British Slang For Easy (Helpful Content!)

The most common British slang terms for easy include “easy peasy”, “piece of cake” and “nae bother” or “no worries”. These are all used throughout Britain to mean something is easy and simple, and have the sense of telling someone not to worry about a favor you did them. “It’s nothing” is also sometimes used.

There are a handful of slang terms used in Britain for when something is easy, then, and many of them are shared with other parts of the English speaking world.

In any case, they also have their own uniquely British character and usage, so let’s find out more.

In This Article

How do the British say easy?

The British have a few different ways of saying easy depending on what exactly they are trying to get across.

It’s worth pointing out that, in a general sense, the word “easy” itself is probably the most likely word most people will use.

If they want to describe something as easy, then they are most likely just to say that it was easy.

Slang terms for easy are commonly used but they often have more specific connotations, and will only be used in certain contexts.

If you just want an adjective equivalent to easy, then “easy” is really your best bet.

That said, there are many phrases with the general sense of easy in British English.

“Easy peasy” is perhaps the most commonly used term meaning easy in British English.

It simply means something is easy without any particular extra connotation, except for the fact that it usually means something is very easy.

It also often is used in the full phrase “easy peasy lemon squeezy,” a very common phrase in English speaking world.

“That was easy peasy that test,” for example.

Beyond this, there are a variety of widely used terms connoting that something was easy, usually in the context that you have done someone a small favor and don’t need to be thanked.

These will differ slightly depending on where you are in Britain.

“Nae bother” is a common one in Scotland and the northeast of England, and is just a quick way of saying that doing something for someone wasn’t a trouble to you.

“Thanks for your help,” “Nae bother!” for example.

“No worries” is more commonly used throughout England and Wales.

This has the same sense, and is usually used in place of something like “you’re welcome” when someone thanks you for something.

Where do we get these terms, then?

Why do the British say “easy peasy”?

A popular folk etymology of the term “easy peasy lemon squeezy” is that it came from an advertising slogan for a brand of lemon scented dish soap.

However, no such slogan has ever been used by the brand that it is often claimed for Sqezy.

Through this folk etymology people have come to relate the two in their mind, but there is no real connection.

The earliest instance of the term “easy peasy” according to the OED comes from 1966, though others have found uses going back to 1953.

In a review of a British documentary about aeronautical attempts to break the sound barrier, one American journalist used the term to describe the ease with which the pilots flew. It was used throughout the 20^th Century, then, though it seems most likely that the origin was first vernacular.

It seems the term is simply a construction using a rhyming word to get extra emphasis into the phrase.

There’s not much more that can be said about it than that, really!

Why do the British say “piece of cake”?

This term is far from the most commonly used in Britain today, as many consider it a bit dated and archaic.

There is, in any case, some disagreement about its origin.

Some suggest it originated in slavery in the 1870s, where a certain dance was an easy way to earn a piece of cake—though, given slavery’s abolition in 1865, this theory does not hold much water.

The phrase more likely just relates to the broader sense that “cake” and “pie” often related to things that were easy, for one reason or another.

Some also think it originated with the Royal Air Force in the 1930s, where an easy mission was like eating a piece of cake.

Why do the British say “nae bother”?

“Nae bother” is a simple construction to say that something was not any bother, or not any trouble to do.

“Nae” is a common word used in place of no in Scotland and the north of England, and so that’s really all there is to say about this one!

Why do the British say “no worries”?

“No worries” is much the same, but just a bit more widely used. It is something you say to someone after you do something for them, to let them know that you don’t expect any particular gratitude and you were happy do it.

It was easy!

So, depending on where in Britain you are and who you’re talking to, you may hear a variety of slang phrases for “easy”.

For the most part, these terms are related to telling someone you didn’t mind doing something after the fact.

It’s a way of indicating that it was no trouble for you and they don’t even need to thank you.

Some terms, though, more generally just mean something is easy, like “easy peasy”.

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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