British Slang For Butt (Revealed!)

Slang terms are often used to refer to those parts of language that are somewhat less acceptable areas of discussion in general discourse.

Slang thrives under these conditions, and depending on the word, you may end up with countless examples of slang for a thing, or just a couple of incredibly effective ones.

So, what is British slang for a butt?

The British call a butt an arse, a bum or a backside. The term arse is, by a very long way, the most common outright slang term for butt. Bum is more what you might say to a child, whereas backside is probably the politest way to talk about your butt in every day speech—if you must!

So, the British have a couple of ways to refer to a butt, but we do see the famous British prudence in how these terms are really used, compared to other countries.

One other point that is worth mentioning is, in case you didn’t know, “butt” itself is short for “buttocks”.

While buttocks itself isn’t, strictly speaking, slang, this is one other way you might hear a butt referred to in British English.

In any case, the origins of these terms are really interesting, so let’s look further into this.

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What do the British call a butt?

So, as I’ve said, your three main choices for a butt in British slang are arse, bum, or backside.

There are a couple of others, but mostly are variations on one of these—such as “my rear” or “behind”, for example.

Interestingly, British and American slang don’t have a great deal in common here.

Of course, “ass” and “arse” are very similar. But there aren’t many directly shared terms.

The British would never really say butt or ass, and “arse” might sound very strange on the lips of an American.

So, in terms of no-holds-barred situations, where you are among friends and there’s no expectation of professionalism, “arse” is likely to be the term used.

On the other hand, if for whatever reason you must refer to your butt in a more professional setting—for example, in a fitness class—then “bum” might be the most likely word to be used.

But whether this outright qualifies as slang is up for debate—it’s universally understood if not universally used. You might more simply say it is just a polite term.

Similarly, “bottom” is what you might say to a young person or in a more sensitive setting.

However, if only because saying “bum” is over with so much more quickly, I would venture “bum” is still going to be preferred.

Bottom simply originates in the idea of the “bottom” of something, and is a very old word in the English language.

Otherwise, you might call it your behind, your backside or your rear.

This is more of an outright euphemism, and so again this would be used in situations where you would most want to avoid any appearance of rudeness or uncouthness.

So, where do these terms come from?

Why do the British say arse instead of ass or butt?

Why do the British say arse?

It’s a common notion in English that most of the curse words we use today derive from the original Anglo-Saxon Old English, rather than from the medieval French which dominated the language after the Norman Conquest.

While this is true to a degree, there is a more or less even distribution of the origin of curse words as both French and English.

While “arse” is not an outright curse word today, it does in fact come from the Old English ærs, with further roots in Proto-Indo-European.

In all that time, the meaning has been completely unchanged for well over a thousand years. Though the spelling is slightly different, this is where the word comes from.

What about bum?

Why do the British say bum?

Bum is another really old one, dating from at least the late 14^th Century in England and Scotland.

The origin of the term isn’t precisely clear, though it is thought to be onomatopoeic, compared with similar words meaning protuberance or swelling. I’m sure you can infer the meaning of that yourself!

It took on many other meanings over the years, including something of poor quality, or simply a beggar—as it is also used in the United States.

As I mentioned, bum is an inoffensive term which you might use with children or to avoid sounding overly formal in a laid-back situation, without going too far off the edge of offensive slang like arse.

What about backside and behind?

Why do the British say behind/backside?

These terms are, I think, pretty self-explanatory.

They’re used virtually everywhere in some form in the English-speaking world. “Backside” is perhaps the most uniquely British, so when did that start being used to mean butt?

Well, again, it’s really not clear when it first started being used, and it may well have been a very long time ago.

It’s again rather a logical way to refer to it when you think about it.

The word behind is again Anglo-Saxon Old English in origin, so it most likely at least a medieval term.

Do the British say ass?

For the most part, the British do not say ass.

That is most certainly considered an Americanism and doesn’t sound quite right on the lips of a British person.

Nonetheless, Hollywood movies have a strong hold on British culture and language, so it is in some use to a degree.

It is in many cases just used interchangeably with arse.

Perhaps we will see an evolution of British slang to adopt this term in the future as the internet brings languages closer together, but at this point, it is still not widely used.

So, the British have their ways of talking about their “backsides” without being uncouth about it.

To many British people, even the word “arse” would be too much for most situations, and something far milder would be more appropriate.

In any case, “arse” remains an internationally iconic and uniquely British idiom, so if you’re in the right context, that’s the one to use!

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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