British Slang For Cigarette (14 Examples!)


British Slang For Cigarette

Cigarettes are one of those day-to-day things that tend to attract slang terms.

People don’t like to say the whole thing and, for smokers, that’s mostly because it’s something they might talk about by name multiple times a day.

Unsurprisingly, then, the British have a great many different slang terms for cigarettes, some more common and widely used than others.

Today, we’re going to look at some of these slang terms, so let’s get started.

British Slang For Cigarette

British Slang For Cigarette

Bine

Bine is a slang term in Britain which means cigarette.

It’s a way of referring to any cigarette and though it is not as widely used as it once was, certain parts of the country and certain generations definitely do still use it.

“Have you got a bine for me?” for example.

The most likely origin for this term is from the old cigarette brand, Willis’s Woodbine.

This was a very popular brand in the 20th Century, though it is not really today.

Nonetheless, the slang has stuck around.

Examples in sentences:

  • “Stepped outside for a quick bine during the break.”
  • “He rolled a bine and lit it up, staring into the distance.”
  • “Can you spare a bine? I left mine at home.”
  • “There’s something about a bine and a cup of coffee that just goes together.”
  • “She quit smoking last year, hasn’t touched a bine since.”

 

Cancer stick

An interesting term that some people use when describing cigarettes is to use “cancer stick”

They might say “I’m just popping outside for a cancer stick”

This is because smoking cigarettes can cause lung cancer.

Examples in sentences:

  • “He’s trying to give up those cancer sticks for good.”
  • “Every time she lights up a cancer stick, I worry about her health.”
  • “They used to call cigarettes ‘cancer sticks’ back in the day, and they weren’t wrong.”
  • “I’ve swapped my morning cancer stick for a run, feels much better.”
  • “Can’t believe I used to go through a pack of cancer sticks a day.”

 

Cig

Undoubtedly the simplest and most universal slang term for cigarettes, we have “cig”.

This is a universally used and understood slang term for a cigarette, and no matter where you are in Britain, you’re likely to hear this used as slang for cigarettes.

“I’m just going to pop out for a cig,” for example.

In terms of its origin, it’s simply a shortening of the full term.

There’s not much more to it than that, and it has been in use since the early 20th Century.

Examples in sentences:

  • “Just going out for a cig, be right back.”
  • “Do you have a spare cig I could bum off you?”
  • “I need to cut down on the number of cigs I smoke a day.”
  • “He pulled a cig from the pack and lit it with a flick of his lighter.”
  • “She always enjoyed a cig with her morning coffee.”

 

Ciggie

Similarly, we have ciggie.

This again just another form of cig, and is understood if not used in just about every corner of Britain.

It is particularly popular in Liverpool, among other places.

“Have you got a spare ciggie?” for example.

Shortening a word and adding a –y sound to the end is a very common slang convention in English.

Examples in sentences:

  • “Fancy a ciggie on the balcony?”
  • “I’m trying to quit, but I still crave a ciggie now and then.”
  • “He offered me a ciggie, but I declined.”
  • “We used to sneak ciggies behind the school shed.”
  • “She rolled her own ciggies, said they tasted better that way.”

 

Death stick

Finally we have “death stick”, a more recent one this time but perhaps the one with the clearest meaning on this list.

A cigarette is a death-stick because smoking them will, ultimately, probably kill you!

We aren’t completely sure where this one comes from, though it seems to have been popularized within the last twenty years or so.

Examples in sentences:

  • “He jokingly referred to his cigarette as a ‘death stick’ but knew he should quit.”
  • “Every death stick you smoke is said to cut your life by 11 minutes.”
  • “She finally threw away her pack of death sticks and started using nicotine patches.”
  • “They used to smoke a pack of death sticks a day before quitting.”
  • “Handing out death sticks at parties used to be considered hospitable.”

 

Fag

Next we have fag, one of the more controversial British slang terms on the international stage.

Obviously you have to be careful as it can also be considered a slur towards gay people, which it certainly is. However, in Britain, it is still widely acknowledged as a slang term for cigarette.

It originated in the 19th Century, and probably related to fag meaning a last remnant of a piece of clothing.

“Fag” early on typically referred to the end of a cigarette, so this is where the meaning comes from.

You might say “Can you get me some fags from the shop please?” if you can’t go yourself for example.

Examples in sentences:

  • “Going out for a fag, want to join me?”
  • “He lit up a fag and took a deep drag.”
  • “Could you spare a fag? I’ve run out.”
  • “Back in the day, you could smoke a fag indoors at pubs.”
  • “She quit smoking fags last year and feels much healthier now.”

 

Gasper

There are a handful of slang terms for cigarette used by those who do not smoke in a somewhat disapproving way.

“Gasper” is one of these.

The idea, of course, is that those who smoke are “gasping” for breath.

This one is quite old, and is thought to originate in the British Army in the Second Boer War, which ended in 1902. Gaspers then were cigarettes with high amounts of tar in them.

Examples in sentences:

  • “He pulled out a gasper and lit it, coughing on the first inhale.”
  • “Back then, a gasper cost just a few pence.”
  • “Gaspers are no good for you, lad,” the old man said.”
  • “The room was thick with the smoke of cheap gaspers.”
  • “After the war, gaspers were a common sight.”

 

Oily rag

This one is another example of Cockney rhyming slang.

This time, you say “oily rag” for a cigarette as this rhymes with “fag”.

This one came into use around the beginning of the 20th Century, though possibly earlier.

In terms of its origin, there’s not much more to say than that—Cockney rhyming slang keeps things pretty simple!

Examples in sentences:

  • “He’s outside, puffing on an oily rag.”
  • “The place smelled like oily rags and stale beer.”
  • “She gave up smoking oily rags and switched to vaping.”
  • “You’ll find him and his mates sharing oily rags on their break.”
  • “I can’t stand the smell of oily rags; it clings to your clothes.”

 

Rollie

British Slang For Cigarette

Next we have “rollie”, which is slang for a certain kind of cigarette.

Many people prefer to roll their own cigarettes, rather than buying packages of cigarettes.

These came to be called “roll-up” cigarettes in reference to the way you roll them with your fingers.

“I’m just gonna smoke a rollie,” for example.

This term originated in the 19th Century.  

Examples in sentences:

  • “He rolled a rollie with practiced ease, sealing it with a lick.”
  • “Fancy a rollie? I’ve got some tobacco here.”
  • “Rollies seem to taste better, more personal somehow.”
  • “She switched to rollies to cut down on her smoking expenses.”
  • “There’s an art to rolling the perfect rollie.”

 

Ronnie

Developing out of the term “rollie” we also have “Ronnie”.

A ronnie is another slang term for a roll-up cigarette.

“Can I bum a Ronnie off you?” for example.

It simply means a roll-up cigarette.

Although, you must be careful, as this one can also be a slang term for heroin.

It’s really not clear when this one came about or what it is in reference to.

It seems to have come into use in the 20th Century.

Examples in sentences:

  • “He lit a ronnie and leaned back, watching the world go by.”
  • “Pass me a ronnie, would you? I left mine at home.”
  • “Ronnie’s are hard to come by around here, everyone’s vaping now.”
  • “Sitting on the stoop, sharing a ronnie and stories from the past.”
  • “I’m trying to quit ronnies, but it’s tougher than I thought.”

 

Salmon and trout

Next up we have a couple of bits of Cockney rhyming slang. “Salmon and trout” is Cockney rhyming slang for another slang term, “snout”—which, as we just said, means cigarette.

Cockney rhyming slang is used in parts of London, and is just what it sounds like.

They use words that rhyme with the thing they are referencing.

Examples in sentences:

  • “Fancy a salmon and trout before we head back in?”
  • “He’s always got a salmon and trout hanging from his lips.”
  • “I’m off for a quick salmon and trout during the break.”
  • “She quit smoking salmon and trouts last year.”
  • “Can’t believe how much a pack of salmon and trouts costs these days.”

 

Snout

In some small parts of the country, “snout” is a common slang term for cigarette, too.

“I’m just going to step outside for a snout,” for example.

It’s a reference to the fact that you breathe it in with your mouth, like a snout.

Examples in sentences:

  • “Got any snout? I’m dying for a smoke.”
  • “He offered me a snout, but I don’t smoke.”
  • “Snouts are a rare sight now, what with all the vaping.”
  • “She rolled her own snouts, said it was cheaper that way.”
  • “We used to sneak snouts behind the school.”

 

Straight

A term used to describe a factory-made, pre-rolled cigarette.

Examples in sentences:

  • “I prefer straights to rollies; they’re just more convenient for me.”
  • “Can I bum a straight off you? I’ve run out of rolling tobacco.”
  • “He always smokes straights, says he can’t be bothered with rolling his own.”
  • “We were out of straights, so we had to stop by the shop.”
  • “There’s something classic about smoking a straight with a cup of coffee.”

 

Tab

Next we have “tab”, which, while also not the most common or anywhere near as common as it once was, remains a staple slang term for many British people.

A tab is simply a cigarette. “I’m dying for a tab right now,” for example.

Tab can, in some cases, reference other drugs, too, so it’s worth being a bit careful with this one!

It’s most likely just a clipping and altering of the word “tobacco”.

Examples in sentences:

  • “I’m trying to cut down on the tabs, maybe quit altogether.”
  • “He flicked his tab into the ashtray and sighed.”
  • “She asked if I had a spare tab; turns out, I did.”
  • “Tabs are so expensive now, it’s better to quit.”
  • “We shared a tab and talked about old times.”

 

So, there are clearly plenty of ways to refer to cigarettes in British slang.

From the simplest terms like ciggie through the stranger Cockney rhyming slang and up to the disapproving names given by non-smokers, there are tons of slang terms for cigarettes in Britain.

 

More in British Slang

  • Polly Webster

    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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