British Slang For Boy (16 Examples!)

Slang terms for men and boys are perhaps some of the most universal and fundamental to any language.

Almost any language will have colloquial ways of referring to men and boys at all ages, and British English is no exception.

Today, we’re going to look at examples from across time—the more common, modern terms, as well as the older slang terms you might not hear so much today.

Let’s get started.

In This Article

Bloke

Starting off with one of the most common and ubiquitous slang terms for men in Britain, first we have “bloke”.

You’ll hear this one in virtually all parts of the country to some extent, and is simply a neutral term referring to men.

It generally refers to adults, but it can also be used for younger people and even children. “Me and the blokes are going to have a few pints,” for example.

Despite, or even because of, its ubiquity, we aren’t really sure where this term originates.

It most likely dervies from the language of the Romany or Shelta, a traveller language.

Here, the word loke, derived from Hindi, means man.

Others think it comes from the Celtic word ploc, which means bull-headed.

Lad

Probably just as ubiquitous as “bloke” if slightly more specific in use, next we have “lad”.

This one refers usually to younger boys and young adults, though it can also be used among older people too.

This one is also used throughout the country, from Scotland to Wales and the south of England.

You’ll hear it just about anywhere. “Call the lads, we’ll need some help with this,” for example.

The origin of this one is a bit clearer.

It’s attested as far back as Old English, and probably originated from Northern Germanic languages before that.

It developed into Middle English where it meant a foot solider, a servant, a male commoner or just a boy.

Blighter

Blighter is a much more specific term in its connotation, although broader in the sense that it doesn’t always mean men.

However, it is far, far more common to use this term to refer to men than to women.

A blighter is someone who is regarded with irritation or even contempt. “Stop behaving like such a blighter,” for example.

It appears simply to derive from the notion of “blight” in the sense of something that brings bad fortune or annoyance.

“He’s a blight on my life,” for instance.

In the 19^th Century, it was turned into a noun which specifically referred to annoying men and particularly troublesome young boys.

Chap

Next we have a quintessentially British slang term for men and boys, “chap”.

Though this one is certainly a bit archaic, it is still very much in use today.

It is both used still by the older generations who used it habitually and by younger generations adopting it in a semi-ironic way.

As with so much slang, though, it starts ironic but soon it is simply a slang term that you use.

“Can you pass me the salt, there’s a good chap,” for example.

It’s more commonly used in the south of England than anywhere else.

The word chap in this sense comes from the 16^th Century, where chapman meant a customer or a dealer.

It was simply a clipping of that term which then became chap, meaning man.

Cove

This one is a little old fashioned and not one you’ll hear as commonly today.

That said, it is still used by a large number of people in some parts of Britain.

There are a few spellings, including “coue”, “cofe”, or “cuffin”.

It just refers to a man, without any more specific connotations than that, in most cases. “He’s an odd cove,” for example.

The origin is not entirely certain, but it could have derived from the Romany word kova, which means person or thing.

We just aren’t really sure with this one.

Wallah

Next we have another less common one, but an interesting example nonetheless.

The term “wallah” has become a general slang term for a man or a boy, and is used in parts of the south of England today.

It won’t be universally understood in Britain by any means, and it can also have other meanings, such as “I swear to god”—so you’ve got to be a bit careful.

“He’s the wallah around here,” for example, might be how it is used to refer to a man.

The origin is not certain, but it’s thought that it derives from either Hindi or Sanskrit.

The Hindi word vala means “person in charge,” while the Sanskrit pala means protector.

It could be derived from either of these terms.

Bruv

Next we have bruv, which is certainly a more recent and much more widely used slang term for boy.

It’s a slang term used between friends to refer to each other, and has many equivalents in American slang, such as “bro”.

Bro, it should be said, is sometimes used in British slang, too, but not nearly as much.

“Bruv” is mostly limited to London and certain Asian communities in other parts of the country. “I’ll see you there bruv,” for example.

In origin, it is simply a shortening and colloquial pronunciation of the word “brother”.

It’s not completely clear when it started being used, but it became popularized towards the end of the last century.

Blud

Similar to bruv we also have “blud”.

This one is generally used among black communities, particularly in London but also across other parts of the country.

It is more specifically a way to refer to your friends, but this is generally used for men and boys more than anything else.

“Tonight’s gonna be so sick blud,” for example.

The word is of Jamaican origin, where “bredrin” was a form of “brethren” and referred to one’s close friends and family.

Specifically, the term is Rastafarian.

Guy

One of the most common and universally used slang terms for a boy or man in British English is just “guy”.

This might have many different applications.

It might be used in the more general sense, such as “See that guy over there?”

On the other hand, it might be used in a romantic context. “I’ve been interested more in guys lately,” for example—here it unequivocally means man.

It can, in the plural, be a more gender-neutral term—but this is less common and some disagree that it can be gender-neutral at all.

Despite its bedrock nature in the language, the term is not all that old.

It seems to originate in the 19^th Century when it came from Guy Fawkes, the foiled ringleader of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Dude

You might think of “dude” as being more of an American term, but it’s certainly been catching on in Britain for a long time.

It’s used in the general sense of simply a man or a boy in virtually any context, and doesn’t necessarily have any connotations of its own beyond that. “This dude is coming over later,” for example.

The term is certainly American in origin, though it spread to Britain sooner than you might think.

It’s thought that it was originally a shorting of doodle, alluding possibly to Yankee Doodle Dandy.

It caught on in Britain towards the middle of the 20^th Century.

Fella

Another one that might more commonly be associated with the States but certainly retains its own British character as well is “fella”.

This term is used in Britain to refer to men and boys, and again is one without plenty of connotations beyond this.

It’s certainly meant as a friendly term and a way of referring to someone even that you don’t know.

“How you doing, fella?” for example.

In origin, this one plainly is just a shortening of the modern term “fellow”, meaning friend or companion.

But it goes back much further than you might think. In Old English, feolaga meant “partner” or someone that you share something with.

This eventually became “fellow”, which around the 19^th Century altered to fella.

Boyo

Next we have boyo, which is a term mostly used in Wales.

It can be used very generally to refer to a man or a boy, though more often than not, this is a way that older men refer to younger boys.

Boyo of course is not unheard of in other parts of the world, but it very much has its own unique, Welsh character.

“What are you up to, boyo?” for example.

It’s meant to be friendly and endearing, although some can certainly take it as somewhat patronizing.

It simply derives from the word boy, with adding an O sound on the end as is a very common convention for lots of words in English.

We aren’t completely sure when this one started being used, though we can see its usage go up a great deal over the course of the last century or so in writing, at least.

It was likely used in vernacular long before that.

Bod

Bod can be slang that refers to a person in general, but in some parts of Britain it is a more exclusive slang term referring to a boy or a man.

It can also be slang for “body”, so it’s worth being a bit careful with this one.

“That bod is going to get himself hurt,” for example. It’s mostly used in Scotland.

It could be a simple clipping of “body,” but it could also derive from Scots Gaelic.

The word bodach in Gaelic translates to “old man”, so this is an entirely plausible etymology.

Collar and cuff

Next we have collar and cuff which, while used less today, is an example of an explicitly derogatory and even bigoted slang term for men.

It has been used in a variety of specific contexts over the years, but it generally refers to men who are perceived as effeminate in some way.

Thus, it has become a slur for a gay man.

“That collar and cuff over there keeps staring at you,” for example.

It is an example of Cockney rhyming slang, and is meant to rhyme with “poof”, which is again an offensive slur for a gay or effeminate man.

It originated at some time in the 20^th Century.

Gome

Gome is a less common one which you may not have heard before, but is definitely slang for a man in some parts of Britain.

A gome is a man, usually somewhere between 18 and 30, and usually a sports fan.

More specifically, they might be a serious fan who is in a club or a sports watching group, such as a cricket group.

It may also refer to a college student involved with society sports.

“They are a bunch of gomes over at the gym,” for example.

It derives from the Old English word guma, which was a poetic term meaning man or hero.

It has not changed all that much in the millennia it has been in use, at least in the sense of the word itself.

Josser

Finally we have josser, which is a British slang term for men and boys that carries the specific connotation of foolishness or stupidity.

To be a josser means, on the one hand, that you’re simply a man or a chap.

On the other hand, it means you are a bit stupid or even a simpleton. “I love Jack, but he’s a bit of a josser,” for example.

It’s not clear where this term comes from, although it may be from the idea of a josser being someone who joins the circus.

We have it first attested in writing from 1914 in James Joyce’s Dubliners.

Slang for boys and men is infinitely varied in Britain, then. For any age and any kind of man, there is likely to be more than a handful of slang terms that could be used interchangeably.

Of course, not all of them are used as commonly as others, and some you may have to go a long way to hear a single person use in earnest.

Nonetheless, they were at one time and it only goes to show the variety of British slang not only today but across time.

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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