British Slang For Umbrella (Explained!)

The British most commonly refer to an umbrella as a “brolly”. This is a universal slang term used across Britain to describe an umbrella, and is probably the only one today used by most of the population. Cockney rhyming slang may refer to umbrellas as “Auntie Ella” or “red n’ yella”, and “gamp” is an antiquated example.

“Brolly” is really the only slang term you’ll need to understand to get by in Britain for umbrella, then.

This one is used by everyone of all ages, from the south of England to the north of Scotland, so you’ll have no trouble being understood.

There are some others, but they are either archaic, far less common, or highly regional.

Let’s find out more.

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What do the British call umbrellas?

By far the most common slang term for an umbrella in Britain is a “brolly”.

Again, this one is used pretty much everywhere in Britain, and you’ll be universally understood if you use this one to describe an umbrella.

Whether it’s a great big umbrella that can cover multiple adults or a tiny one meant for a child, “brolly” is used widely.

That said, a lot of people may avoid using the term themselves because it can seem a bit childish to some—though this is far from universally the case.

Most adults are perfectly comfortable using it.

The plural would be “brollies”.

“Let’s get our brolly before we go out, I think it might rain,” for example.

Beyond this, there really are not many widely used slang terms for umbrella in Britain.

The ones you are most likely to hear used are the examples of Cockney rhyming slang, “Auntie Ella” and “red n’ yella”.

As you can probably guess by the name, these are not universal but are only used in certain parts of London.

For the most part, no one will know what you mean if you use these outside of London.

It seems, then, that the British have really just found a single useful slang term for umbrella which everyone agrees on and uses.

Brolly will do just fine in any situation, so not many others have really arisen.

I’ll touch on a couple of archaic slang terms which you may still hear from time to time, but these are generally very rare and mostly considered dead slang terms.

Where does the term brolly come from, then?

Why do the British say brolly?

“Brolly” is simply a clipped and shortened form of “umbrella”.

It takes the second two syllables, shortens them down and changes the vowel and the last consonant to get “brolly”.

Constructions of this kind are very common in British slang, such as the slang term “welly” for “wellington boot”.

Few British people would really question this, but would understand it intuitively.

In terms of when this slang term started being used, we can see that it is attested in writing by 1866.

This is only the first time we see it written down, so it may well be that the term predates this by some time.

In all likelihood, the term was established long before this.

Umbrellas are over 4,000 years old as an invention, but the first folding umbrellas in Europe did not exist until the beginning of the 18^th Century.

At the earliest, then, this term started being used in the 1700s.

But we cannot prove that it goes back any further than 1866.

But plainly the writer at this time new people would understand what they meant by “brolly”, so we can surmise it must predate this by some time.

Why do the British say Auntie Ella?

“Auntie Ella” is simply Cockney rhyming slang.

Umbrella rhymes with “Auntie Ella,” so that is how you get the phrase.

Beyond that, we don’t really know anything about it.

Cockney rhyming slang is often based on real people or events, but there is no “Auntie Ella” we can trace as the origin of this phrase.

Why do the British say “red n’ yella”?

The same is true of “red n’ yella”. It’s cockney rhyming slang, so it came about simply due to the fact that the phrase rhymes with the word umbrella.

It may have been based on the common red and yellow umbrellas which were popular in the 20^th Century, but this is just an educated guess.

We don’t know for sure.

What else do the British call umbrellas?

There are one or two other slang terms you may hear, but which are mostly out of use now.

“Gamp” is one, which came about due to a character named Sarah Gamp in Charles’ Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewit.

It was particularly used for a very large umbrella, but mostly fell out of use over the course of the 20^th Century.

Another similar term is “rain napper”.

This was a common slang term used in the 18^th and 19^th Centuries, although again you really won’t hear it very much anymore—except among a few hard-core traditionalists!

So, while there are a couple of other terms that are sometimes used, by far the most common term for umbrella in British slang is simply “brolly”.

Where ever you are in Britain and where ever you use this one, you’ll be understood.

If you are in the East End of London you may well hear other terms for umbrella, but these ones will not be much used outside of this area.

Any other you hear are likely very archaic, clinging on by a thread.

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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