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UK English words page 14
British English: the words, meanings and slang used in the United Kingdom that an American might not know. 2,235 words and meanings, most familiar first.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| rageous adjective | Fierce; violent |
| ragger noun | An annoying person, especially a noisy one, one who rags upon another |
| rasher noun | A strip of bacon; a piece of bacon. |
| ratcatcher noun | An insult, not widely used nowadays but made popular by William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. |
| ratchel noun | Gravelly stone |
| ratchelly adjective | Resembling or containing ratchel. |
| ratheripe noun | A variety of apple that ripens early. |
| ravenstone noun | A gravestone |
| readies noun | Cash, especially bank notes. |
| reem adjective | Cool, excellent; desirable; sexy. |
| remanet noun | A bill that has been postponed or deferred to another session. |
| remould verb | To mould or shape again. |
| revivor noun | Revival of a suit which is abated by the death or marriage of any of the parties. |
| rheumatics noun | Rheumatism. |
| ribby adjective | Shabby, in poor condition. |
| riblet noun | A cut of veal or lamb taken from near the rib |
| rizzle verb | To creep, as ivy. |
| roadman noun | A member of a subculture characterised by their clothing (notably puffer jackets and sportswear) as street fashion and the music they listen to, notably drill music. |
| rodge noun | The grey duck. |
| roggle verb | To shake. |
| roke noun | Mist; smoke; damp. |
| roky adjective | Misty; foggy; cloudy. |
| rorty adjective | Boisterous, rowdy, saucy, dissipated, or risqué. |
| rosland noun | Heathland; land full of heather |
| roughings noun | Rowen; a second crop of hay |
| rozzer noun | A police officer. |
| rudge noun | A partridge. |
| rundel noun | A circle. |
| rypeck noun | A pole used to move a punt while fishing. |
| sab noun | A sabbatical officer. |
| sandworm noun | The lugworm, Arenicola marina. |
| sangar noun | A stone breastwork; a fortified niche or look-out post. |
| sarky adjective | Sarcastic. |
| saveloy noun | A seasoned and smoked pork sausage, normally purchased ready-cooked. |
| sawbill noun | The red-breasted merganser. |
| scarfer noun | An everyday football supporter who is not involved in hooliganism. |
| schoolie noun | An education officer. |
| scobby noun | The chaffinch. |
| scove noun | Rich, pure tin ore. |
| scraber noun | The black guillemot. |
| scraffle verb | To scramble or struggle; to wrangle. |
| scran noun | Food, especially that of an inferior quality; grub. |
| scranny adjective | Scrawny |
| scrappage noun | An amount of money paid by the government to a person trading in an old car (to be scrapped) for a more environmentally-friendly new one. |
| scratter noun | A chav (working-class youth associated with aggression and common tastes) |
| scrattle verb | To scuttle. |
| scrawm verb | To tear or scratch. |
| scriggle verb | To squirm, wriggle or squiggle. |
| scrimshank verb | To shirk duty. |
| scrimshanker noun | A shirker; one who scrimshanks. |
| scringe verb | To cringe. |
| scroggy adjective | Abounding in scrog. |
| scrouge verb | To crowd; to squeeze. |
| scruffle noun | A scuffle; a physical fight or struggle. |
| scrumple verb | To crumple, crush or wad (like a piece of paper). |
| scrumpy noun | A rough cider, normally more alcoholic than usual, and typically produced through natural fermentation. |
| scuft noun | Scruff; nape of the neck |
| scummer noun | A supporter of Southampton F.C.. |
| seave noun | A rush (the plant). |
| seavy adjective | Overgrown with rushes |
| sectioning noun | An instance of a person being sectioned. |
| serviette noun | A table napkin, now especially a paper one. |
| shandygaff noun | A mixture of strong beer and ginger beer. |
| shanna contraction | Shall not |
| shant noun | A drink, usually a pint. |
| sheld adjective | Variegated; spotted; speckled; piebald |
| shilfa noun | The chaffinch. |
| shippen noun | A stable; a cowhouse. |
| shirty adjective | Ill-tempered or annoyed. |
| shovelard noun | A kind of dabbling duck; the shoveler. |
| shufflewing noun | The hedge sparrow. |
| shunter noun | A railway locomotive used for shunting; a switcher. |
| sickie noun | A day, or time, off work due to (supposed) illness. |
| sideburn noun | The unwanted rapid burning down one side of a cigarette that has been ineptly rolled. |
| simples interjection | Indicating that something is easy to do or to understand. |
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| sizar noun | An undergraduate at Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Cambridge who receives an allowance for his college expenses or tuition, sometimes in return for doing a defined job. |
| skeel noun | A shallow wooden vessel for holding milk or cream. |
| skillo adjective | Great, excellent |
| skirling noun | A small trout or salmon. |
| skirr noun | A tern. |
| skrike verb | To cry, sob, cry out or yell; to scream. |
| slaggy adjective | Resembling a slag, especially in behaviour. |
| slammerkin noun | A slut; an untidy or slatternly woman. |
| slammock noun | A slattern or awkward person. |
| slape adjective | Slippery; smooth |
| sleeving noun | Hollow flexible tube used as insulation for wires and cables. |
| slicken adjective | Sleek; smooth |
| sloomy adjective | Sluggish; slow |
| slowcoach noun | A person, especially a child, who moves slowly. |
| slumpy adjective | Easily broken through; boggy; marshy. |
| slunken adjective | Shrivelled; lean, lank. |
| slutch noun | Slush. |
| slutchy adjective | Slushy |
| smeath noun | A bird, the smew. |
| smoot noun | A small opening built into a dry-stone wall to allow sheep (and hares) to pass through. |
| snathe verb | To lop; to prune. |
| snattock noun | A chip; a slice or fragment. |
| snecket noun | A door latch |
| sned verb | To lop; lop or chop off. |
| snig verb | To sneak. |
| snuzzle verb | To rub the nose against and snuff. |
| socking adverb | Very, extremely. |
| socky adjective | Wet |
| soddenness noun | The state of being completely drunk. |
| sov noun | Pound sterling. |
| sowl noun | A dainty; a relish; a sauce; anything eaten with bread. |
| sozzled adjective | Very drunk. |
| spinney noun | A small copse or wood, especially one planted as a shelter for game birds. |
| spirling noun | Sparling |
| spitful noun | A spadeful. |
| spondulicks noun | Money. |
| sportswoman noun | A woman who engages in sports; a female athlete. |
| sprack adjective | Lively, full of energy |
| sprackness noun | The quality of being sprack, lively, full of energy. |
| spurrings noun | Banns of marriage |
| squareman noun | A stonecutter. |
| squary adjective | Neat and compact |
| squidgy adjective | Moist and pliant; soggy. |
| staith noun | A landing place; an elevated staging upon a wharf for discharging coal, etc., as from railway cars into vessels. |
| staithe noun | An installation built at the railside or nearby for the storage of coal unloaded from wagons. |
| staithman noun | A man employed in weighing and shipping at a staith. |
| stalder noun | A wooden frame to set casks on. |
| stammel noun | A large, clumsy horse. |
| starn noun | The European starling. |
| staw verb | To be fixed or set; to stay. |
| steamboats adjective | Drunk; intoxicated. |
| stenting noun | An opening in a wall in a coal mine. |
| stime noun | A slight gleam or glimmer; a glimpse. |
| stive verb | To stew; to be stifled or suffocated. |
| stivy adjective | Close; stuffy; stifling |
| stockjobber noun | An unscrupulous stockbroker. |
| stog verb | To probe a pool with a pole. |
| stonehatch noun | The ringed plover. |
| stonker noun | Something highly impressive. |
| stoory adjective | Dusty |
| stoppages noun | Salary deductions. |
| stowboard noun | A place into which rubbish is put. |
| strany noun | The guillemot. |
| streamed adjective | Divided into academic streams. |
| streeker noun | One who lays out a dead body; a professional attendant of the dead |
| strewth interjection | A mild oath expressing surprise or generally adding emphasis. |
| stroppy adjective | Ornery, fractious, belligerent, or obstreperous, and hence difficult to deal with. |
| strub verb | To rob, plunder; clear out completely; to strip. |
| stull noun | A framework of timber covered with boards to support rubbish or to protect miners from falling stones. |
| stulm noun | A shaft, conduit, adit, or gallery to drain a mine. |
| stumer noun | Something worthless or counterfeit. |
| stunty adjective | Obstinate; sullen. |
| stythe noun | Choke damp |
| subeditor noun | A copy editor at a newspaper or magazine. |
| subrector noun | An assistant rector. |
Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources