British Slang & informal UK English

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

nab Verb. 1. To steal.
2. To arrest. E.g."Charlie's been nabbed with his hand in the till again."
nab off (with something) Verb. To steal or take (something). E.g."I'm not inviting Kath round here again, she's nabbed off with my lighter, again."
nackered Adj. See 'knackered'.
nadgers Noun. Testicles.
nads Noun. Testicles. Derived from gonads.
naff Adj. 1. Unfashionable. Thought to have originated with the language of Polari. [1960s]
2. Rubbishy, useless, of poor quality, unappealing.
naffed off Adj. Annoyed, depressed.
naffing Adv./Adj. Used as an intensive, such as 'fucking'. E.g."That naffing couple nextdoor were arguing last night and kept me awake until the small hours."
naff off (!) Exclam. Get lost! Leave me alone! A euphemism for 'fuck off!'. [1950s]
Verb. Go away. E.g."Will you naff off and leave me to get on with my work." [1950s]
nail Verb. 1. To have sexual intercourse with. E.g."Did you nail that girl you were all over in the club last night?"
2. To seduce.
nan Noun. Grandmother. {Informal}
nana Noun. 1. Abb. of banana.
2. A fool or idiot. Jocular usage.
nancy Noun. 1. An effeminate male. Derog.
2. A homosexual. Derog.
Adj. Effeminate, weak.
nancy-boy Noun. A homosexual male. Derog.
nang Adj. Excellent, great. [Orig. Black/ Mainly London use]
nark Noun. 1. An informer, particularly a police informer. From the Romany nak, meaning nose, in the sense of sniffing out information. Not from narcotics agent, a mid 1900s job and title, as often mistakenly believed. [Mid 1800s]
2. A bad mood. E.g."He was in a total nark after getting yet another parking ticket."
narked Adj. Annoyed, ill tempered.
narky Adj. Annoyed, moody, upset. [Orig. Northern]
nash Verb. To run away, to escape. [North-east use]
(a) nasty piece of work Noun. An thoroughly unpleasant person. E.g."Don't lend that Nick Cotton any money, he's a nasty piece of work, and you'll never get it back."
natch Adv. Naturally, of course. Abbreviated form of naturally.
natter Verb. To chatter, to talk informally. {Informal}
natty Adj. Smartly and stylishly dressed.
naughty bits Noun. A coy euphemism for the genitals.
nause Noun. An annoying or irritating, person or thing. From the S.E. nauseous/nauseating
nause (something) up Verb. Mess up, ruin. E.g."The game was going well until Roger naused it up and gave them a penalty in the last minute."
neat Adj. A general term of approval, such as excellent, 'cool'. [Orig. U.S.]
neb Noun. 1. Nose. [Scottish /North-east /Yorks use]
2. A look at, a nosy at (something). E.g."I'm going to the museum to have a neb at that new dinosuar exhibition."[Scottish /North-east /Yorks use]
Verb. To look at, have a nosy at (something). E.g."Do your own homework and stop nebbing at mine, cos the teacher will know you've cheated." [Scottish /North-east /Yorks use]
nebby Adj. Nosey (or nosy). From 'neb'. [North-east/Scottish use?]
neck Verb. 1. To kiss passionately. {Informal}
2. To swallow (something), imbibe, drink. E.g."Oh Jesus! I'm well hungover; I necked nine pints last night."
ned Noun. A young, poorly educated, working class person, usually male, who dresses in casual sportswear. Derog. [Orig. Scottish]
needle Verb. To make jibes at, to irritate. {Informal}
needle dick Noun. 1. A small penis.
2. A man with a small penis. Derog.
neek Noun. An intelligent but socially inept person. A cross between 'nerd' and 'geek'.
nellie Noun. 1. An effeminate or homosexual male. Derog.
2. A feeble, soft person. Derog.
* Also spelt nelly.
Nelson (Mandela) Noun. A drink of Stella, a lager produced by Stella Artois. Rhyming slang on stella. Nelson Mandela, a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and political leader, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999
Neptune's kiss Noun. The splash, when defecating, that occasionally hits one's anus.
nerd Noun. 1. An imbecile, contemptible person. Derog. [U.S. 1950s.]
2. An intelligent, obsessive and often socially inept person, typically thought of as boring or dull. The expression is often associated with technically minded computer users. Derog. [Orig. U.S.]
nerdy Adj. In the manner of a 'nerd', see above.
nerk Noun. A fool or objectionable person.
nerve Noun. Audacity, impudence. Especially in have a nerve. E.g."She's got a nerve, complaining about being poor when she buys so many designer clothes." {Informal}
nesh Adj. 1. Over-sensitive to cold, when applied to a person. E.g."I suppose you want me to turn the fire on, being so nesh."
2. Cold, with respect to the weather. E.g."Put your coat on Sam, it's nesh outside."
3. Being easily scared, overly timid, feeble.
Netflix and chill Vrb. phrs. Euphemism for having sexual intercourse. [Orig. U.S. Late 2000s]
net-head Noun. A person obsessed with using the internet. [Orig. U.S. 1990s]
nethers Noun. A euphemism for the genitals. An abbreviation of nether regions - underworld. E.g."If I hadn't stepped back at the last moment he would have kicked me in the nethers."
nettie Noun. A toilet. [Newcastle/North-East use]
neves Noun. The number seven. Backslang. Mainly heard within the world of betting, and means 7-1 in tic-tac, the sign language used by bookmakers at racecourses. [Mid 1800s]
newb Noun. See 'newbie'. Also 'noob'.
newbie Noun. A person new to an activity, a novice, a beginner; especially such a person with respect to computers and the Internet.
newingtons Noun. The stomach. Rhyming slang for guts, from Newington Butts, a road in South London.
newsy Noun. 1. A shop that sells newspapers and magazines. An abb. of newsagents.
2. A newspaper.
 

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

Newtons Noun. Teeth. Manchester rhyming slang derived from Newton Heath, a district in Manchester. Cf. 'Hampsteads'.
nibbles Noun. Small snack type food, especially when eaten before a meal or with drinks. {Informal}
nice one! Exclam. A general expression of approval.
nick Verb. 1. To arrest, to detain. E.g."Right Mr Hall, please step out of the car, you're nicked for speeding."
2. To steal. E.g."Before I got arrested, and sent to prison, I spent 5 years nicking from people's homes every night."
3. To take, to have. E.g."Can I nick a cigarette until later? I'll buy a packet when I get my wages."
Noun. 1. A police station, especially one with cells.
2. A prison.
Adj. Quality, standard. Usually heard in the expressions, good nick or bad nick. E.g. "For that much money, you'd expect a second hand car to be in good nick."
nicker Noun. One pound sterling. Also spelt 'knicker'. {Informal}
niff Noun. A bad smell. {Informal}
nifty Adj. 1. Stylish. E.g."The car's looking loads more nifty with that rear spoiler and go-faster stripe." {Informal}
2. Quick and agile. {Informal}
nig Noun. A new recruit in the army. Acronym of new in green. [Military use]
nigga Noun. A form of address used between Blacks, and an alternative 'empowering' variation to the offensive but standard English nigger. Contentiously adopted and used within parts of the Black community. See Wikipedia. [Black use. Orig. U.S. 1980s]
niggly Adj. Peevish, bad tempered. {Informal}
nig nog Noun. An non-white person, black or asian. Derog./Offens. [1950s]
nimps Adj. Easy, simple. [Liverpool use]
nimrod Noun. An idiot, a socially inept person. [Orig. U.S.]
nincompoop Noun. An idiot, a foolish person. {Informal}
ninny Noun. A foolish person. {Informal}
nip Verb. To go quickly, often with the implication of returning soon. E.g."He nipped to the shops and brought another bottle of wine."
Noun. Abb. of nipple.
Nip Noun. A person from Japan. Taken from Nipponese, meaning Japanese. Offens.
nipper Noun. A child or young adolescent. {Informal}
nippy Adj. 1. Of the weather, cold, chilly. {Informal}
2. Quick, nimble, easy to manoeuvre. E.g."You need a nippy car in the city centre." {Informal}
nish Pron./Adv. Nothing.
nit Noun. A stupid person. Abb. of nitwit.
nithered Adj. Feeling very cold, frozen. [North-East and N. Yorkshire use.]
nitwit Noun. A stupid, foolish or silly person. {Informal}
nix Adj./Adv. No, not, none.
nob * Noun. 1. A penis.
2. An idiot, an objectionable person.
3. A person of wealth and high social standing, a member of the upper-classes.
Verb. To have sexual intercourse.
* Also, and more commonly spelt 'knob'.
nob about/around Verb. To idle away time, to mess about, to waste time. E.g."We spent the weekend nobbing about and relaxing."
nob all Noun. Nothing, nought. E.g."We arrived after a tiring 10 hour journey and they gave us nob all to eat and drink!" [Northern use]
nob-arse Noun. A general term of abuse.
nobbing Noun. An act of sexual intercourse. Also 'knobbing'.
nobble Verb. To tamper with, to damage. E.g."We were nobbled before the race began and came last."
nobbut Phrs. Nothing but. E.g."There's nobbut sun and sand in the desert." [Lancs/Yorks use. Dialect]
nobby Adj. 1. Elegant, aristocratic, reflective of the style of the wealthy, extravagant.
2. Idiotic, foolish. E.g."It was a nobby thing to do in light of the fact that your boss was in the same room."
Nobby no mates Noun. A person without friends. Derog. Cf. 'Norman (no mates)' and 'Billy (no mates)'
Nobby Stiles Noun. Haemorrhoids. Rhyming slang on piles. Nobby Stiles, English footballer, known for mainly playing for Manchester United and in the 1966 England World Cup winning team. [1960s]
nobhead Noun. An idiot, a contemptible person. Less common spelling of 'knob-head'.
nob jockey Noun. A homosexual male. Also 'knob-jockey'. Derog. Cf. 'sausage jockey'
nob rot Noun. Venereal disease.
no cop Phrs. Not good, of no value. See 'cop' (adj). Cf. 'any cop'.
nodder Noun. A condom. [North-West/Merseyside use]
nod off Verb. To fall asleep.
noggin Noun. The head. E.g."Use your noggin and think next time."
no great shakes Phrs. Not very good. E.g."I enjoyed the film but as a classic, it's no great shakes."
no joy! Exclam. expressing failure, or dissatisfaction. E.g."So how was your driving exam?" "No joy!" {Informal}
no kidding ?/! Exclam. 1. Is that the truth?
2. That's the absolute truth!
no mark Noun. A nonentity, a person of no worth. [Liverpool use]
nom nom Noun. Food. Also as noms noms.
Adj. Expressing the ravenous eating of something delicious. From the sound one makes when eating in this way.
nonce Noun. 1. A sexual deviant, having been convicted of a sex crime against children.
2. An objectionable or contemptible person, by extension of the definition in noun 1.
nonce about/around Verb. To idle away time, to mess around. E.g."We spent all day Sunday just noncing around, eating and watching TV."
noob Noun. A novice, a beginner. Also as 'newb'.
noodle Noun. 1. The head. E.g."Oh God my noodle hurts. I really mustn't drink so much next time."
2. An idiot or imbecile. Derog.
Verb. To improvise when playing a musical instrument, or play one without serious intent. Often as noodling (noun). E.g."He spends his evening noodling on his guitar."
no oil painting Phrs. Of a person, not attractive.
nookie Noun. Sexual intercourse or it can simply be sexual activity in general. Considered fairly inoffensive. Also spelt nooky.
nooner Noun. 1. A lunchtime act of sexual intercourse.
2. A lunchtime alcoholic drink.
no pressure! Exclam. Don't worry about making a mistake, there's no expectation of you. Usually said ironically with humour, so implying actually there is lots of pressure. E.g."OK, we're 1-0 down with 2 minutes left in the match and we have a penalty. No pressure!"
no probs! Exclam. No problem! That was no trouble at all!
norks Noun. Female breasts. (Orig. Aust?)
Norman (no mates) Noun. A socially inept person, and consequently one without friends. Derog. Cf. 'Billy no mates'.
north Noun. Mouth. Rhyming slang on North and South.
northern monkey Noun. A person from the North. Vaguely, anywhere north of Birmingham. Derog.
nose-bag Noun. Food or a meal. Derived from the method of feeding working horses via a bag of hay strung from its head and neck.
nose blow Noun. A handkerchief or tissue for the purposes of wiping one's nose.
nose candy Noun. Cocaine. [Orig. U.S.]
nose-rag Noun. A handkerchief.
nose wipe Noun. A handkerchief or tissue for the purposes of wiping one's nose.
nosey parker Noun. An overly inquisitive person. {Informal}.
nosh Noun. Food. [Orig. German/Yiddish. 1900s]
Verb. 1. To eat.
2. To fellate. See 'nosh-off'.
noshery Noun. An eating establishment, cafe, restaurant or snack bar. From 'nosh' (noun).
no shit! Exclam. Exclamation of surprise, usually ironic or sarcastic. [Orig. U.S.]
no shit, Sherlock! Exclam. Exclamation of surprise, usually ironic or sarcastic. [Orig. U.S.]
nosh off Verb. To fellate. Derived from 'nosh' (verb) meaning to eat. E.g."She always noshed me off before I went to work; it helped me stick with that job for more than 5 years." [1990s]
nosh-up Noun. A good meal or feast.
not all there Phrs. Insane or eccentric.
not a patch on Phrs. Not nearly as good, not comparable. E.g."The movie wasn't a patch on the book." {Informal}
not a sausage Phrs. Absolutely nothing. Derived from the Cockney rhyming slang sausage and mash, meaning cash, thus originally 'not having a sausage' indicated having no money.
not backward at coming forward Phrs. Of a person, coming straight to the point, brash.
not bad Phrs. Satisfactory, fairly good, passable. Also not so bad. E.g."Yes he's not bad for a cricket player." {Informal}
not batting on a full wicket Phrs. Eccentric, insane, odd.
not cricket Phrs. Unacceptable or unfair behaviour. E.g."I mean, it's just not cricket is it? Knowing that a meal contained beef fat and not telling a vegetarian until after they'd eaten it." {Informal}
not feel​ too clever Vrb phrs. To feel ill, feel rotten, be unwell. Also not look too clever, meaning to look unwell. E.g."I'm not feeling too clever so I'm going skip the meal and go to bed." {Informal}
not give a flying fuck Vrb phrs. To not care one little bit. E.g."I don't give a flying fuck if your mother says we should save our money, we're going on holiday and we're going to enjoy ourselves! We'll worry about the bills later."
not give a fuck Vrb phrs. To not care at all, the absolute nonchalance. The 'fuck' can be replaced with any number of expletives, such as 'shit', or as below with 'monkey' or 'toss'.
not give a kipper's dick Vrb phrs. To not be bothered, an expression of indifference. E.g."I couldn't give a kipper's dick who you marry, as long as I get an invite to the wedding." [Orig W. Midlands use?]
not give a monkey's Vrb phrs. To be totally disinterested. E.g."I don't give a monkeys if I lose my job, it's the most boring one I ever had and the pay's rubbish too."
not give a stuff Vrb phrs. Not care one little bit, usually expressing complete indifference. E.g."I don't give a stuff if you come with us or not, I wont be talking to you!"
not give a toss Vrb phrs. To not care one bit, to be contemptuously dismissive.
not half (!) Exclam. Certainly! Absolutely! Definitely!
Adv. 1. Extremely, often used to mean the reverse of what is being implied, so not half bad means good. E.g."She doesn't half annoy me with her endless gossip."
2. Nearly, almost an acceptable amount. E.g."The film wasn't half long enough but, what there was, was very enjoyable nevertheless."
not have all one's chairs at home Phrs. Eccentric, insane, crazy. E.g."He obviously doesn't have all his chairs at home, otherwise he would have said something sooner."
not have a pot to piss in Vrb phrs. To be very poor, not wealthy. Prior to plumbed, indoor toilets people would use a chamber pot, so not having a pot would mean you were indeed very poor. E.g."I haven't got a pot to piss in so don't expect me to come out drinking at the weekend."
not have the foggiest Vrb phrs. To have no idea. A contraction of not have the foggiest notion. E.g."I haven't the foggiest where she's going drinking tonight, what am I, her social secretary?" {Informal}
nothing to write home about Phrs. Unexciting, very average.
not know one's arse from one's elbow Vrb phrs. To be ignorant, naive or plain stupid.
not much cop Phrs. Not good, poor quality, worthless. E.g."We went to see that new Brad Pitt movie, but it wasn't much cop."
not on Phrs.Unacceptable, impossible. Also as just not on. E.g."No matter how poor you are, breaking into people's homes is just not on."
not one's cup of tea Phrs. Not really to one's taste. E.g."I'll tell you what's not my cup of tea, walking 15 miles up a mountain in the pouring rain."
not one's cuppa Phrs. Not to one's taste. A shortening of 'not one's cup of tea'.
not on your nellie! Exclam. No way! Not on your life! A shortening of the rhyming slang not on your nellie duff, where nellie duff rhymes on puff which refers to life, hence not on your life. [1940s]
not the brightest crayon in the box Phrs. Not clever, of low intelligence.
not worth a toss Phrs. Absolutely worthless.
nous Noun. Common-sense. E.g."If she had any nous, she wouldn't have stayed out until 5am getting drunk knowing she had a driving test at 10.30am." {Informal}
no way! Exclam. 1. Absolutely not! A strong denial.
2. You must be joking! Often responded to with 'way!'
no way José! Exclam. 1. Exclamation of surprise.
2. Not a chance! Never!
nowt Noun. Nothing. E.g."There's nowt wrong with it, it works fine, honest!" [Orig. Scottish /Northern dialect] {Informal}
now then! Exclam. A form of greeting. [North-east /Cumbrian use]
nowty Adj. Moody, angry.
nuclear sub Noun. A pub (public house), a bar. Rhyming slang.
nuddy Adj. Naked. See 'in the nuddy'.
nuff Adv./Adj. Abb. and mispelling of enough. [Orig. Black W.I.]
nuff said Phrs. There is no need to say more, it is understood. An abbreviated form of enough said.
nuffin Pron. Nothing, zero. Also nuffink. {Informal}
nugget Noun. 1. A one pound coin (one pound sterling).
2. An idiot, fool.
nuke Verb. 1. To cook something on a very high heat and quickly. Commonly used with reference to food cooked in a microwave.
2. To burn something during cooking.
number Noun. A cannabis or marijuana cigarette. [Orig. U.S.]
number two(s) Noun. A euphemism for an act of defecation.
numbnuts Noun. An idiot. Derogatory but often jocular. [Orig. U.S.]
numero uno * Noun. 1. The best.
2. The top person, the most important person, the boss. [Orig. U.S.]
* literally number one in Spanish and Italian
numpty Noun. A fool, idiot. Also spelt numbty and numptie. [Orig. Scottish]
nunty Adj. Usually of clothes or dress sense, unfashionable, unstylish, old fashioned. [Grimsby use]
nunga nungas Noun. Women's breasts. Expression created by the author Louise Rennison and first used in her book 'It's OK, I'm wearing really big knickers' [2001]
nut Verb. To headbutt.
Noun. 1. An insane or eccentric person.
2. A testicle. Usually in the plural, see 'nuts'.
nutcase Noun. A lunatic, an eccentric.
nutjob Noun. An idiot, crazy person.
nutmeg Noun. A skilful move in football (soccer) where a player with the ball gets past an opponent by kicking it between their legs.
Verb. To complete the action of the noun, nutmeg, above.
nuts (!) Noun. The testicles.
Adj. 1. Mad, insane.
2. Enthusiastic, obsessed. E.g."He buys her flowers every week, makes all her meals, he's nuts about her."
Exclam. An exclamation of defiance or annoyance.
nutsack Noun. The scrotum.
nutter Noun. Lunatic, idiot.
nutty Adj. Mad, eccentric or a little crazy.
nyaff Noun. A stupid, insignificant or contemptible person. [Scottish use]
Slang Articles

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