British Slang For Potato (12 Examples!)

Potatoes are a worldwide staple.

Virtually every nation on Earth uses them to some extent.

Whether for chips, mash, roasties or wedges, potatoes are and have been with us for a very long time.

Unsurprisingly, then, there has arisen a huge variety of slang terms for potatoes in most cultures where they are eaten regularly.

This is particularly true of the British, who have a whole host of slang terms for potato.

Let’s look at a few examples.

In This Article

Spud

First we have what is perhaps the single most common slang term for potato in Britain: spud.

The term spud is used up and down the British Isles, and it’s unlikely you’ll meet anyone who doesn’t know what the slang term refers to.

“Can you go and pick up some spuds from the shop?” for example.

It could refer to any kind of potato, for example, “roasted spuds” or “mashed spud”.

It’s not completely clear where this term originated. It is a very old one, having been in use by at least the 1440s.

At first it meant a short dagger or knife, potentially coming from the Old Norse spjot meaning spear.

Later on in the century it came to mean a digging implement and ultimately a potato.

Of course, potatoes didn’t reach British shores until the end of the 16^th Century, so it must have been some time after this.

Tatties

Next, we have tatties, which, while used throughout Britain, is primarily a piece of Scottish slang.

“Tatties” is often the word used when describing a particular meal that includes potatoes.

One such favorite is called “mince and tatties”, comprising minced beef and typically mashed potatoes.

It’s also often had with haggis. “Let’s have haggis and tatties for tea tonight,” for example.

The word itself is a simple alteration of the word potato.

It’s not entirely clear when the term first started being used, but we have it attested in the written record from around the late 18^th Century.

It probably predates this by some time in the spoken vernacular.

Taters

“Tatties” may be more Scottish, but “taters” is one you’ll hear throughout Britain.

It’s a general slang term that isn’t necessarily tied to any particular area, although you’ll certainly hear it more in some places than in others.

But, again, it will be understood by just about everyone in Britain to mean potato.

“We’d better use up those taters soon,” for example.

This is an example of what’s called aphetic pronunciation.

This is to do with how the unstressed vowel sounds at the beginning of a word are lost over time.

Potatoes simply became taters as the vowel sounds at the beginning were lost.

P’tater

Next we have another form of “tater”, which is “p’tater”.

This one is perhaps a bit rarer, but it is once again intrinsically understandable if simply because it includes the word “tater”.

To some extent, this term is just how the word potato sounds in certain regional British accents.

Then it would make its way into informal spelling and become more established as a specific slang term for potato more generally.

“P’taters are looking good this year,” for example.

Again, this one is simply an example of a dialectical form of potato.

It’s very hard to trace its precise origins with any accuracy.

It has very likely been in use for a long time in certain parts of the country, and given its regional and vernacular nature, we have little written record to go on.

Earthapple

Moving away from dialectical pronunciations of the word potato, there are a number of specific ways of referring to potatoes in British slang.

One example of this is “earthapple”, which simply means a potato.

This is definitely a good deal less common than some of the examples above, but it is definitely one you’ll hear.

This term can also refer to the Jerusalem artichoke, so be sure not to get those confused.

It’s not entirely clear when this term started being used, but it seems obvious that it was modelled after either the German erdapfel or the Dutch aardappel.

Both of these give a similar sense of an apple that comes out of the ground.

We just don’t know when it got started.

Jockey’s whip

Jockey’s whip is a much more specific slang term in a couple of ways.

Firstly, it’s an example of Cockney rhyming slang.

This is a kind of slang used in London, based on used a word or phrase that rhymes with the actual word you are trying to say.

So, this slang term is really not used outside of London. Jockey’s whip is also more specific in the sense that it doesn’t just mean potato but specifically a bag of chips. “Let’s go get a jockey’s whip,” for example.

It’s often very hard to say with Cockney rhyming slang when and where it originated.

A “bag of chips” as a staple fast food item that people could buy largely became popular in the middle of the last century, so it likely arose sometime around then.

Spanish waiter

Another example of Cockney rhyming slang for potato is Spanish waiter.

This one might be a bit more intuitive and easy to understand.

When said with a Cockney accent, potato and Spanish waiter would just about rhyme—it would sound more like “potater” than potato.

This one is more general as it just refers to potatoes of any kind.

“Let me tell you the perfect recipe for roasted Spanish waiter,” for example.

Again, it’s very difficult to say when this term started being used. “Spanish waiter” has had a few different connotations throughout the years, but few of them seem to tie directly to potatoes in any way.

This one will likely remain a mystery.

Bog orange

Bog orange is more of an archaic term, but it is still used to some extent in parts of Britain.

If nothing else, there are likely still a fair amount of people who know what the term means even if they might not use it themselves.

“We’re going to need somewhere to grow bog oranges,” for example.

As we will see, historically there have been a number of slang terms for potato in British English that at worst are outright offensive to the Irish.

This is one possible origin for this term: a stereotyping of “boglanders”, i.e. the Irish, whose staple diet is supposedly potatoes.

It was also used in Australia, though, so it could have derived from there too.

Irish fruit

Following on from that, one other slang term sometimes used for potatoes is Irish fruit.

Again, this is not very common and one important thing to note is that it certainly would not be used by the Irish.

It’s important to recognize that Irish people are not British, and many would indeed take great issue with being called British!

This slang term was another one based on the Irish consumption of potatoes and particularly on the Irish Potato Famine.

In the middle of the 19^th Century, the potato crop was decimated by an infectious mold, and this caused a destructive and rampant famine.

This slang term is not much used anymore as a result—it tends to leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Irish apricot

Another slang term in the same vein is “Irish apricot”.

This is effectively identical to “Irish fruit” except that specifically the apricot is substituted for fruit in general.

This one, again, is also not really much used anymore, though some would likely still understand its meaning.

Murphy

Yet another example of this is the term “Murphy”.

Murphy is a very common Irish surname, and so again the name became a slang term for potato as a way of denigrating and insulting the Irish.

It’s certainly unfortunate that, historically, so many slang terms intended to denigrate the Irish arose around potatoes.

So, I only mention these so that you can be sure to always avoid using them.

Tuber

Finally we have tuber, another rarely used but not unheard of slang term for potato in Britain.

Of course, in one sense, this isn’t slang because a tuber is simply a description of what a potato is.

However, it has come to be a slang term in itself for potato in some parts of Britain, since no one really refers to potatoes as tubers in a general sense.

Certainly not the most common slang term for potato in Britain, but if you do hear someone talking about eating tubers, this is probably what they mean.

This may not be a comprehensive list, but these are certainly the most common slang terms for potatoes in Britain.

No doubt the simplest and most well-known are used a great deal more than others, but every term on this list is still in use to some extent.

Hopefully, this list may clear up any confusion you have when you hear slang terms for potatoes used in Britain.

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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