• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
    • First Time Here?
    • Archive
    • London Blogs
  • Blog
  • Travel
    • London Theater Tickets
    • Shopping
    • Tips
    • Tours
    • Transport
    • Maps
    • Parks
    • Resources
    • Restaurants
    • Top 10 London
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Buildings
    • Food
    • London Books
    • Movies
    • Museums
    • Music
    • Pubs
  • Londonism
    • Reviews
    • Fun London
    • Iconic London
    • Life in London
    • London Realities
    • Moving to London
    • Politics
  • The Tube
  • London History
    • Great London Buildings
    • Great Londoners
  • Contact
  • Guidebooks
    • 101 London Travel Tips – Guidebook
    • 101 Free Things to do in London

Londontopia

The Website for People Who Love London

You are here: Home / Culture / London Lingo: A London Word Dictionary – Words Unique to London

London Lingo: A London Word Dictionary – Words Unique to London

Jan 24, 2012 By Jonathan

Image Source

One thing you’ll notice when you travel to London are all the strange words they use to describe things. Sometimes they make sense, sometimes they don’t.

Rather than pull together a list of British Slang words (which we’ve done already on Anglotopia) we thought it would be fun to put together a list of words you’ll usually only hear in London.

Now, there will be some words used elsewhere but I tried to capture words that when I hear them – I think of London.

So, here’s your guide to some useful London Lingo or as I like to just say: London Words.

  • Tube = London Underground Network
  • The Knowledge = The cumulative knowledge of London’s black cab drivers that they have to learn to be licensed. They have to learn every street in London.
  • Boris Bus = Boris Johnson’s key platform of replacing the old London Routemaster bus.
  • Red Ken = The name of London’s former Mayor Ken Livingston who leaned VERY far to the left.
  • The Standard = What some call the Evening Standard – the evening paper dedicated to London.
  • The City = The City of London – the square mile bit of central London that goes back 2 thousand years.
  • Square Mile = The City of London also
  • Congestion Charge = Tax on all cars entering the central London congestion charge zone.
  • Silicon Roundabout = Area around Old Street that’s a hub for new media and tech companies.
  • Council Estate = Public housing
  • The Blitz = Period in 1940 when London was bombed by the Nazis
  • M25 = The Orbital Highway that encircles London
  • Westway = Elevated Highway in West London
  • Mind the Gap = Watch your step when stepping from a train to a platform.
  • The Palace = When someone says the Palace they’re almost always referring to Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s official residence in London.
  • Buck House = Buckingham Palace
  • The Tower = Tower of London
  • A-Z = A popular London map guide that’s indispensable to locals and long term visitors (extra note – Londoners will say ‘A to Zed’).
  • GMT = Greenwich Mean Time
  • Cockney = Someone born within earshot of the bells of St Mary-le-Bow
  • Offy = Convenience Store that sells alcohol
  • Off License = Convenience Store that sells alcohol
  • Take Away = Cheap to go food.
  • Crossrail = New cross London underground railway line currently under construction.
  • Bobby = London Policeman
  • Clip Joint = A club that claims to be a strip club but usually comes with £100 bottles of water. Avoid.
  • Zebra Crossing = Pedestrian crossing.
  • Home Counties = Generic name for the counties around London which are: Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Middlesex, Oxfordshire, Surrey and Sussex.
  • Nappy Valley = Areas of London with high birthrates like Battersea.

Did we forget something? What word makes you think of London? What’s your favorite one? Let us know in the comments!

Want to learn more British slang? Then check out Anglotopia’s Dictionary of British English – Brit Slang from A to Zed. Available from Amazon and in eBook. Details here.

jonathan
Author: jonathan

Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.

close

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Share this:

  • Print
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Pocket

Filed Under: Culture, Featured, Londonism, Tips

Subscribe to Our Free London Updates

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

About jonathan

Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nicola says

    Jan 24, 2012 at 9:39 am

    Offys an Off licences are convenience stores that sell alcohol specifically (or liquor as you call it), they are not general convenience stores.

    Boris Bus is a less commonly used term than Boris Bike, a term now in general use referring to the bikes you can now hire and ride at various points around London, a scheme brought in by Boris Johnson, the Mayor. The Boris Bus is only in its very early stages, I believe they have only just revealed the design, so you don’t see many of them around yet, if any, but no doubt that bus will be called the Boris Bus when they are in general use.

  2. Anna Buttimore says

    Jan 24, 2012 at 10:21 am

    I second what Nicola said – an off licence is a place you go to buy alcohol. They may sell sweets and crisps (candy and chips) too, but generally not much else. Didn’t see as many Boris bikes on my last trip to London last Wednesday, whereas a year ago they were everywhere. I wonder why?

  3. Paula Hill says

    Jan 24, 2012 at 10:22 am

    This vocab is not restricted to London! I used to live in the UK and I would say all of these words would be understood by anybody living in the south of England and by most people living absolutely anywhere in the UK.

    • jonathan says

      Jan 24, 2012 at 10:30 am

      But not people who’ve never been there, which is who this list is for.

      • El Sid says

        Jul 16, 2013 at 10:48 am

        “The Palace” in general conversation will normally refer to the staff that work for the royals, rather than the building itself, in the same way that the “White House” or “Downing Street” will issue a press release etc. Even when you do mean the building, there’s a subtle difference depending on whether you’re going inside the walls or not – you’d go to a garden party at the Palace, but you’d give directions for a driver to turn right at Buck House. (there’s some crossover, but there is a distinction)

        In South London, “Palace” (without the “the”) normally refers to Crystal Palace football club, which is a bit different!

        You can’t emphasise enough the distinction between the City of London and the city of London as most outsiders see it – they are completely and utterly different.

        The West End isn’t an end, it’s kind of in the middle. But you always go “up West” even if you travel downhill and eastwards to get there.

        Similarly, you always get an “up train” to “go up to London” from the Home Counties, regardless of altitude. But you “come down” from Yorkshire for example.

        It’s not well known but there’s a menagerie of specialist crossings, like the toucan (“two-can” cross, for pedestrians and cyclists), the puffin (“Pedestrian User-FFriendly INtelligent”) crossing (a high-tech pelican crossing with sensors to detect users and traffic) and my favourite, the pegasus crossing for horseriders (there’s some on Hyde Park corner). Informally any traffic-light-controlled crossing gets called “pelican”, whereas a zebra has only Belisha beacons.

        +1 on there being little awareness of Boris buses, but Boris bikes are universal.

        It’s Takeaway, not Take Away…

        Building nicknames – 30 St Mary Axe is always the Gherkin, the Millennium Bridge is the “Wobbly Bridge”, Strata SE1 is The Razor, City Hall is The Testicle.

        Most people would use a tighter definition of the Home Counties, broadly only those actually bordering Greater London (plus Sussex). I know some would expand it out to roughly the area of the old Network Southeast railway district, but it doesn’t feel right.

  4. Deeya says

    Jan 24, 2012 at 10:47 am

    How about? In the knick, been knicked, he knicked it….

    taking the piss

    chat up

    dust bin lids!

  5. Nicola says

    Jan 24, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    Isn’t it nick not Knick? Anyway, not London specific but it means in jail, and to nick something is to steal it, been nicked means you’ve been arrested, in case anyone was wondering….

  6. Nick says

    Jan 24, 2012 at 6:31 pm

    BoJo (The Clown): The (hopefully outgoing in May 2012) Mayor of London

    Innit: a contraction of ‘isn’t it’ but used in almost any sentence. “I got off work early today, innit” / “If you ask her, she’ll let you have it for free, innit” etc, etc.

    Down yer: A variety of uses. ‘Geddit down yer neck’ = drink up/eat up. Down yer can also be used to establish one’s location or whereabouts. ” Last week I was down yer Cyprus. The missus has been bangin’ on for years about going there’

    banged up: arrested / locked up in jail
    Knocked up: pregnant

    Sorry: almost totally meaningless, yet viewed as a panacea for all self-caused problems situations. Barged past someone on an escalator, knocking their bag out of their hand and spilling their coffee all over their jacket because you are too busy wrapped up in your own world? No need to stop, just yell ‘sorry’,or possibly ‘excuse me’ as you continue on your way. Those two phrases have magical powers to right the wrong you just caused, thus exonerating you from any possible blame or contrition. Works in any circumstance where you wish to avoid taking responsibility for your actions.

    • Nicola says

      Jan 25, 2012 at 1:02 am

      I find myself saying sorry when people barge into ME! I suspect that’s not uncommon in London.

      Chav – where to begin to explain that one? Maybe start with people who say ‘innit’ ….

      I love Bojo, just saying…

      • Daniel Tyler (@tyl3rama) says

        Jun 11, 2014 at 9:45 pm

        Innit may have started off with chavvy overtones but it has spread a lot farther now and is often said very much tongue in cheek by middle class folk. I say it occasionally around my mates, but we would know when to or when not to use it..

    • Kacee says

      Jan 7, 2013 at 4:28 pm

      knocked up: called upon as in ‘I’ll knock you up at 6’, etc.
      not ‘pregnant’.

  7. Abigail Rogers says

    Jan 28, 2012 at 10:25 am

    They have a specific name for places with high birthrates? Wow.

    • El Sid says

      Jul 16, 2013 at 10:46 am

      Nappy Valley isn’t a general term for a high birthrate – in which case it would apply far more to the immigrant areas of the East End. Around Northcote Road in Battersea you get a particular kind of well-to-do smug-married parenthood, the kind that all do yoga and have US$1000 pushchairs who have moved out from a smart flat in town to get a bigger house for the kiddies. I guess a US equivalent would be in Sex and the City when Miranda & Steve moved out of Manhattan to Brooklyn. Imagine a whole district of season-6 Mirandas – that’s Nappy Valley. The reference is to Happy Valley in 1920s Kenya, which was similarly divorced from reality.

  8. Colin Cameron says

    Jan 31, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    ‘Zebra Crossing’ reminded me of ‘Pelican Crossing’ — essentially a Zebra Crossing w/ signal lights to signal drivers about pedestrians wanting to cross. Specifically the ‘humped pelican crossing’ (and doesn’t THAT conjure up interesting images!) I encountered near the Greenwich Observatory.

  9. Lydia says

    Jan 31, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    An off license is not just any old convenience store – as the term is generally used in the U.S. – it is specifically a shop licensed to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption off the premises. If it doesn’t sell alcohol, it isn’t an off license, it is a convenience store and there are convenience stores in the UK (including London) that do not sell alcohol, the terms off license and convenience store are not interchangeable.

  10. Vicki says

    Feb 28, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    I Love it. Thanks Jonathon

  11. Maureen says

    Apr 16, 2012 at 7:14 pm

    Thanks, Jonathan. I loved all of them and yes some are not London specific but many are; the square mile. Westway, the Knowledge (an amazing accomplishment in my book!), Silicon roundabout., Buck House, Red Ken etc. It all conjures London for me and makes me want to leave right NOW! When, oh when will I be rich enough to move there? Thought of one more – Harvey Nicks for Harvey Nichols, the tres posh Dept. store.

  12. Tanielle says

    Jul 29, 2012 at 3:57 pm

    Another one unique to London :
    Pearly kings and queens – London’s second royal family. Dressed in outfits adorned with pearls and appointed to different districts of London. Usually found fund-raising around the capital.

    Also Nappy Valley is a new one for me.

    • Minerva says

      Oct 29, 2013 at 9:26 am

      ‘Pearlies’ costumes aren’t covered in pearls…but in designs made up of ‘Mother-of-Pearl’ buttons…….very often antique ones.

  13. omnipedia says

    Jul 9, 2013 at 12:03 pm

    If you’re going to mention the underground, which is the subway, you should mention “Subway,” which is an underground pedestrian passage and the only safe way to cross the street in many parts of London.

  14. Maureen says

    Oct 2, 2013 at 8:38 pm

    Thanks El Sid. Great info. I think of the Palace as the staff who run the monarchy, the men in grey suits as Diana called them, the ones who had the knives out for Fergie.

  15. Nicky says

    Apr 11, 2014 at 9:33 am

    As one who works here and sees London buses everyday I can tell you that I am seeing more and more Boris buses on the road and, weirdly, fewer Boris bikes actually being ridden on the road (although many parked at their docking stations – I guess that novelty has worn off). Oh, and takeaways are not always cheap – the term just means food that you take away, not necessarily cheap food, that very much depends on the establishment. I second the off-licence comments, the key component there is alcohol, what in the US is known as a “liquor store”. I would also add that more often than not I say sorry when someone barges into me, which I think is a default position for many English people.

  16. Livraria Zen says

    Apr 11, 2014 at 12:05 pm

    There is a lot missing:

    All over the world people mostly learn the american way of speaking english. Here are some terms that they don´t teach at school…

    West End
    Mini Cab
    Cheers (instead of thanks or thank you)
    Fully Licenced
    Mate (instead of man)
    Puddin (instead of desert)
    Chips (French Fry)
    Dummy (baby´s sucker)
    Manequin (Dummy – clothing)
    Window Shopping
    Boozer
    To nick (to steal)
    Take the Mick of..

    • Daniel Tyler (@tyl3rama) says

      Jun 11, 2014 at 9:51 pm

      Ta = thanks. Used all over the UK.
      Copper = Policeman or woman.
      Spotted dick = Sponge pudding with raisins in it. Source of much amusement to school kids of a certain age..

  17. Margaret Fletcher says

    Apr 12, 2014 at 4:36 am

    Thanks Jonathan- I enjoyed the list- but there is no apostrophe in Nazis because it is just a plural.

  18. Ian says

    Apr 15, 2014 at 8:28 am

    You can grow up speaking English on the other side of the planet and a Take Away will still be a Take Away. There’s nothing very London about that.

    • Roger says

      Dec 27, 2015 at 11:19 am

      In the U.S., typically Takeout.

  19. Jade says

    Apr 22, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    What is the meaning behind “leaned VERY far to the left?”

  20. Daniel Tyler (@tyl3rama) says

    Jun 11, 2014 at 9:40 pm

    It means that red ken was very left leaning in his political views. Ken was labour and Boris Johnson – BoJo – is conservative (tory) and thus on the right.

  21. Carolyn Mann says

    Jul 2, 2014 at 7:16 pm

    How about “Oyster” (card for the transport system)?

  22. Rodger Bourne says

    Jul 10, 2014 at 10:49 am

    As well as Buck House, the Guards call St James Palace Jimmy’s .

  23. maireaddoyle says

    Oct 27, 2014 at 8:51 pm

    Nobody calls a policeman a bobby anymore. That’s seriously 1970s. I’d say a copper is more ubiqitous (along with other more pejorative terms). Also El Sid, your comment was almost better than the original article!

  24. solarpowerprincess says

    May 23, 2015 at 3:13 pm

    Innit? (already mentioned) reply: It iiiiiiis…..
    And the Boris Bikes? Oh, how I miss London….. TA everyone!!!

  25. Kaz says

    May 24, 2015 at 8:39 am

    We don’t say convenience store either. We say ‘Corner shop”, because it’s usually around the corner from wherever you are.

  26. Fabrizia says

    May 24, 2015 at 11:17 am

    Kaz, I scrolled all the way down thinking “corner shop corner shop, why isn’t anyone mentioning the corner shop…” and there you are 🙂 Never heard of a convenience store in London, and life would be utterly impossible without the corner shop.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to Our Free London Updates

Free London News

Get the latest news on London history, culture, travel, exhibitions, and more right in your inbox!

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Get the Anglotopia/Londontopia App

Our Advertisers

If you are a mobile gamer, you may want to take a look at UK’s new mobile casinos and slots reviewed by NewCasinoUK.

Join the London Forum

  • Mudlarking
  • MY FAVOURITE PLACE IN LONDON
  • What's Your Favorite Place in London?
  • Paddington Station

London Guide

  • Ten Cheap Things You Can Do in London on a Budget
  • Ten London Exhibitions to Look Forward to in 2023
  • London’s Non-Free Museums: Your Guide to London’s Museums That Charge Admission
  • Trip Planning: Top 10 Exhibitions To Plan Your 2018 Trips to London Around
  • London Guide: Our Favorite Restaurants in London – London Restaurant Recommendations for Americans – What’s Your Favorite?

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • RSS Feed
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Support Londontopia

Search our Extensive Archive

Top 10 London

  • Ten Unusual Exhibits to See in London
  • London Pubs: Ten Thameside Pubs for a Pint and a View
  • Top 10 London: Ten More Things to Do Along the River Thames
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Shopping Centers in London
  • Museums of London: Ten Overlooked London Museums
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haggerston
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Haringey
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Redbridge
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to See and Do in Hillingdon
  • Top 10 London: Top Ten Things to Do in Canonbury

Recent Posts

  • Poet Lemn Sissay ‘over the moon’ to receive Freedom of the City of London
  • English Heritage has unveiled six new blue plaques for London
  • National Portrait Gallery to reopen in June with two special exhibitions
  • Exploring The Cosmic House in London
  • Ten Social Media Accounts to Follow for Londonphiles
  • New Royal Academy Exhibition: Treasures from Spain and the Hispanic World
  • Pollock’s Toy Museum in London Has Closed Unexpectedly
  • The Fiver:  Five Live-Action Children’s Shows Set in London
  • In Pictures: Winter Lights festival returns to London for first time since 2020
  • Tube and London bus fares to rise by nearly 6% from March

Best Posts on Londontopia

  • 101 London Travel Tips
  • Top 100 London Attractions
  • How to Find the Cheapest Airfares to London
  • 10 Things NOT to do in London
  • Best London Guidebooks
  • 101 Free Things to do in London
  • London Lingo – A London Word Dictionary
  • Top 7 Tips for Doing London on the Cheap
  • Top 11 Myths American Believe about London
  • Guide to Eating in London
  • Best Times of Year to Travel to London
  • London Packing Tips
  • Top 11 Movies Set in London
  • Top Attractions off the Tourist Track
  • Top 5 Most Amazing London Hotels
  • Top 10 Hostels in London
  • Best Views in London Restuarants
  • London Taxi Ettiquette
  • Top 12 London Views
  • Great Fire of London
  • A Guide to Five of London’s Bridges
  • 10 Random Facts and Figures about Trafalgar Square
  • Top 100 British Slang Words

London Places to Explore

Bloomsbury Buckingham Palace Canary Wharf City of London Covent Garden Cutty Sark Greenwich Hampstead Hampton Court Palace Heathrow Houses of Parliament Hyde Park Imperial War Museum Islington Kensington Kensington Palace Leicester Square London London Eye London Transport Museum Museum of London National Gallery Notting Hill Piccadilly Circus Putney Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Regent's Street Royal Academy Selfridges Somerset House Southbank Southwark St Pancras St Paul's Cathedral Tate Britain Tate Modern The City Tower Bridge Tower of London Trafalgar Square V&A Wandsworth West End Westminster Westminster Abbey

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

Recent Videos

Walk Around London Virtually Right Now – Watched Walker is the YouTube Channel We All Need Right Now

Jason Hawkes Shares a Beautiful Video of London From Above That We All Need Right now

London Tube: You’ve Got to Watch This Amazing Mesmerizing Animation That Shows the Real Geography of the London Underground

Video: The Basics of Crossrail – London’s New Underground Line

London History: The Place Where Old London Double Decker Buses Went to Die

London Video: A Look at the Great Smog of London

Tube and London bus fares to rise by nearly 6% from March

What is Crossrail 2 and What is Its Current Status?

London Alert: Strike by London Underground workers to go ahead after last-minute talks fail

London Mayor hails Elizabeth line as direct routes and Sunday services begin

Elizabeth line fully opens and offers more direct journeys

Tube poet encourages writers to ‘bring who they are to the field’

Footer

About Londontopia

Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!

When We’re in London Next

We don’t currently have any travel plans to London but hope to visit at some point in 2021.

  • SEO Backlinks
  • Travel Blog

SIGN-UP FOR FREE LONDON WEEKLY UPDATES!

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up

Copyright © 2023 Anglotopia, LLC · Website Developed by Anglotopia, LLC · Log in