English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology

Slang Dictionary — Modern Slang, Decoded

What does that word actually mean? Our slang dictionary explains modern slang clearly — Gen Z, internet, British and street slang — with real definitions, examples and where each term came from.

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Gen Z Slangrizz, delulu, slay Internet Slangbrainrot, based, mid British Slangpeng, bare, peak AAVEbussin, finna, cap

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Latest slang terms

A freebie — a bit of kit, a souvenir, a sticker, a patch, a brew — blagged off someone for nothing. Comes straight from the slurred British plea 'give us it'. Especially common when a unit deploys somewhere new and starts collecting morale patches, lanyards and tat off the locals or allied forces.

A contraction of 'give us a', meaning 'give me'.

Any mechanical device, gadget, or part whose proper name the speaker doesn't know or can't recall.

Hand it over. The Scouse all-purpose request — for a ciggy, a chip, a job. Immortalised by Yosser Hughes in Boys from the Blackstuff: 'Gizza job.'

To scold, complain about or tell someone off. 'Giving out yards' is doing so at great length.

giving / it's giving

Used to say something radiates a specific quality or energy, often without finishing the thought. 'It's giving' followed by anything, a noun, an adjective, a whole mood, tells you what the thing is putting out. Comes straight from ballroom's 'giving face / giving body', where what you give is the presence you project.

To radiate or serve a particular energy, look or vibe. Drop a noun after it and you've described the whole mood: 'it's giving rich auntie', 'it's giving desperate'. Compliment or read depending entirely on what comes next.

An offensive play in which a player passes to a teammate and immediately cuts to the basket to receive a return pass.

give your 'ead a wobble

Telling someone to rethink. They've said or done something so daft that you're literally asking them to physically shake their brain back into place. Aggressive cousin of 'have a word with yourself'.

An instruction to stop doing something annoying; 'give over'.

To bollock someone — tell them off, usually at length. 'She gave out to me for being late' = she chewed me out. The direction matters: you give out TO someone.

To make an attempt; 'having a go' is culturally valued.

An item passed on to someone, often used or second-hand.

To have a conversation, share gossip, or catch up on news with friends; as a noun, "the gist" is the story or news itself.

Part of the ironic gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss trio.

The mainstream version: a woman's starry-eyed admiration for another woman she finds cool, gorgeous, or impossibly put-together. Framed as platonic, no attraction implied. You want to BE her or be her friend, not date her.

To gag or retch, or to feel disgusted. Common in Yorkshire and the North.

A covered or roofed-over passage leading from a street to a yard.

A cunning trickster, hustler or con-artist who deceives people. Also spelled ginnul.

Scottish for utterly disgusting, rank, vom-inducing. Reserved for things that genuinely turn the stomach — not just mildly unpleasant. Often paired with 'pure' or 'heavy' for emphasis. If something's gingin, you're physically backing away from it.

Generic Glaswegian term for any fizzy soft drink — Coke, Irn-Bru, lemonade, the lot. Doesn't have to contain a molecule of actual ginger. Baffles tourists and English visitors on a regular basis.

Replaces 'going' or the future 'will/going to'. 'She gine do it' = she will do it.

A kill that has no business happening at that percent. You catch someone offstage with a weak hit or a steal of their recovery and they just can't make it back. The damage didn't kill them, the situation did.

gimme some sugar

An affectionate request for a kiss, especially from a child or sweetheart.