British Slang For Expensive (Helpful Content!)

The most common British slang term for expensive is “dear”. This is used throughout the country by most people and is not widely used outside of Britain. Other terms you might hear used include “steep” or “fancy”. “Posh” can also sometimes be used to mean expensive, though it generally has a broader sense.

The British mostly just get by with the term “dear,” then, when it comes to slang terms for expensive.

There are others used widely, although they generally have broader application than just relating to the price of something alone.

Depending on the context, though, you might hear a variety of other terms.

Let’s find out more.

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What do the British say for expensive?

The most common British slang phrase simply and universally used for expensive is “dear”.

This one is somewhat more common in certain parts of the country and certainly in England as a whole, but is used to some extent throughout Britain.

Even those who do not use it are almost certain to understand it in the right context.

It can mean be applied to any context and could mean something very expensive in general, or just something too expensive given what it is.

“That’s a bit dear, is there a cheaper one?” for example.

While not absolutely everyone uses this term, it is certainly the most common and most widely applicable slang term for expensive.

Something being “dear” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s expensive because it is very high quality—it may also mean it is just too expensive for what it is.

There are some other terms you will certainly hear used for expensive in British English.

To say the price of something is “steep” means that it is too high. Again, this could have a wide variety of applications—something could simply be “a bit steep” in price or the price could be “way too steep”.

Either way, it’s too expensive. “£50? That’s much too steep for me,” for example.

“Fancy” is often used as a term for expensive places such as restaurants or shops.

It of course has a somewhat broader sense, though, and doesn’t just mean a place is expensive.

It also means it is considered luxurious or extremely high quality, such as a Michelin starred restaurant.

“We can’t go there, it’s way too fancy,” for example.

Much the same is true of the word “posh”.

It can mean overly expensive, but it has a broader sense of luxury.

Where do all these terms come from, then?

Why do the British say “dear”?

The term itself is very old.

The Old English word deore had the sense of something that was precious, valuable, or very costly.

This in turn derived from the Proto-Germanic deurja, meaning expensive.

This sense of something precious or valuable has been lost today—it doesn’t mean this as you wouldn’t say it about something you already owned.

More or less, then, it has never really lost its full meaning in well over a millennia of usage, though it has changed morphologically.

Today, some consider it to be dying out, but that is a long way from happening as things stand.

It is definitely more common among the older generations, but it is by no means exclusive.

Why do the British say “steep”?

The term “steep” meaning a high price was originally American in origin.

It is first attested in 1856 as a slang term meaning a very high price. It is hard to say when it spread to Britain, although it was in common use by at least the early 20^th Century.

You might simply replace the word “steep” with “high” to get the sense of the word.

The price is “steep” because it is too high up—too large a number.

Why do the British say “fancy”?

The word “fancy” derives from the 16^th Century, although it had quite a different meaning.

It was originally fantsy and meant an inclination or a liking.

It wasn’t until 1751 that the term was first recorded as meaning fine, elegant, or ornamental.

This continued to change over the centuries until it came to simply mean expensive, alongside its other senses, in parts of Britain.

Why do the British say “posh”?

The origin of the word “posh”, ubiquitous though it may be in Britain today, is not certain.

Pop etymology claimed it stood for “port outward, starboard home” in relation to the lodgings of well-off passengers on ships to India in the 19^th Century.

The OED doesn’t accept this, though, and instead relates to the word posh which meant “a dandy” in the late 19^th Century.

What else do the British say for expensive?

One other term you might very often hear for something expensive in Britain is “an arm and a leg”.

This is a common phrase in British English which means that something was way too expensive.

It’s often used in the past tense, and can mean simply that you spent a lot of money on several things rather than on just one very expensive things.

“It’s cost me an arm and a leg to get that boiler fixed,” for example.

So, there are quite a few different terms you might use for expensive in British English, then.

Some of them are very general and can simply mean anything that is a high price.

Others, though, relate not only to the fact that the price is high but also the perceived luxury or quality of a given thing.

For the most part, “dear” will get you by just fine.

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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