Revealed: The outdated British slang words people most want to bring back – so, do you still use any of these terms?

By William On May 27, 2024

It’s safe to say that Britain is home to some of the most distinctive slang words in the world.

Now a study has revealed the outdated terms that Britons are desperate to reintroduce into the English language.

Researchers at WordTips say ‘bloody’ tops the list because the British love the outdated slang term the most, while ‘canny’ is the word we’d like to get rid of.

“Our analysis of unpopular old British slang words all but proves that Britain is no more of a place than Middle-earth,” WordTips said.

So, is your favorite slang term on the list?

It’s safe to say that Britain is home to some of the most distinctive slang words in the world. In the photo: only fools and horses

A survey has revealed the outdated terms that Brits are keen to reintroduce into the English language

In the study, the researchers sought to understand the vintage British slang we want to bring back, as well as the terms we’re glad are no longer popular.

The team analyzed the upvotes and downvotes of 310 notable outdated slang terms on Urban Dictionary.

“Whether Boomers upvote these slang terms in a cringe-inducing attempt to relive their glory days, or whether Zoomers embrace the cool jive of yesteryear for vintage street cred, is up to you to decide,” WordTips joked.

Their analysis found that “gory” is the outdated slang word we love most, with a whopping 96.49 percent vote.

“Bloody is a 14th-century word meaning ‘bloody’ and later ‘bloodthirsty, cruel, tainted with crimes of blood,'” WordTips explained.

‘It has been ‘a British term of abuse since at least 1676’; lexicographer Samuel L. Johnson found it ‘very vulgar.’

In contrast, ‘canny’ turned out to be the least popular British slang word. “The Geordie word canny means ‘good, kind or pleasant’, according to locals – but 52.62% of Urban Dictionary users would rather get rid of it,” according to WordTips

‘Chuffed’ is next on the list, with 96.13 percent upvotes, followed by ‘bugger all’ (95.03 percent), ‘bruv’ (93.88 percent), ‘sod off’ (92.84 percent) and ‘curtain twitcher’ (92.40 percent).

Other honorable mentions are ‘chockablock’, ‘hank marvin’ and of course the classic ‘fit’.

In contrast, ‘canny’ turned out to be the least popular British slang word.

“The Geordie word canny means ‘Good, kind or pleasant’ according to locals, but 52.62% of Urban Dictionary users would prefer to get rid of it,” WordTips said.

‘Take the Mickey’ isn’t far behind, with 37.96 percent downvotes.

“Following are five British words that could very well be the selection of the Hogwarts basketball team: Bonk, Wangle, Fancy, Dench and Mug,” WordTips joked.

‘Meaning respectively: copulate, manipulate, desire, first class and fool.’

The news comes shortly after Countdown’s Susie Dent revealed the historic words she wants to see returned to the English language.

One of her many favorites is “nodcrafty,” which despite being from the 1800s, is perfect “for any Zoom meeting.”

“Nodding is having the knack of nodding your head as if you’re really following along, but actually tuned out ages ago,” she told MailOnline.

‘I think that is a very important skill.’

Another little-known word, ‘apricity’, describes ‘the most perfect feeling’: the warmth of the sun on your back on a winter’s day.

“There’s only one entry in the dictionary, from 1623,” Susie explained.

‘It’s almost like a linguistic mayfly: it only survived a day, it seems, and then disappeared. But weather forecasters are starting to use it, which is brilliant.”

Yet another, created in the 16th century, is ‘mumpsimus’ – someone who insists he is right despite clear evidence that he is not.

Meanwhile, the delightful Scottish term ‘hurkle-durkle’ means lying in bed or lounging when you should be out and about.

Fancy a lavish evening and fun at the disco? Experts reveal the English words that could become extinct within a generation because they aren’t used by younger people – including ‘tosh, minted and grill’

Disco, nicompoop, boogie and trollop are among the words that could become extinct within a generation because young people have never heard of them.

As many as 40 percent of 18 to 30-year-olds have never heard the word sozzled, which means “drunk,” while 37 percent were unfamiliar with referring to a man who behaves dishonorably as a “thug.” .

Researchers from research firm Perspectus Global presented a long list of words to a panel of 2,000 respondents and asked them to indicate which words they had never heard of.

Many of the words date from the late 19th century or later and are more common in the vocabulary of older generations.