Stafford House English Blog

Top 10 British Slang Words You Must Know!

Written by Smriti Rai | 29-Oct-2019 15:32:41

English is a broad and beautiful language which is always evolving. Over time, people assign different meanings to the same word or they create new words which can be known as slang. Slang is informal and used in speech rather than writing. Here, I have put together some words you might hear when speaking with native British English speakers. ~ Smriti

Dead

"this party is dead" means this party is boring or it might also mean there is not many people in the party. Another way to use 'dead' is when you find something really funny. Next time when your friend tags you on a funny video on Instagram you can comment "I'm dead" which means you find it really funny.

Shade

Throwing shade at someone means subtly disrespecting someone. You will normally throw shade to the person you know. It is a friendly diss. For example, if A says to B “I don’t have to tell you, you are dumb because you already know”. A just threw shade at B. It’s a verb, informal, and is almost like insulting someone in a smart way.

Boujee

Boujee is pronounced Boo-gee suggesting something is extravagant or over the top.  Like, “The place I went to last night was boujee,” which implies that the place was lavish.

Extra

“Why are you being so extra?” means why you are being over the top or trying too hard. You can use it when someone is acting overly dramatic.

Done

Done with means when you are finished with something.  “I am done with this.” This means that I am tired of this situation. You can also use this when you have had enough of someone’s attitude such as you can say “I am done with her behaviour.”

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Bare

Bare means a ‘lot of’. “He is bare funny” means he is hilarious. In this context, bare means he is very funny.

Cheers

Cheers traditionally would be used after a toast, however, more recently it is used as "thank you": "I've bought you a drink." "Cheers, mate."

Mardy

Mardy generally implies moody or whiney person. “You can get all mardy about it if you like” which means you can be all moody if you like. Next time when someone is in a mood where they are throwing a tantrum at you or in bad mood, you can make a comment saying “You are mardy, today.”

Banter

Banter is playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks. It is conversation that is funny and not serious. “He stood around bantering with his colleagues”, meaning he was talking with his colleagues in friendly and humorous way.

Squad

Squad was used for a group of people performing a particular task (group of players in a sport team or group of soldiers in same unit). However, now it has become very popular in describing group of friends. I am sure you have seen people comment #squadgoals on a picture of a group of friends which means that they aspire to have group of friends like that.

Alright, StaffordSquad this is it for today. I will see you in my next one. ~ Smriti