Language is a wonderful, complicated device that helps people express any feeling they might ever have about anything. The soup gets a little more complicated, however, when you add in slang words and phrases across cultures: The fact that they're not officially part of the language makes it a bit more difficult for non-native speakers to keep up with it. But luckily, the web series Anglophenia is here to help with one particular country's vernacular: For those who don't always keep up with the hip language of the youths, check out Anglophenia's Guide to the Latest British Slang to learn what words are all the rage in the UK right now.
Kate Arnell, the lovely lady who hosts the show, has previously led us through such topics as confusing things about British homes (apparently the British put their laundry machines in the kitchen?), how to make breakfast like A Brit (what? You mean we have to abandon our beloved pancakes and maple syrup to breakfast properly in the UK?), how to make tea the British way (an excellent skill to have), and How to Swear Like a Brit. That last one might encourage us to add more bad words to our vocabularies — but at least it also encourages creativity with language while it's at it.
The popular British slang of today, though? That's all-new territory. So if you feel like you already have a grasp of the slang from your hometown, state, province, or country, check out these British slang words you might fancy. Scroll down to watch the full video:
1. Dench
"Dench" essentially means impressive, cool, or lit. Drawn from the British national treasure that is Dame Judi Dench, the slang term was popularized by the British rapper Lethal Bizzle and featured in his song Dench Stamina. In fact, the word got so popular that it has officially been added to the dictionary. If you want to know how to use it, basically fill it in every time you say "dope" or "rad," like "those are some dench kicks."
2. Reem
Stars of the British reality show The Only Way Is Essex introduced "reem" to the public to mean "sexy, desirable, or cool." You can have a reem friend group, a reem girlfriend, or a reem lifestyle. We're all just trying to live the (d)REEM.
3. Peak
Peak is a tricky word that can be either a compliment or an insult; like many words, the meaning changes depending on the context (for example, when Ludacris says "my chick bad," he means she's actually good). If you smile and look in the distance before you say, "The peak of my high was totally peak," it's safe to interpret your comment to mean, "I got high and it was awesome." If, however, you say the same thing while frowning and shaking your head, listeners can safely assume you did drugs and had a really bad time.
4. Chirpsing
"Chirpsing" is used synonymously with flirting or macking. If you're familiar with older British slang, it replaced "sharking" — which, in my opinion, was a good move, because "sharking" sounds more than a little predatory. Plus, I don't know about you, but I think "I'm trying to chirps with that girl" is really adorable.
5. Bare Jokes
This slang term has two components. The first, "jokes," can mean anything that's funny, even if it isn't explicitly a joke; "bare," meanwhile, means really, very, or obviously. Put the two together and "bare jokes" basically means "very funny." Hopefully I have done a good enough job describing this word that no one would describe my attempt as bare jokes.
So in case you've already mastered U.S. slang and can actually use trap queen, woes, HAM, flex, and turnt correctly, move onto British slang. Then you can really start confusing you parents.
Watch the full video below:
Images: .craig/Flickr; Anglophenia/YouTube (6)
