Once the use of profanities in public was outright appalling to most in general society. Nowadays, swear words like fuck, shit and bollocks are just part of normal conversation. In fact, a recent study in the UK found that people are more comfortable with swearing on television than they used to be. And research in the US indicates that people are increasingly likely to swear at work.
Yet, the British seem far more fluent at swearing than Americans. Likely, that’s because they’re more likely to link colourful language with having a sense of humour than with vulgarity. Some even have the ability to make a word sound like a swear word, even when it isn’t. Regardless, the new host of Anglophenia who recently stepped into Siobhon Thompson’s shoes, Kate Arnell, walks us cheerfully through commonly used British swear words. Some of the featured swear words include bloody, bollocks, pissed and sod. She also details their origins and the proper way you can use them in a sentence. And make sure you get some practice in on the highway home tonight.
For more British swear words, check them out below read up on their definitions. Or click here if 80s slang is more of your thing.
Dictionary of British swear words
A
Arse or arsehole
(Noun)
Variants of ass and asshole. It can also be used to mean bothered (“Can’t be arsed”) or acting the fool (“Stop arsing about!”).
B
Bastard
(Noun)
Illegitimate child or mongrel; objectionable fellow, probably one who has won one over on you; unpleasant situation (“I’m having a bastard of a morning!”).
Bell or bellend
(Noun)
Head of a penis; fool. (Only write as “bell end” if referring to the end of an actual bell.)
Berk
(Noun)
Idiot. Very mild, yet apparently originated as rhyming slang for “Berkeley hunt”.
Bint
(Noun)
Derogatory synonym for woman appropriated from the Arabic word for daughter or girl.
Blighter
(Noun)
Person or thing to be regarded with contempt/envy. See also cad, rotter, swine.
Bloody
(Adverb)
Intensifier, popularly used in the phrase “Bloody hell!”
Bollocks
(Noun)
Testicles. Used to mean rubbish or nonsense, as in the exclamation of disbelief “Bollocks!” and the album title Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols; in phrases such as “the dog’s bollocks” to mean something definitive and perfect; and, in the related word bollocking, a dressing-down (“I gave the useless fool a bollocking”).
Bugger
(Noun)
Sodomite (i.e. someone who practises buggery); jerk; silly fool.
(Verb)
As a verb, it can mean to sodomize; to ruin (“You’ve buggered that up!”), or to tire. Also used as an exclamation of annoyance (“bugger!”); as a milder variant of “fuck” in the phrases “bugger off” and “bugger all”; and, in the phrase, “playing silly buggers”, to act the fool.
C
Cad
(Noun)
Untrustable person to be regarded with contempt/envy.
Cack
(Noun)
Shit. Also: Cack-handed — adj, clumsy, inept. A cack-handed execution will often lead to a cock-up.
Codger
(Noun)
An old man, often grumpy. Mild.
Cunt
(Noun)
Vagina; an unpleasant or stupid person. Strong, but much less offensive than in the US. It can be used as an adjective in the related word cuntish. Use with care, unless writing a piece based on East End gangsterisms.
D
Dickhead
(Noun)
A stupid, irritating person, usually a man. Moderate strength. See also: knob, knobhead, knobber.
Duffer
(Noun)
Elderly idiot.
G
Git
(Noun)
Someone who has just beaten you at pool, stolen your spouse, bought the last pasty in the shop, got the job you wanted, or in some other way won one over on you.
K
Knob, knobend, knobhead or knobber
(Noun)
A stupid, irritating person, usually a man. “Knob” is a synonym for penis.
M
Manky
(Adjective)
Worthless, disgusting.
Minger
(Noun)
A very unattractive person or thing.
Minging
(Adjective)
Foul, disgusting, worthless.
Munter
(Noun)
Unattractive woman.
N
Naff
(Adjective)
Tasteless, crap.
Nutter
(Noun)
Crazy person.
P
Pillock
(Noun)
Idiot.
Plonker
(Noun)
Annoying idiot. Immortalized in the ’80s BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses.
Prat
(Noun)
Idiot.
R
Rotter
(Noun)
Person to be regarded with contempt/envy.
S
Scrubber
(Noun)
Promiscuous woman.
Shite
(Noun)
A variant of shit. Used in a bewildering variety of constructions, including gobshite, shitehawk, and Steve Coogan’s Paul Calf catchphrase, “bag o’ shite”.
Swine
(Noun)
Person to be regarded with contempt/envy.
T
Tosser
(Noun)
Masturbator; despicable person.
Twat
(Noun)
Vagina; rotter. Milder synonym for cunt. It can also be used as a verb to mean hit (“Watch me while I twat him”) or inebriated (“I was twatted”).
W
Wanker
(Noun)
Masturbator; despicable person. As a verb can also mean very inebriated (“I was absolutely wankered”).
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnLA583OqKM&feature=youtu.be