![]() ![]() This is another one that literally means the male genitalia. “Don’t be a knob, give me the keys,” for example. It is sometimes alternatively spelled “nob”. “Knob” is another very common slang insult in Britain.Īgain, it’s not quite as intense in its connotations and one that is very often used playfully.Īt the same time, it can easily be a proper and offensive insult, too, that you would use for someone who has annoyed, insulted, or offended you in some way. This was in turn based on the fact that it had been a term for the male genitalia, deriving ultimately from the Middle English prikke. This one is a bit more recent, having been first recorded as an insult against men in 1929. “Get off the road you prick!” for example. This is very common and used more or less throughout Britain. ![]() Next we have “prick”, a less cutting but nonetheless strong insult used commonly in Britain.Ī prick is generally an irritating and objectionable person, though it is also often used as an insult just if a stranger does something annoying such as cutting you off on the road or bumping into you in the street without apologizing. The word goes back much further, though, as we find cunte in Middle English of the 14th Century. The literal meaning of the term is the female genitalia, and has been in use since at least the early 18th Century in its modern form. “I’m not joking–he’s a c*nt,” for example. That said, you can generally rest assured that anyone called a c*nt by someone is deeply, deeply disliked by them. It’s not necessarily that the word itself implies anything especially bad–it’s just the cultural and social connotations of calling someone this word.Īt the same time, though, it’s not as if people always reserve it for the worst situations–many use it freely and with abandon. Most will probably agree that “c*nt” is just about the worst thing you can call someone in English. This was borrowed from an identical French term, meaning the unacknowledged child of a nobleman. This is naturally a very old term, and its literal meaning is an illegitimate child, which is what it first meant in the 13th Century. “I won’t speak to that bastard anymore,” for example. It can be used for someone who has offended you or slighted you, someone you just don’t like, someone obnoxious or cruel, or just about anything that might make you dislike a person. It is as effective as it ever was in Britain, and can be used in a variety of ways–though it is always an insult. This is an extremely old term but one which has by no means lost its popularity over time. The term is first recorded in the 1940s and is, again, based on a verb that means to masturbate: “wank”.Ī wanker, then, is literally someone who masturbates though it is of course not used in this way.Ī classic insult of the entire English speaking world, it is particularly important to British slang. If you call someone a wanker, this means they are again obnoxious, unpleasant or otherwise not the kind of person you want to be around.Īs with virtually any insult it can also be used as a joke with friends, but again just watch it as this is one of the most common insults British people use. This is likely the more common term, and again one that is not at all unclear in its harshness. To “toss off” meant to masturbate, so to be a tosser was an insult based on this.Ī similar insult in British slang is “wanker”. Though it is only recorded as an insult in this way by 1977, it is based on a much older term meaning to masturbate. “I’m not going out with that tosser,” for example. They may be annoying or arrogant, or just in general unpleasant to be around. If you call someone a tosser then this is generally a pretty serious insult, though it’s nothing extreme.Ī tosser is an objectionable or obnoxious person, someone you don’t like for one reason or another. Next we have “tosser”, a common insult which is certainly a lot less mild than the one above. It is probably derived from “nit” meaning nothing, as in “no wits”. Though commonly used in Britain today, it was first recorded in American English in 1914. This is not as commonly used today as it once was, but it’s far from falling out of use. That said, as with any insult, it does remain an insult, so you want to be careful who you go around calling a nitwit! This is a common slang insult used in Britain to call someone stupid, and is one you can certainly use jokingly as an insult to a friend. Starting off with a somewhat mild one, first we have “nitwit”. ![]()
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