night, and can't remember who I got a taxi home with."[London use]
laik Verb. To play. Also leck. E.g."Are your two brothers laiking out this afternoon, because I've got a new football for my birthday?" [Yorkshire use]
lairy Adj. 1. Knowing, conceited.
2. Cheeky or brash.
* Also spelt leary.
3. Flashily dressed. [Orig. Aust.]
la-la-land Noun. The hypothetical place where one is out of touch with reality, often after the excesses of alcohol or drugs. Originally referring to L.A. as in Los Angeles. E.g."Don't bother calling Pete; ever since his drug binge last night he's in la-la-land". [Orig. U.S.]
lally Noun. Leg, or when in the plural, lallies. From the gay slang, 'polari'.
lambchops Noun. Sideburns. From their shape?
lamp Verb. To hit, to clout. E.g."I can't believe she lamped him. Just for coming home drunk."
landing strip Noun. A style of pubic hair, whereby it is trimmed into a thin vertical band.
langer Noun. 1. Penis. [Irish use]
2. A contemptible person, an idiot. [Irish use]
langered Adj. Drunk, intoxicated.
Lanky Noun. 1. The county of Lancashire.
2. The dialect of the county of Lancashire.
lanky streak of piss Noun. A tall, thin person. Derog. [Northern use]
lardarse Noun. A fat person. Also as lard-arse. Orig. U.S. as lard-ass. Derog. Cf. 'tub of lard'.
lard-arsed Adj. Of a person, fat, overweight, but with an implication of being lazy, or useless. Also as lardy-arsed.
large Adj. Excellent. See 'have it large'.
large it Verb. To be enthusiastic. See 'have it large'.
lark Noun. 1. A game, but also used negatively in the sense of a waste of time. E.g."I'm not at all comfortable with this abseiling lark; the climbing up is alright but coming down backwards, now that's stupid!" {Informal}
2. A fun person. E.g."Ella is such a lark, I love going out with her."
larrup Verb. To beat, to thrash. E.g."As usual we got larruped at football."
larruped Adj. Drunk, intoxicated. [Mainly Northern use?]
Larry Lightweight Noun. 1. A person who is easily intoxicated by alcohol or drugs, having low tolerance to intoxicants. Derog.
2. A person, who against the desires of others, has no ability or wishes to maintain an activity and gives up prematurely. Derog.
lash Verb. To discard, throwaway. E.g."I'm going to lash those old boots, they're letting in water." [Merseyside use?]
lashed (up) Adj. Drunk.
Later(s) ! Exclam. Goodbye! Derived from see you later or catch you later. [1990s]
laughing boy Noun. A sardonic nickname for a male who looks miserable. E.g."Cheer up laughing boy, it's not the end of the world."
laughing gear Noun. The mouth.
lav Noun. A toilet. Abb. of lavatory. Also lavvy.
lawk(s)! Exclam. Lord! A mild oath.
lawks a mussy Exclam. Lord have mercy!
lay Verb. To have sexual intercourse. E.g."I got a little drunk last night and got laid."
lay a brick Vrb phrs. To defecate. E.g."I've just laid a brick the size of an elephant."
lay one on (someone) Verb. To hit (someone).
lay some cable Vrb phrs. To defecate. E.g."Can I get Tim to give you a call back? He's just in the toilet, laying some cable."
lazy lob Noun. A semi-erect penis. Cf. 'lob on'.
lazz Verb. To pass or throw. Cf. 'luzz'. [North-west/Merseyside use]
lead up the garden path Vrb phrs. To mislead. {Informal}
leak Noun. An act of urination. E.g. "Hold on a minute, I need to take a leak."
lean Adj. Intoxicated with alcohol or drugs. [Mainly London use]
leathered Adj. Drunk.
leathering Noun. A beating. Originates from the use of a leather belt or thong to beat someone. Derived from the verb - to leather.
leave it out! Exclam. Stop it! Stop doing that!
lech Verb. To sexually lust. Also spelt letch. {Informal}
Noun. Someone who is lecherous and lustful. Derog.
leck Verb.See 'laik'.
lecky Noun. Electricity. Also 'lecko'. E.g. "I'm afraid we can't invite you back, we've had the lecky cut off."
ledge Noun. Abb. of legend or legendary. Also lege. E.g."Will Smith? He's a ledge."
Lee Marvin Adj. Starvin' (starving), hungry. Rhyming slang. Lee Marvin, an American film and television actor.
leftfield Adj. Taking an unconventional view or stance. [Orig. U.S.]
left footer Noun. A Catholic. Derog.
lefty Noun. A socialist. Derog.
leg it Verb. To run hurriedly. E.g."We heard the police sirens and legged it."
legit Adj. Abb. of legitimate.
legless Adj. Very drunk. Obvious derivation from the consequences of excessive alcohol.
leg opener Noun. Anything that helps or has the reaction of making a female more sexually amenable.
leg-over Noun. Sexual intercourse, usually in phrase 'get one's leg over'. E.g."Did you get your leg-over with that girl last night?"
lemon Noun. 1. A fool, idiot, objectionable person.
2. A lump of excrement. Rhyming slang on lemon curd, meaning 'turd'. [1960s]
3. A lesbian. Derog.
lemon and lime Noun. Time. Rhyming slang.
lemon squeezy Adj. Easy, simple. Either from the rhyming slang or the juvenile rhyme - easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
length Noun. Euphemism for the penis. See 'slip (someone) a length'.
Leo Noun. An all day drinking spree. From the rhyming slang on Leo Sayer meaning all dayer. Leo Sayer, a British pop musician popular in the mid 1970s.
les-be friends Noun. A lesbian or lesbians. A pun on let's be friends. Also lez-be friends. Derog.
lesbo Noun. A lesbian.
let down Noun. A disappointment. E.g."Having our holiday cancelled due to the pandemic was a huge let down."
let off Verb. To break wind, to 'fart'. Shortening of let off wind.
let one go Verb. To break wind, to fart. E.g."That's disgusting! Who's just let one go?"
let (one) rip Verb. To break wind, to fart.
let the dog see the rabbit Phrs. Move out of the way so that I can see. [Northern use]
lettuce Noun. The female genitals.
lettuce licker Noun. A lesbian. See 'lettuce'. Derog.
lezzer Noun. A lesbian.
lick arse Verb. To act obsequiously, to be a sycophant.
Noun. A sycophant.
lickety-split Adv. Fast, speedily. [Orig. U.S.]
lickle Adj. Small. A lazy or childlike corruption of the word little.
lick (out) Verb. To perform cunnilingus.
lick (someone's) arse Verb. To act like a sycophant. E.g."Licking the manager's arse might get you a promotion, but you'll not gain many friends."
lick up Verb. To fawn, to be obsequious. E.g."She licked up to the teacher and got a grade A in her English language test."
lid Noun. A hat, cap, or helmet.
(the) life of Riley Noun. The good life. E.g."Ever since they won the lottery and have stopping working they've been living the life of Riley."
lift Verb. To steal. E.g."She lifted some food from the supermarket so her child could eat."
ligger Noun. A 'freeloader', a taker of things that are freely available, especially in the world of show business or music.
lights are on but no-one's home Phrs. Of a person, that they are alive but not in touch with reality. A catch-phrase cast at a person who lacks commonsense or whose attention has wandered.
lightweight Noun. Someone who can't drink or take drugs to the level expected by their peers. E.g."Come on, have another drink you lightweight." {Informal}
like a bastard Phrs. In a hurried or agitated state. E.g."I raced around the shops like a bastard, looking for a birthday present."
like a blue arsed fly Phrs. Hurriedly and frantically. E.g."God, I'm so knackered, I've been racing around all day like a blue-arsed fly."
like a dead heat in a zeppelin race Phrs. Of a woman, having large breasts. Cf. 'zeppelins'.
like a dog with two dicks Phrs. 1. Sexually promiscuous, with the implication that the person cannot control their sexual appetite, having animal urges. Applied to males. E.g."Did you see Bob ogling that woman's breasts? He was all over her like a dog with two dicks."
2. Sexually excitable or excited.
3. Over excited.
like a fart in a colander Phrs. 1. Useless. In expressions such as, about as much use as a fart in a colander.
2. Confused. E.g."You're like a fart in a colander, not knowing which hole to come out of."
like a pig in shit Phrs. Happy, contented.
like a rat up a drainpipe Phrs. Very quickly.
like a row of bombed houses Phrs. Of teeth, crooked, irregular, not in a good state.
like a sack of spuds Phrs. Easily, quickly, heavily. Usually describing a physical fall. E.g."I hardly touched him and he went down like a sack of spuds."
like a spare prick at a wedding Phrs. Totally useless, unwanted, and with a hint of embarrassment for being in that predicament. E.g."There I was, waiting for my date at the entrance of this packed restaurant on Valentines Day, like a spare prick at a wedding."
like flies on shit Phrs. Used as emphasis to imply great numbers and enthusiasm, usually with depreciative undertones. E.g."She'd go into a bar and all the men would be all over her like flies on shit."
like fuck (!) Adj/adv. Intensely, greatly, very much, speedily. E.g."We went at the decorating like fuck, and finished the whole house in 2 days."
Exclam. An exclamation of denial. E.g."Like fuck! I'm not running naked through the town centre."
like it or lump it Phrs. An ultimatum - either like it or just put up with it, but whatever, there is no choice. See 'lump it'.
likely lad Noun. A smart, self-confident, often cheeky young man. [Mainly Northern use] {Informal}
like nobody's business Phrs. Totally, quickly, very well.
like shit off a shovel Phrs. Very quickly.
like shit off a stick Phrs. Quickly.
like something not right Phrs. Added to the end of an action to express that it was extreme in some context. E.g."It was raining like something not right, and within an hour the house was flooded."
like the clappers Phrs. Very quickly, very hard. E.g."We ran like the clappers." {Informal}
Lilly (Law) Noun. The police. From Polari slang Lilly Law.
lils Noun. Breasts.
Limey Noun. An English person. Derived from the habit, on long journeys, of supplying lime juice to English sailors as a preventative against scurvy. [Orig. Aust. 1880s]
limp-dick Noun. A weakling, an ineffectual person.
Adj. Weak, ineffectual, inadequate. E.g."Yet another limp-dick performance against the worse team in the division."
limp-wristed Adj. Feeble, effeminate, usually applied to males, and often implying homosexuality.
line Noun. A quantity of powdered drug, such as cocaine, that is chopped and presented as a line in order to be snorted.
Lionels Noun. Flaired trousers/jeans. Rhyming slang on Lionel Blair's, meaning flairs. From the British dancer/entertainer, Lionel Blair. [1970s]
lip Noun. Verbal impudence, cheek.
lippy Adj. Impertinent, mouthy, cheeky. {Informal}
Noun. Lipstick.
lips Noun. The labias.
lipstick Noun. A dog's penis, when slightly aroused and it's tip showing.
lipstick lesbian Noun. A lesbian who prefers to wear make-up and look conventionally feminine, as opposed to a 'bull-dyke' or 'diesel-dyke'.
liquid lunch Noun. A lunch break comprising of alcohol instead of food.
little boy's/girl's room Noun. Euphemisms for a lavatory, bathroom or toilet. E.g."Could someone direct me to the little girls room, I'm desperate."
little fella Noun. Affectionate term for an ectasy (MDMA) pill. E.g."We cant have a good night tonight until we get some little fellas."
little man in a boat Noun. A euphemism for the clitoris. From its appearance.
littles Noun. Pills, or more commonly ectasy pills.
little swimmers Noun. Sperm.
little 'un Noun. A little one. Usually referring to young children.
livener Noun. A drink used as a pick-me-up, often the first drink of the day.
live over the brush Vrb phrs. Of a couple, to live together out of wedlock. {Informal}
load Noun. The quantity of semen that is usually ejaculated. E.g."She was so horny I shot my load just looking at her." See 'shoot one's load'.
loaded Adj. 1. Drunk, or drugged up.
2. Wealthy.
load of crap Noun. Utter nonsense, complete rubbish, worthless. The prefixal element load of is regularly placed before nouns as an intensifier in perjorative expressions such as a load of shit, a load of bollocks, a load of tosh. E.g."That film we went to see was a load of crap."
load of old bollocks Noun. Utter nonsense, complete rubbish. See 'load of crap'.
load of old crap Noun. See 'load of crap'.
loaf Noun. Head. Rhyming slang on loaf of bread. See 'use one's loaf'.
lob Verb. 1. To discard, to throw away. E.g."It's no use, it's broken, just lob it."
2. To pass, to give. E.g."Will you lob me the salt and pepper?"
lob on Noun. An erect penis.
lobster Noun. A very sunburnt person. Derog.
(the) local Noun. One's local drinking establishment, public house, bar, that is usually located nearest to ones home or work. E.g."I usually pop down to my local for some lunch at the weekends." {Informal}
lock-in Noun. The time after a public house has closed when a chosen few are offered the chance to buy more drinks. An illegal activity, hence the locking of doors.
log Noun. A lump of excrement. From its vague similarity to a to a sawn tree trunk.
lolligag Verb. To waste time, to dawdle, to fool around. Also as lallygag. E.g."Stop lolligagging and go help your mother with the cleaning." [Orig. U.S. /Mid 1800s] {Informal}
lolly Noun. Money.
lombard Noun/Acronym. A wealthy but objectionable person. Stands for loads of money but a right dickhead, or lots of money but a right dickhead, or equivalent.
long bacon Noun. A derisive gesture that involves thumbing one's nose whilst waggling one's extended fingers. Used in phrases such as make/pull the long bacon.
long-hair Noun. A hippy.
long mackintosh brigade Noun. Collectively, perverts or those who indecently expose themselves, as traditionally seen wearing long raincoats (mackintoshes) to hide their sexual intentions. Cf. 'dirty mackintosh brigade'.
long streak of piss Noun. A tall thin person. Derog.
long time no see Phrs. It's been a while since we last met. Used as a greeting. {Informal}
loo Noun. A lavatory, a toilet. {Informal}
lookah Noun. Money. It is derived from lucre, a derogatory term for profit or gain. Also spelt luka.
look at someone gone out Phrs. Expressed at a person who responds blankly at something. E.g."Look at you gone out! What's up? Haven't you understood a word I've been saying." [Midlands/South Yorkshire use?]
looker Noun. An attractive person.
look like death warmed up Vrb phrs. To look very pale and sickly. E.g."She had a terrible hangover and looked like death warmed up."
look like something the cat brought in Vrb phrs. To look scruffy, unkempt, or in a physical mess.
look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards Vrb phrs. To have very unkempt hair. E.g."When was the last time he ran a comb through his hair? It looked like he'd been dragged through a hedge backwards."
looksee Noun. A look, a glance. Also looksy. E.g."Have a looksy at this brochure and tell me which holiday appeals to you."
loon Noun. An insane person. Abb. of lunatic. Derog.
loony Noun. An insane person. From lunatic. Derog.
Adj. Crazy.
loony-bin Noun. Mental institution, a lunatic asylum.
loopy Adj. Mad, insane.
loppy Adj. Dirty, filthy. [Yorks use]
Lord Muck Noun. A pompous, conceited male who considers themselves above their peers. Cf. 'Lady Muck'.
lose it Verb. To become confused or out of control.
lose one's bottle Vrb phrs. To lose courage. Cf. 'bottle' and 'bottle it'.
lose one's marbles Vrb phrs. To go crazy, to lose control.
lose one's rag Vrb phrs. To lose control in a fit of fury, to be very angry. E.g."You should keep out of Jill's way when she loses her rag; she's got a lethal right hook."
lose the plot Vrb phrs. Be confused, to go off direction, whether with conversation or in one's activities.
lot Noun. A person or group of people with a particular character, often modified with an depreciative adj. such as bad lot, boring lot, noisy lot etc. Also used as a form of address for a group of people, in you lot. E.g."Are you lot ready to set off? We've got a long way to go." {Informal}
lounge lizard Noun. 1. An idle frequenter of fashionable bars. Old fashioned. {Informal}
2. Someone who is very lazy and unenergetic.
louse Verb. To finish a job or task. [Scottish use]
love Noun. A friendly term of address. {Informal}
love a duck! Exclam. An exclamation of surprise.
love custard Noun. Semen.
loved up Adj. 1. In love.
2. High on drugs and feeling intimate and empathetic, usually on MDMA.
love handles Noun. An area and build up of fat on a person's waistline.
love length Noun. The penis.
lovely-jubbly! Exclam. Excellent! Great! A jocular expression popularized in the 1990s by the cockney character Delboy, in the British sit-com Only Fools and Horses. Originally from a 1950s advertisement for an ice lolly, by the name of Jubbly.
love muscle Noun. The penis.
love piss Noun. Semen.
lover boy Noun. 1. A lover, an attractive man.
2. A friendly term of address.
love rod Noun. The penis.
love spuds Noun. Testicles.
low-life Noun. Contemptible and despised person or persons, often with criminal leanings. E.g."I'm not going in that bar, it's full of low-life and I value my own life."
lug Noun. Ear. {Informal}
lug-hole Noun. The ear hole. Also lughole. See 'lug'.
luka Noun. See 'lookah'.
lumber Verb. To burden. E.g."What am I, a doctor? Don't lumber me with all your medical problems, go to the health centre." {Informal}
lummox Noun. A clumsy, stupid person. Often used affectionately.
lump it Verb. To suffer or endure something. See 'like it or lump it'. E.g."You'll just have to lump it; being a parent isn't easy and you'll always have no time to yourself."
lumpy jumper Noun. A female, specifically one in the military. [Military use]
lunchbox Noun. Male genitals.
lungs Noun. Women's breasts.
lurgy Noun. Any unspecified or indeterminate illness. Jocular use. Also lurgee and lurgi. See 'dreaded lurgy'. {Informal}
lurve Noun/Verb. Love. Humourous and intentional mispronunciation to suggest more passion and lust.
lush Adj. Excellent, appealing, attractive.
Noun. A habitual, heavy drinker of alcohol. Derog.
lusty Adj. Sexually excited. Derived from the s.e. lust and grammatically correct adjective lustful.
luvvie Noun. 1. An actor or actress, especially one with a flamboyant and affected theatrical manner. Also luvvy. Often derog. {Informal}
2. A form of address. From lovey. {Informal}
luzz Verb. To pass or throw. E.g."Will you luzz me that pen and paper, please?" Cf. 'lazz'. [S.E. England use]
lychees Noun. Testicles.
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