Are you eager to discover a world of lively expressions and odd phrases by speaking British terminologies? If yes, you have come to the right place, as we will provide you with the best British slang, starting with N.
British slang is used in casual and informal contexts and corresponds to a hidden language. It is composed of phrases and words that may not appear in regular dictionaries. It varies greatly according to the context and the person you are speaking with.
With our in-depth guide to British slang, we’ll take you on an informative journey across the streets of Britain. Get ready to explore the unique details of British English, which will add flavor and appeal to your conversations, from humorous phrases to fascinating slang terms.
Naff, in British slang, means to go away. However, in English, it is an expression of anger.
The adjective “naff” means something worthless or pointless. The noun “naff” dates back to the middle of the 15th century. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest known use of naff is in a paper by lexicographer John Withals from 1553.
The origin of this word is unknown, although it might have started as an informal term that came from fanny (vagina). The word “buttocks,” which was first used in American English in 1920, comes from the previous British meaning “vulva” (1879).
Although it is no longer used in American English, the feminine sense is still the most common one outside of the country.
Awful, substandard, useless, duff, dingy, inferior, low-grade, low-quality, trashy, below grade, lousy, trashy, poxy, chickenshit, bodger, twopenny and halfpenny
Not suitable, unattractive, inappropriate, downright, dowdy, improper, tacky, unfashionable, nasty, broken-down, dilapidated, frumpy, and down-at-heel
Laugh, gag, yell, joke, joking, humorous, revolting, wisecrack, smirk, buffoon, grin, cackle, powerful pairings, squeal, hee-haw, crack up, chuckle, disgusting, snicker and guffaw.
In British terms, narky is characterized by a lack of patience and a bad temper. Someone who is quickly irritated and frustrated.
The term “narky” was first recorded to have been used in the 1890s. However, it was published in 1895, when the Oxford English Dictionary first encountered the British term. Now, both British and Australian English use this word.
Irritable, complaining, sarcastic, dispute-prone, ill-tempered, a living nightmare, resembles a bear with a painful head, be ready for an argument, grumpiness, grumpy, grouchy, rudely, sourly, bitterly, angst, panic, fury, sour, pettishly, avarice, irritability, irritable, stroppiness, stroppy, surprisingly, sturdiness and testily
You were a little narky toward me.
Their narky mindset is ideal to that of a loser.
They also enjoy the narky, tough nature of the game.
The narky behavior of those siblings gives opposition to the grief of Winnie and Millie’s bond.
He’s very narky
The reason makes clear why he was narky about my bowling skills.
Have they not exchanged a few narky remarks on the job before?
Still, it was an extremely difficult situation, and the final result meant a lot.
She then became narky with me for spending so many nights out
In British slang, the term “nasty” means the act of behaving in an unpleasant and unkind manner.
The British term nasty was first recorded in use in the 1820s. The first documented use of nasty in the Oxford English Dictionary originates back to 1825. It was written by novelist and women’s rights advocate John Neal. In addition, it is documented as an adjective going back to the Middle English era (1150—1500). Nasty slang is formed in English through conversion.
It is most likely a conversion from an earlier form of the Middle English word naskty, naskedy, from the Middle English nasked (“dirty, messy”), which is ultimate of Northern Germanic origin.
Cruel, ruthless, hateful, mean, unpleasant, callous, cold-blooded, unattractive, snarky, prickly, evil, awful, disgusting, repelling, bitchy, catty, malevolent and malicious
Disgusting, deplorably, dreadful, abjectly, catastrophic, tense, terrifying, from the pit, horrifying, obnoxious, disagreeable, disagreeably, repulsive, disgustingly, unkempt, abominable, terrible, not able to support and Insensitively
Filthy, impure, grossness, putrescence, foul matter, carrion, excreta, crud, muck, trash, sewage, pollution, smutty, dung, sewage, misery, grime, slime, excrement, nastiness, shit, crap, grot and unhygienic
British slang “ND” is a popular term in online slang and texting. It’s an abbreviated form of the word “and.” Our online messages now include this common phrase, which helps faster and more effective communication. This British slang ND in text Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram is also the same, and in regular texting, it is used to denote “And.”
Nd was first mentioned by the Oxford English Dictionary in the Journal of Chemical Institute in 1885. Within English, the British term ND originates through clipping or reducing.
The word ND was originally spelled mistakenly or abbreviated. It was added to The Urban Dictionary in 2003, but individuals and typists have been using it for much longer.
Since then, ND has been used to conserve space or simply a typo because of fast typing. This kind of regular habit on social media sites invented this term. ND can also be used as an acronym for neuro-divergent since at least the late 1990s. An example of a neuro-divergent person would be someone who has schizophrenia or autism.
Also, as well as, thus, moreover, likewise, including, additionally, connected with, plus, related to, extra
America James U.S.A., Bismarck, North Dakota, James River, Little Missouri, Fargo USA, Garden States United States, and The Roosevelt Memorial National Park
Neodymium metal, metallic element, bastnaesite, monazite, and atomic number 60
Examples In terms of And
Examples in terms of other Meanings
In British slang, there is no replacement for the English language term nesh. Nesh means “exceptionally susceptible to cold weather.”
The verb “nesh” goes back to the Old English era, which was before 1150.
The use of this slang has been reported in Staffordshire, England, the East Midlands, Lancashire, North Wales, South Yorkshire, and Shropshire. It is generally accepted as a Nottingham word. In Newfoundland, there is a similar term, nish.
The word is related to the 16th-century Dutch word nesch, which usually means damp or stupid. It originates from the Old English word hnesce, which means frail, weak, or infirm.
In 2011, Nesh was included in the British Library’s “wordbank,” a program to save words and phrases from local languages.
Phobia, distrust, halting, indecision, loathing, reluctance, shy, skeptical, sluggish, tentative, timid, uncertain, and unwilling.
Extremely delicate, soft, airy, elegant, graceful, brittle, gauzy, filmy, floaty, gossamer, diaphanous, silky, wispy, fragile, dainty and subtle
Willing to listen, receptive to, defenceless, against a simple target, prone to, liable to, subject to, tilted to, disposed to, given to, easily affected by, in danger of, at risk of, being at the mercy of, capable of admitting, flexible of, open to, responsive to, allowing, permitting, easy, impressionable, inclined, liable, open-minded, delicate, vulnerable, and wide open.
In British slang, Nick means a tiny hole on an edge or surface.
The British word “nick” originated in English in the late 16th century, when it means “trick or cheat.” In 1576, the English playwright George Whetstone used the phrase “I never nicked his pay,” which means “I never stole his pay,” This is the earliest known use of the word.
The clear origin of this word has yet to be discovered. However, it has been proposed that it has something to do with the name Nicholas. During the 1940s, the name Nick was commonly linked with the devil or Satan’s minions, giving it a negative meaning.
Nick still has a second sense of slang, which is prison. The term in this meaning goes back to Australia, where it first appeared in an 1882 book of Sydney slang.
Escape with someone or anything, aggravated, anti-burglary, stance, theft by hackers, spying gadget, heated-wire, breaking into a house, Job plunder, poaching, porch piracy, purloining, Jimmy Jimmy, rattle, rustle, squirrel, snitch, To grab anything; to deceive someone or overcharge them.
Abrasion, butcher, bayonet, cut, cutting, chopsticks, Hew, impalpable, impalement, impaler, sharp, Shave, cut anything out or from, something slicing, shearings of sheep, lash sliced and Slitspike.
Authorized educational institution, The Bastille, Borstal, brig, gaoler, midway residence, HMP, open-air jail, panopticon, prison community, jail, straightjacket, the Gulag, Warder, an institution for juvenile offenders, juvenile detention, clink, cooler, dungeon, guardhouse, keep, pen, reformatory, slammer, and stockade
Illness, ailment, sickness, infection, disturbance, the ability, unfavourable circumstance, sage, atmosphere, look, personality, good or bad karma, own it in your hood, in the form of, presentation, trappings, autonomous, sombre atmosphere, vibe, and feel-check
Despite one or two small nicks in the paint, the musical device is in excellent shape.
For a man his age, he is in fair nick.
The car is in a very good nick
He has spent almost all of his life in the nick.
The person was nicked for driving at 70 mph in a zone with a 50 mph speed limit.
My bike has been nick once more.
Okay, but who has Nick as my ruler?
In British slang, Niggle means to trigger minor concerns, usually for an extended time.
The slang term “niggle” goes back to the middle of the fifteenth century. The first recorded use of niggle in the Oxford English Dictionary dates back to 156 when Thomas Harman, a writer on homeless people, wrote a piece of paper.
However, niggle has an unknown origin. It is most likely derived from dialectal Norwegian nigla (“to be cheap, to busy oneself with little things”), which in turn was derived from Old Norse (stingy) and related to Old English.
Castigate, blame, denounce, condemn, apprehend, reject, criticize the censure
chide, chastise, arraign the assault, fault, knock, attack, Pillory, dislike, carp and rail against
Aggravate, resentful, alienate, rage, irritation, bent, idiot, go too far, hack someone off, harass, joke, or rub someone the wrong way Idioms such as “ruffler,” “set someone’s teeth on edge,” “step/tread on someone’s toes,” and “it,” Annoyance, irritation, crossness, infuriation, anger, vexation, wrath, pique, chagrin, rancour, resentment, indignation, exasperation, dissatisfaction, discontent, discontentment, and discontentedness.
Concern oneself, trouble oneself, mind, care, worry oneself, burden oneself, occupy oneself, busy oneself, take the time, make an effort, bugging and pestering.
In British slang, Nipper has different meanings. As slang, It commonly refers to a little kid or youngster.
From the middle of the 1500s, Nipper appears as a noun. Within English, the nipper is created by conversion.
The British term “nipper” was first recorded in use during the late 1700s. However, the first documented use of nipper in the Oxford English Dictionary goes back to David Steel’s writings in 1794.
In 1859, Nipper was used in the meaning of “little kid,” possibly from the shouting meaning “pickpocket, one who ‘pinches’ someone’s property.
a young child, youthful, adult, child, young person, adolescent man, youthful, youth aged, teenager, teen, teenage, junior, stripling, whippersnapper, arrival of an ankle-biter baby, baby in arms, comfort blanket, designer baby devil, newborn, only child, oops-a-daisy, toddler, toddler tike, toddler toilet-trained
shred, splash, hint, glimmer, sprinkling, touch, bit, lick, pop, go, run, rush, dash, bite, snap, nibble, pinch and catch.
In British slang, Nitty means foolish. It refers to a liar and a person who believes they are superior.
The term “nitty” first appeared in use in the 1820s. Nitty first appears in the Oxford English Dictionary records in Blackwood’s Scottish Magazine in 1822. The origin of Nitty is still being determined.
Stupid, silly, absurd, mad, crazy, insane, idiotic, irrational, fantastic, ill-advised, insane, irrational, ludicrous, lunatic, idiot, goose, moron, nut, simpleton, jackass, loser and preposterous
Dopehead, doper, drug abuser, drug fiend, druggie, freak, hophead, narcotics addict, freak, hype, cokey, hypo, and metho.
Frivolous, immaterial, inconsequential, insignificant, irrelevant, meaningless, negligible, null, trivial, unnecessary, useless, worthless, inconsequential, trivial, minor, of little or no value, of little or no consequence, of no account, of no moment
In British slang, Numpty means a foolish or dumb person. It is used to refer to someone who lacks intellectual skills.
The British term numpty is frequently used for somewhat rude or foolish individuals. It has origins that date back to 1794, more than two centuries before. It was first mentioned in the Oxford English Dictionary. In contrast to the more clear numbnuts or numbskull, the word “numpty” is derived from an ancient term for a foolish person called numps.
Blockhead, berkbird, brain blinding, airhead, nimrod, stupid, thicko, tosser, troglodyte, turkey, dullard, dumb-ass, dummy, dunced, dunderhead, muppet, mutt need and need your head examined
In British slang, Nosh usually means a food or meal. British people use this term to refer to a tiny portion of food eaten as a meal or in between. It is just a light snack or a meal.
Nosh is a British term that comes from the English word nash, which means to nibble at delicate things. It is a British word as much as an American one.
Nosh was first recorded in the 1950s. Its origins are in the Yiddish word nashn, which means “to nibble or gnaw.” Records from the mid-1800s show that the word was originally spelt, Nash.
In the UK, the word “eating” today simply means to eat. However, it used to denote a snack instead of a complete meal. Similarly, it used to be applied to a snack as a noun, but now it simply refers to food.
Healthy nourishment, food, alimentation, food fare, everyday bread, food rations, iron-based rations, munchies, snacks and food, small bites, consumes, Grub bread, chow chuck, scoff f ood, Vittles, Meat, Viands, nibble, goodies, grub, pickings, rejuvenation, quick snack, a light dinner, a midnight nibble, and a little supper.
In British terms, Nana slang means child’s name for a female babysitter. Nana is the mother of a baby’s mother or father. This is the slang used by British people, such as by a nanny or grandmother.
The British slang term “Nana” has several origins in various nations worldwide. Different cultures use it as a masculine or feminine name.
The first mention of nana in the Oxford English Dictionary originates from a journal entry made by E. Pepys sometime in 1844. It’s been suggested that the term “nana” continues then in 19th-century slang and means “prostitute” or “pimp’s wife.”
Nana is likely a modification or variant of another lexical term. This name may have evolved from an early Indo-European root that reflects a kid’s speech pattern. “Nánna,” is a related word in Ancient Greek.
According to one idea, “Nana” comes out of the Italian word “Nonna,” which means grandmother. It could have been altered to “Nana” over time.
Ancestor, grandma, matriarch, grandma, grandmother, granny, gran, nan, nanny, nanna, nonna, grandmum and grandmom
In British terms, the slang word nang means wicked, cool, and good. NANG is an informal word and is used most often in text messaging and online chat.
The British word “nang,” which could have been of African or Afro-Caribbean background, means “good,” similar to “cool.”
The Oxford English Dictionary’s first trace of nang is from 2002. The origin of nang, however, is unknown.
Mischievous, playful, devilish, impish, naughty, roguish, lavish, pixie, wonderful, great, stylish, fashionable, happening, chic, exclusive, smart, elegant, fresh, placid, relaxed, sensational, nifty and hunky dory
Summing up, we hope you understand the above Best British slang, which starts with N. The various types of slang found in British slang show the unique history, culture, and sense of humor of the UK as a whole. Due to language and social changes over time, terms in the language, which may be phrases or slang, have changed. In the same way, British slang originating from its source also evolves. This full discussion of slang, along with definitions, historical context, and examples, will help you better understand it. Check back later for additional British slang, and let us know in the comments section if we still need to include any slang. For now, enjoy the humorous nature of these given British slang, starting with N, and use these terms to enhance your bilingual experience.
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