British Slang For Teeth (8 Examples!)

The British have a huge variety of colorful slang and this does not stop before it reaches teeth.

Given how important they are to virtually everything we do, teeth are the kinds of things which tend to get a lot of slang language arising to describe them.

This is just as true in Britain as it is anywhere, with a huge variety of new and historical slang terms for teeth available to the British.

Let’s take a look at a few of them.

In This Article

Gnashers

First up we have “gnashers”, a more or less universal slang term for teeth in Britain.

Even if they don’t use it themselves, virtually everyone will know what you mean by gnashers from the south of England to the northern reaches of Scotland.

“I’m just going to brush my gnashers and we’ll get going,” for example.

The precise origin is not known, though we can go as far back as the Middle English gnasten, meaning to gnash your teeth.

It’s probably onomatopoeic, though it could simply be Germanic in origin.

It has been popularized as slang specifically for teeth largely thanks to the famous Beano character, Gnasher the dog.

Chompers

Next we have another one that’s fairly self-explanatory. “Chompers” are your teeth, and this is another common expression throughout Britain.

Again, while it might not be used by everyone, everyone will understand what you mean by this one. “Have you tried the pork? Get your chompers on that before it’s all gone!” for example.

This one is a very natural progression of the term “chomp” from a verb to a noun.

It ultimately also derives from Middle English, where champen or chammen meant to bite or gnash.

Pearly whites

“Pearly whites” is another very common British slang expression for teeth, although you may hear it in other parts of the English speaking world as well.

Again, it’s unlikely you’ll go somewhere in Britain where people flat out do not understand that this is a slang expression for teeth.

However, you probably would be harder pressed to find many people who used it earnestly.

It’s more of a tongue-in-cheek style slang. “I don’t drink fizzy drinks, got to protect my pearly whites!” for example.

Naturally, the expression comes from the whiteness of oyster pearls.

These became very popular as jewellery in the 19^th Century, and this too is when the expression was first used in Britain.

Beyond that, though, there’s not much we can say about its origin.

Hampstead heath

This is an example of Cockney rhyming slang. In certain parts of London, a type of slang is employed where slang terms arise simply out of rhyming with the actual word you want to say. “Hampstead Heath” is Cockney rhyming slang for teeth because it rhymes.

It’s no more complex than that! “I’ll knock his Hampstead heaths out in a minute,” for example.

Hampstead is an area of London, and Hampstead Heath a large park in the area.

The slang is simply derived from this fact.

Ivories

Certainly among the less common of the slang terms on this list, next we have “ivories”.

This one is obviously a bit old fashioned since ivory is not something you see much anymore.

You’ll hear this one mostly in England, although for parts of the older generation you might hear it just about anywhere.

Again, though, it is certainly a lot less common than it once was. “Going to the dentist to get my ivories checked today,” for example.

The origin for this term comes not just from the white color of ivory, but also the fact that ivory was once used as a material to make replacement teeth.

In fact ivory was one of the first materials used to make false teeth.

Pegs/toothpegs

Pegs, toothpegs, or “toothypegs” are several versions of essentially the same kind of slang.

This is most often slang used to describe children’s teeth, their peg-like baby teeth when they first start coming through.

By extension, though, people tend to use for it any age in again a kind of tongue-in-cheek fashion.

“My toothypegs are looking nice and white after the clean-up,” for example.

As far as we can see in terms of origin, it’s simply been a word used for teeth when talking to children for some time.

We don’t have any examples of its use dating back before 1984, so it probably began sometime in the latter half of the 20^th Century.

Railings

Next we have “railings”, again not the most common but still one that is used in some parts of Britain.

It’s a kind of metaphorical slang based on the way that teeth are lined up in a way somewhat akin to railings.

It’s very similar to the American expression “picket fence” for teeth.

“You’ve got a nice set of railings in that mouth,” for example.

This one is fairly old, and we have written examples from as far back as the middle of the 19^th Century in which “rails” or “railings” acts a stand in for teeth.

When precisely it took on this meaning, though, is not clear.

Clackers

Finally, we have “clackers”.

This is another one that is perhaps not as common as it once was, but is nonetheless still used by parts of the older generation in parts of Britain.

It’s another example of an onomatopoeic piece of slang, derived from the way teeth can “clack” when knocked together such as if someone is shivering.

It’s not really known when this one started being used.

There was a popular toy in the 1960s and 70s called clackers, and the slang term for teeth may have arisen out of this—on the other hand, it may be the other way around.

These are among the most common slang terms for teeth in Britain.

Most of these will be broadly understood across the country although some are certainly highly regional.

On the other hand, some of these are broader than their British identity and have been adopted throughout the English speaking world.

More in British Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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