UK Glossary
See an A-Z glossary of words and phrases relating to Britain.
The glossary covers the fields of architecture, art, city life, colloquialisms, food, geography, geology, history, language, religion, science, slang and sport.
Further information on many of the listed terms is available via accompanying links.
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
A
AC/DC - bisexual.
Ace - Wonderful, great.
Act - of Parliament (also statute) is a law made by the UK Parliament..
Agatha Christie - detective novel writer (1890-1976), famous for fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
Albion - original Roman name for England, possibly from albus ("white") from the White Cliffs of Dover.
Ale - sweet, full-bodied, fruity beer.
Allotment - rented plot for growing vegetables.
Anorak - either hooded rainwear or slang for a nerd.
ap - "son of" in Welsh.
ASBO - anti-social behaviour order.
Avalon - legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend.
B
Bailey - outer wall of a castle.
Banter - joking conversation.
Bar - a gate in a city wall, especially in York.
Barbican - defensive structure at a gate.
Bard - the Bard, ie William Shakespeare, Britain's greatest poet.
BAME - British. Black, Asian, and minority ethnic.
Battle of Britain - World War II air battle between RAF and German Luftwaffe in 1940.
B&B - bed and breakfast.
Beach Hut - small, wooden buildings used for storage on beaches (read more).
Beck - a stream in northern England.
Beds - Bedfordshire (county).
Belisha beacon - amber light on a black and white pole marking a pedestrian crossing.
Ben Nevis - the highest mountain in the UK.
Bevvy - (alcoholic) drink, usually beer, from "beverages".
Bill - the "check" in British English after eating in a restaurant.
Biro - ball-point pen named after the Hungarian inventor, Lazlo Biro.
Black Country - the English West Midlands.
Black Pudding - sausage made with pigs' blood.
Blitz - German bombing of major British cities during World War II.
Bloke - man (colloquial).
Blue Flag - designation for a clean beach.
Bog - toilet (slang).
Bog roll - toilet paper (slang).
Bonkers - mad or crazy (slang).
Bothy - simple shelter on mountains.
Boudica - aka Boudicca or Boadicea, queen of the British Celtic Iceni who opposed the Romans.
Brae - hill in Scotland.
Brexit - Britain's leaving of the EU.
Bridleway - track through the countryside for horses.
Brit - a native of the British Isles.
Britpop - mid-1990s music and culture trend.
Broch - ancient, circular, stone tower usually in Scotland.
Brummie - native of Birmingham.
BST - British Summer Time.
Bung - (slang) as a verb meaning to throw as a noun, a bribe.
Burgh - town.
Burn - stream usually used in Scotland.
C
Cab - taxi, traditionally black in London.
Cadw - Welsh Government's historic environment service.
Cairn - piled stones usually found in Scotland.
Camelot - King Arthur's court.
CAMRA - Campaign for Real Ale.
Castell - castle in Wales.
Cat's eye - (road stud) or retroreflective safety device used in road marking.
Ceilidh - Celtic celebration with music and dance.
C of E - Church of England.
Chav - derogatory term for member of the "lower classes".
Chemist - pharmacy.
Chippy (Chippie) - slang for a fish and chip shop.
Chuffed - slang for happy, pleased.
Churchill - Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965), Britain's wartime Prime Minister.
Cider - alcoholic drink made from apples (read more).
Coach - long-distance bus.
Cobb - curving, sea wall in Lyme Regis.
Cockney - native of (east) London.
Cockney Rhyming Slang - a common word replaced with a rhyming pair of words or longer phrase and then omitting the rhyming word, for example, "Apples and pears" (= stairs, becomes "apples"), butcher's hook (look, becomes "butcher's"), loaf of bread (head, becomes "loaf"). Thus, "Use your loaf" means "Use your head" (think!).
Constituency - specific geographical area represented by an MP in the House of Commons.
Cot - baby's crib.
County Lines - networks where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another.
Craic - Celtic word meaning "good time".
Craig - exposed rock (Scotland).
Croft - house and small holding in Scotland.
Cromwell - Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), leader of the armies of the Parliament of England against King Charles I during the English Civil War (1642-1651). Later Lord Protector.
Cuppa - a cup of tea (informal).
Cymru - Wales and Cymraeg (Welsh).
D
Deva - Roman name for Chester.
Dickensian - reminiscent of the novels of Charles Dickens in particular as reference to poor social conditions.
Dirk - dagger, small knife.
Dodgy - suspicious, of questionable quality (slang).
Dogging - slang for engaging in sexual acts in a public or semi-public place or watching others doing so.
Dole - unemployment benefit.
Dram - whisky measure.
Dolmen - stone tomb (Wales).
Dormer - window raised out of a roof.
Dovecote - (dovecot) a structure intended to house doves or pigeons.
Downs - treeless upland.
DLR - Docklands Light Railway.
Dunce - an unintelligent person, so called after the much-ridiculed 13th century Scottish theologian John Duns Scotus.
E
Earl - third rank of the British peerage system.
Edwardian - historical period spanning the reign of King Edward VII - 1901 to 1910.
Eilmer - flying monk in Malmesbury.
Eisteddford - Welsh festival (gathering).
Essex girl - brash, materialistic young woman supposedly common in Essex and the Home Counties.
Evensong - church service.
F
Fen - marshy ground.
Firth - estuary (usually Scotland).
Fiver - £5 note.
Flat - British English for apartment.
Flip-flops - thonged beach sandals.
Freemasons - fraternal organisation that traces origins to fraternities of stonemasons (read more).
FTSE - Financial Times Stock Exchange.
Fuzz - old, derogatory slang for the police.
G
Gargoyle - often grotesque carving.
Gastropub - public house (pub) with emphasis on good food.
GB - Great Britain.
GBP - Great British Pounds (currency).
Glaswegian - native of Glasgow.
Georgian - era in British history from 1714 to the 1830s, after the Hanoverian Kings George I, George II, George III and George IV. Often refers to the architecture of the period.
Geordie - native of Newcastle.
GMT - Greenwich Mean Time.
Gobsmacked - slang for totally surprised, shocked.
Grand - a thousand (colloquial) usually referring to money.
Green Papers - consultation documents produced by the Government for discussion.
Gutted - disappointed, upset.
H
Haggis - Scottish savoury pudding made with sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), onion and oatmeal cooked in the animal's stomach (read more).
Hants - Hampshire (county).
Hart - deer.
Henge - stone circle.
Hogmanay - Scottish New Year.
Howff - meeting place, familiar haunt, usually a pub (Scotland).
I
Ice Cream Vans - mobile ice cream vendors (read more).
Inn - pub with accommodation.
IPA - India pale ale.
Isca - Roman name for Caerleon.
J
Jacobite - a supporter of the House of Stuart and the exiled King James II deposed after the 1688 Glorious Revolution; a train on the West Highland Line.
Jelly - fruit-flavored gelatin dessert.
JP - Justice of the Peace.
Jumper - sweater.
K
Kingsbridge Cathedral - mythical church in the book The Pillars of the Earth by popular novelist Ken Follett and the subsequent TV series adaptation (read more).
Kirk - church (Scotland).
Knackered - tired, worn out (slang).
Knowe - burial mound (Scotland).
Kyle - strait or channel (Scotland).
kph - kilometres per hour.
L
Laird - Scottish landowner.
Lass - young woman (Scotland and northern England).
Leg it - slang for run away from, flee.
Lift - elevator.
Limey - a British person (derogatory).
Linn - waterfall (Scotland).
Loch - lake (Scotland).
Lochan - small lake.
Lock - canal gate.
Lolly - a lollipop or ice candy; money (slang).
Loo - toilet, WC.
Lorry - truck.
Ltd. - Limited.
M
Machair - fertile low-lying grassy plain in the Outer Hebrides.
Magic Mushrooms - psychedelic mushrooms, Psilocybe semilanceata or the liberty cap, noted for the "nipple" at the top of the head.
Magna Carta - royal charter of rights agreed by King John of England with the English nobility at Runnymede, near Windsor in 1215.
Manc - Mancunian, a native of Manchester.
Manifesto - policy outline issued by a political party before a General Election.
Mann - Isle of Man, Mona to the Romans.
Manx - Gaelic-derived language of the Isle of Man.
Marches - border area between England and Wales and England and Scotland.
Marilyn - mountain or hill in the UK, Ireland or Isle of Man at least 492 feet (150 meters).
Menhir - standing stone.
Mere - (shallow) body of water.
Merthyr - saint's burial place (Wales).
Methodism - life and Christian teachings of John Wesley.
Midge - insect.
Mither - Northern word meaning pester or irritate.
Motorway - highway.
Motte - Norman fortification (keep).
Munro - Mountain higher than 914 meters.
N
Naff - in bad taste, originally gay slang for heterosexual.
Narrowboat - canal boat of long, narrow design, steered with a tiller.
NCN - National Cycle Network.
Needles - rock formation on the Isle of Wight (read more).
Ned - non-educated delinquent (Scottish backronym).
NEET - Not in Education, Employment, or Training.
NI - Northern Ireland.
Nick - to steal (slang).
Numpty - stupid or ineffectual (informal).
O
Oast House - building for drying hops (usually Kent).
Ogham - Celtic script; early Medieval alphabet.
Old Bill - (archaic) slang for the police.
Old Firm - collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers.
Olde - archaic spelling for "old."
ONS - Office of National Statistics.
OS - Ordinance Survey (map).
Osmotherly Rules - guidance for civil servants on giving evidence to parliamentary select committees.
Oxbridge - Oxford and Cambridge.
P
p - Pence.
Palladian - style of architecture (read more).
Pasty - baked pastries filled with meat and vegetables.
Pavement - sidewalk.
Pele - fortified dwelling.
Picts - early inhabitants of northeast Scotland.
Pigs in Blankets - small sausages wrapped in bacon.
Pillar Box - free-standing post box.
Pint - unit of beer drunk in pubs (0.568 liters).
Pissed - drunk (slang) in British English; "angry" in American English.
Pitch - sports playing field.
PE - physical education.
Permissive Paths - aka permitted paths or concessionary paths, where use by the public is allowed by the landowner(s), but over which there is no public right of access.
Pommy - a British person (derogatory, especially used by Australians).
Posh - port out, starboard home; elegant, stylish, or upper class.
Pools - football betting system.
Potteries - area around Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire once famous for ceramics.
Pram - baby carriage.
Pre-Raphaelites - group of mid-19th century London-based young artists.
Provost - mayor.
Pub - public house, drinking establishment.
Punt a traditional type of flat-bottomed boat with no keel and a square bow. Read more on punts.
Punter - customer, client (colloquial).
Q
QC - Queen's Council (barrister).
Quakers - aka Friends, religious society (read more).
Quid - pound (Informal).
R
Ramble - country walk.
Red Top - tabloid newspaper such as The Sun, The Mirror, The Daily Star.
Rood - cross, crucifix (Scotland).
Rows - Medieval galleried, timber walkways above a lower level of shops in Chester.
Rd. - Road.
S
Sarsen - sandstone boulder (used to construct Stonehenge).
Sarum - old name for Salisbury (read more).
Sassenach - non-Highlander (usually referring to the English).
Scouse/Scouser - Liverpool dialect/native of Liverpool.
Setts - smooth granite stones used as road paving (read more).
Shank - to stab someone with a knife or bladed instrument (slang).
Sherlock Holmes - Britain's most famous fictional sleuth.
Shiv - contemporary slang for knife or other sharp or pointed object used as a weapon (often homemade).
Skint - slang for broke, without money, penniless.
Skip - large steel box for rubbish from demolitions/building repairs. Read more
Skive - slang for slack off, avoid work (noun; skiver).
Smoke - the Smoke, the nickname for London.
Snog - French kiss.
Snug - small room in a pub.
Sporran - pouch purse, a traditional part of male Scottish Highland dress.
Stalls - seating for clergy in a church.
Stile - gates that allow access for walkers and hikers through fences but keep any animals inside (read more).
Sustrans - sustainable transport charity.
SYHA - Scottish Youth Hostel Association.
T
Tarmac - material used for surfacing roads or other outdoor areas, named after its Scottish inventor John Louden McAdam.
Tarn - small lake.
Tart - (archaic) slang for prostitute or woman of easy virtue.
Telly - TV.
Tenner - £10 note.
Tipple - a drink normally alcoholic.
Tor - hill (often on Dartmoor).
TfL - Transport for London.
Toad in the Hole - traditional English dish of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter.
Tor - rounded hill summit - often used in Devon and Cornwall.
Torch - battery-operated flashlight.
Tory - Conservative (party).
Trolley dolly - air stewardess (informal).
Tube - London underground (informal).
Tudor - historical period from 1485 and 1603 including the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.
TT - Tourist Trophy (motorbike races on the Isle of Man.)
Tympanum - panel over a doorway.
Twit - fool, silly person (informal).
U
UCL - University College London.
Underground - the London subway system.
UK - United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).
Union Jack - The UK's flag.
V
V&A - Victoria and Albert Museum.
Vault - arched ceiling.
VAR - Video Assistant Referee.
Vest - (usually) sleeveless, cotton undershirt.
Victorian - period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 1837-1901.
W
War of the Roses - Medieval conflict (civil war) between the houses of Lancaster and York, roughly 1455 to 1487.
Wash-up - the last few days of a Parliament before dissolution.
Wee - small.
Wellies - Wellington boots.
Whizz - slang word for amphetamine.
Woad - blue body paint favoured by pre-Roman Celts.
Wolds - open countryside.
Wynd - narrow lane (Scotland & northern England).
WC - water closet (toilet).
X
X-Craft - World War II midget submarines.
XL - extra large.
Y
YBAs - Young British Artists - art movement of the 1980s including Damien Hirst, Sarah Lucas, Cornelia Parker and Tracey Emin.
Ye - archaic spelling for "the" - the definite article or archaic for "your" - possessive pronoun.
YHA - Youth Hostel Association.
YMCA - Young Men's Christian Association (founded in London in 1844).
Yorkshire Pudding - side dish with roast beef made with eggs, flour, salt, milk and beef dripping cooked in the oven.
Yorvik - Viking name for York (read more).
YSP - Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Z
Z-Cars - 1960s and 70s TV police drama set in Liverpool.
Zebra Crossing - black and white pedestrian crossing.
Zennor - coastal town in Cornwall.
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