British Slang For Surprised (15 Examples!)

Surprise is a feeling which often brings out unfiltered, immediate slang responses.

Whatever has surprised you and where ever you are in the world, it’s likely that when something surprises you, you often can’t help but comment on it.

This is certainly true of the British, who have a great and varied lexicon of slang words and phrase for expressing surprise that they might use without even realizing.

Today, we’re going to look at a wide range of these terms.

Let’s get started.

In This Article

Gobsmacked

First up we have gobsmacked, probably the most quintessentially and uniquely British slang term meaning you are surprised. It is very simple in terms of its meaning, and can just be substituted directly for the word “surprised” with perhaps some slight syntactical changes.

To be gobsmacked is to be very surprised, to the point that it may even have shown very clearly on your face.

This one is used throughout Britain, whether you’re in England, Scotland, or Wales, everyone will understand what you mean.

“I was absolutely gobsmacked when he said that,” for example.

The phrase has been in use since at least 1936, this year being the first written attestation we have of it.

It is meant to be amazed and astounded and comes from another piece of British slang: gob, meaning mouth.

To be “gobsmacked” meant, literally, to be smacked in the mouth.

The idea, perhaps, is that that’s what you look like when you’re “gobsmacked” with surprise!

Flabbergasted

Next we have “flabbergasted”, tentatively recognized by some as a standard term and thus not really slang.

However, it’s highly informal at least and colloquial at most, so today it certainly still qualifies as slang in most places it’s used.

It means to be entirely aghast and surprised. It might also have the sense of being at a loss at what to do about a particular situation.

More often, though, it’s simply an expression of surprise and is used throughout Britain.

“You look completely flabbergasted,” for example.

The term is mentioned in a magazine article of 1772 as a new word that was in vogue at the time.

However, we don’t know precisely where it came from. It may have been dialectical as “flabbergast” was recorded as part of Sussex English later on in 1823, or it may have related etymologically to words like “flabby” or “flapper” and “aghast”.

We just don’t know for sure.

Shocked

Next we have a simple one which is, perhaps for the very reason of its simplicity, one of the most commonly used slang terms for surprised in Britain.

You’ll hear this one everywhere, and certainly it is not limited to Britain—you could hear this one anywhere in the English speaking world.

It is a good deal more common in everyday speech in British English, though, so definitely a good one to have in your repertoire.

“Can you believe that? I’m shocked,” for example.

The term is a fairly old one and has had some subtly different senses over the years.

In the 1590s, it meant to be amazed or in a state of wonder.

It certainly can still have this sense today, but our modern sense of the term probably relates more to the sense that arose in the mid-19^th Century of “scandalized”.

Blimey

Another term you might hear used when someone is surprised in Britain is “blimey”.

This can have a few different senses and might more generally be used as an expression of exasperation.

However, more often, it is a term people in Britain use when they are surprised by something.

It’s a kind of knee-jerk, in-the-moment term that many British people use without even thinking about at all.

Again, you’ll hear it throughout Britain, though it is perhaps more common in the north of England.

“Blimey, I didn’t realize how high up we were!” for example.

This word was in use by 1889, though the precise origin is not clear.

Most agree it is probably a corruption of the now archaic phrase “God blind me!” which would have at the time been used as an expression of surprise.

This obviously has religious and scriptural connotations.

The word itself, though, is first attested in a slang dictionary which simply defines it as a term of abuse.

Crikey

Another, very similar slang term you’ll hear used in Britain for expressions of surprise is “crikey”.

Again, this one is often used as a term of reaction that many will not even think about, it will just come out.

It’s perhaps a bit more widespread than “blimey”, though both are equally well understood.

Crikey is used mostly in England, though the Welsh and the Scottish will definitely understand what this means.

“Crikey, is that all the food that’s left?” for example.

This one also derives from the 19^th Century, and was first attested in 1838.

Also like “blimey”, it probably derives from contemporary religious expressions and was a substitute for the word “Christ”.

At the time, when Christianity was more widespread, outright saying “Christ” in this way would have been taking the Lord’s name in vain, and thus not socially acceptable.

That said, we aren’t certain that this is the term’s origin.

Gosh

Another simple and catch all expression indicating surprise in British English is “gosh”.

Again, this one is by no means exclusive to Britain but it has its very own British character. I

t’s mostly used as an indicator of low level surprise, having the sense of being a bit amazed by something or finding something to be very unexpected.

It’s used throughout Britain and you’re not much more likely to hear it one place than in any other, generally speaking.

“Gosh, look at the time, I’d better get going,” for example.

This one is yet another corrupted religious invocation, what is otherwise known as a “minced oath”, a deliberate misspelling or mispronunciation of a taboo or blasphemous word or phrase.

It is first attested in 1757, when it was just an altered pronunciation of “God”.

It probably came into the language via the older expression by gosse, which was used in the 16^th Century.

Golly

Next we have “golly”, often used as part of the expression “golly gosh” with the previous phrase.

It’s worth pointing out that this phrase is perhaps considered a bit archaic now, but it is very much still in use if primarily in a kind of joking, half-earnest way.

It’s used in a sort of jolly way when you are pleasantly surprised about something, although it could also just indicate more general surprise.

You’re probably more likely to hear this on used in England than most other parts of Britain, but again, everyone is likely to understand it.

“Golly, we were out late last night!” for example.

The origin of this one is more or less precisely the same as “gosh”, and first attested around the same time.

It was a euphemism, or “minced oath,” meaning God.

It was first attested in 1775 in the journal of man named Gilbert White, and he refers to it as a kind of exclamation used among the “lowest people”.

So, it was at first considered the slang of the poor and low-born.

Blow me down

Next we have “blow me down”, a common slang expression in Britain used to express surprise.

It’s a bit less common than some of the other phrases we’ve looked at so far, but nonetheless one that most in Britain will understand perfectly well if they hear it used.

It’s certainly older and has fallen out of use to a degree that others have not, but it is far from extinct as a phrase.

It’s used throughout Britain, but usually reserved to certain generations, particularly the older generations.

“Well, blow me down, I didn’t think we’d make it on time!” for example.

The etymology of this one is not entirely clear, but it was recorded by at least 1848 when a writer in London recorded that it was a “burlesque oath”.

This is a kind of curse, a somewhat unsavory expression used to indicate surprise or even something quite annoying.

Beyond this, it’s not really clear where it comes from.

Heavens to Betsy

Next we have “heavens to Betsy,” another one which is certainly still used but is definitely considered a bit dated.

It is mostly reserved to the oldest generations of people, and not one you’ll hear much elsewhere.

That said, people are still very aware of it, and for this very reason many use it as a kind of tongue-in-cheek, joking expression of surprise.

Earnestly, it’s mostly used in England, though you’ll hear it elsewhere, too.

“Heavens to Betsy, look at the traffic!” for example.

It was originally an American expression, though it certainly took hold in Britain not long after.

It is first attested in a journal of 1857 from the US.

Beyond this, there’s not much we can say for certain about its origin.

It is thought to be another minced oath, perhaps of “hell’s bells”, but there’s not much direct evidence for this.

Ultimately, we don’t know where it comes from or who “Betsy” is.

Jesus Christ

While, in the past, people would do their best to avoid directly invoking the name of God or Christ to express surprise, that is not at all the case today.

“Jesus Christ”, while still not exactly a phrase you should use in any context or company, is among the most common British slang phrases expressing surprise.

Again, this one is of course used throughout the English-speaking world, but it’s certainly got its own uniquely British character.

You’ll hear it everywhere, from the north of Scotland to the south of England.

“Jesus Christ, what was that noise?!” for example.

This sense is first attested by 1748, though of course the words themselves are far older than that and was probably a Greek form of the name Joshua or something similar in Jesus’s native Aramaic.

It’s become more socially acceptable to use this expression now, but clearly it goes back far into a time when you might have expected to use it in this way would be a massive social taboo.

Well, I never

Another common expression in British slang expressing surprise is “well, I never”.

This one is again a fairly light and reserved phrase, something you would use to express mild surprise or even confusion at something you heard.

It’s mostly reserved to adults and older generations today, but everyone understands what it means and certainly it is far from falling out of use.

In England, Scotland, and Wales, you’ll hear this one used.

“David and Sarah are dating? Well, I never,” for example.

The phrase is first attested in 1832, from a short story by British author Mrs. George Crookshank.

It’s not really exactly where it came from, but it plainly had the sense of simply “well, I would never have expected that”. beyond that, we don’t really know much about where it came from—plainly it was already a well-established idiom by the time we first see it written down.

WTF?

A more modern one next, we have “what the f**k?”

This one is very widely used today, though naturally only in certain contexts.

It’s obviously a profanity, and one of the more “serious” ones, too, that people don’t tend to take lightly.

In other words, be very careful only to use this in familiar, appropriate contexts!

It’s much more modern and still very much in use by all generations today, though it goes back further than most might think.

It is a simple expression of surprise and confusion.

“WTF, did you just see that thing in the sky?” for example.

The term has been in use since at least the 1970s and no doubt a fair bit earlier than that.

It’s generally quite difficult to trace the precise origins of profanity, but suffice it to say that “f**k” is a very old word.

In this particular construction, though, we have no evidence it goes back any further than the 1970s, which is when it first begins to appear in writing as well as in TV and movies.

What the hell?

Similarly, and one that’s a bit more socially acceptable, next we have “what the hell?”

The sense of this one is more or less precisely the same, although naturally, it invokes some different things to get its point across.

Though, as mentioned, it’s not quite as much a profanity as “WTF,” it’s still one you don’t want to go throwing around whenever and in whatever circumstances.

That said, it’s used throughout Britain today by just about all generations.

“Are you not coming tonight? What the hell!” for example.

Again, it’s not precisely clear where this exact phrasing derives from.

The word “hell” derives from the Old English and long predates the Christian notion of Hell. It likely originally had the sense of “what in the name of hell,” so again being a way to invoke hell as a means of expressing your surprise.

We just can’t say much more with any certainty.

You’re joking!

A very common expression of surprise in British is to simply say “you’re joking!” when you hear something surprising.

Naturally, this one has more limited use, and can only really be used as a response to something very surprising that you have heard someone say.

It’s more commonly heard among older generations but alive and well on the whole, and again everyone will understand it.

It’s most common in England, but used everywhere in Britain.

“The bar is closed? You’re joking!” for example.

Obviously, the phrase is entirely clear in what it means.

You are, as a way to express your surprise, saying that you think the person who told you whatever surprised you was joking.

Of course, you don’t really think they were joking, you simply say that as a way to express surprise.

We don’t know when this one started being used, though it seems to go at least as far back as the 19^th Century.

Fancy that

Finally, we have “fancy that,” a common British expression expressing mild surprise.

It can be used in many situations, though it’s generally an expression of light wonder or interest.

Once again, it is a lot more common among the older generations but it is definitely still used and understood by everyone to some extent.

“Well, fancy that, a red squirrel!” for example.

It seems to have developed in the middle of the 17^th Century. It was a bit more specific and often meant an action resulting from a fancy or whim.

Over time it became a more general expression of surprise until it has survived to the modern day.

When it comes to expressing surprise, then, you can be as polite or as impolite as you wish.

As I said, for many of us, being surprised often brings out this side of us even if it might not normally show.

That said, there are plenty of ways you can express surprise without having to turn to light profanity—use any one of these phrases in Britain and everyone will know you’re expressing surprise.

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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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