British slang might not be the dog’s bollocks much longer
LONDON—Stone the crows, our lingo’s all gone Pete Tong. British slang isn’t what it used to be. American stars might enjoy grappling with the alternate universe of what people say on the other side of the Atlantic.
A recent highlight saw singer Billie Eilish coming up against British swear words and terms like “chip butty" during a promo tour for her new album. “You guys are not real," she told Capital Breakfast radio. But many of the phrases the English grew up with are fading away as younger generations plug into TikTok or other platforms where they learn to call each other “Karen" or “basic" like any other rando, instead of sticking with tried and tested indigenous slurs.
Nearly 60% of the Gen Z cohort haven’t heard the insult “lummox," according to a study by research agency Perspectus Global. Less than half know what a “ninny" is, with only slightly more of them familiar with “prat" or “tosspot." What a bunch of plonkers. There was a time when nearly everybody would sling about terms like “blighter" or “toe-rag," and sometimes far ruder terms.
That was when the British had more of a shared pop culture, often built around television comedies such as “Only Fools and Horses," about a family of likable London con men. People would talk about them in the schoolyard or at work the next morning. Everyone knew what everyone else was talking about, even if it was a load of twaddle.
As television and internet culture have radically transformed, the younger crowd has been left ignorant as to what “lovely jubbly" or even “smell my cheese" might mean. “Language changes, evolves and moves on," said Harriet Scott at Perspectus, which conducts market research for various global brands. Old insults such as “mooncalf," a term for
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