The Ultimate List of Roadman Slang Terms (& How to Use Them)

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A cheeky guide to help you sound like a Roadman
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A Roadman is a young, wild, possibly gang-related guy from the UK who likes to dabble in illicit things and get up to no good (all while wearing Nikes and a black puffer jacket, of course). And no true roadman is complete without his vast repertoire of slang, from the iconic "innit" to the beloved "bruv." Even if you're not a roadman, you can still sound like one by trying out their terms and phrases yourself. To help you out, we've put together the ultimate list of roadman slang, plus tips on how to use it like a true roadman.

Section 1 of 3:

Popular Roadman Slang

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  1. This is an Arabic word that means brother. Use the term when you’re referring to a close guy friend.
    • To ask your friend about what they’re going to do today, say “Yo, akhi, what you getting into today?”
  2. 2
    Allow it This one has a different meaning depending on the context it’s used in. It usually means to stop doing something or let something go, but sometimes it means to let something happen.
    • When you’re at the end of your rope during a game and someone wants to sub you out, say “allow it, I’m exhausted.”
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  3. 3
    Bait Bait is something that is obvious. In some contexts, it means something popular that everyone is interested in.
    • If your friend is trying to play a joke on you and you can tell, say “That’s bait, man, I know you’re trolling.”
    • When everyone in your circle is doing something but you don’t want to participate, say “Nah, that’s bait. I’m cool off that.”
  4. Use bare to emphasize something or say that there is a lot of it.
    • If it’s super cold outside, say “It’s bare chilly, innit?”
  5. 5
    Bun Bun is a way to say screw you or “f*ck you.”
    • If someone is upset and wants to insult you, they may say “Man, you’re a wasteman. Bun you, mate.”
    • If someone has a lot of money, say “You’ve got bare money, fam.”
  6. 6
    Buki Also spelled bookey or booky, this describes a person, place, or thing that’s weird or off putting.
    • If someone is trying to go to a party that seems sketchy, say “Nah, that place is buki.”
    • Don’t confuse this with the American slang word, bookie , which is a pet name for your partner.
  7. 7
    Bunda Bunda is another word for butt. [1]
    • You can also use back to say butt. If someone says you’ve got a big back or bunda, they think you have a big butt.
  8. 8
    Blud This is used in place of bro, often in times of conflict.
    • If someone intentionally bumps into you, say “We got a problem, blud?” to show them that you aren’t okay with that.
  9. Use big man ting when you’re talking about someone who is of high status. Use it ironically when someone is acting like a big shot and you want to bring them down a peg.
    • When you come across a celebrity you idolize, say “Yeah, he’s a big man ting. I look up to him.”
    • When your friend is acting out of character around new people, say “You’re a big man ting. Yeah?
  10. 10
    Brap Brap is an onomatopoeia, or a sound-describing word, that’s used to express excitement.
    • If you’re excited about a new job offer, say “They just offered mandem the job! Brap!!!” to show others how excited you are.
  11. 11
    Bruv Bruv is another word for bro or brother. It’s super common, so casually work it into your sentences to sound like a roadman.
    • If you want to ask a friend what their plans are for the night, say “What are you getting into tonight, bruv?”
  12. 12
    Calm This is another way to say “okay” or “alright.”
    • If you’re leaving the house and your friend asks you to grab the keys, say “calm,” to let them know you will.
  13. Chirps is another word for flirt.
    • When you suspect that someone is flirting with you, ask “Are you chirping at me right now?”
  14. 14
    Clapped If someone says you’re clapped, they think that you’re unattractive or dimwitted, depending on the context.
    • If you’re having an argument about a real world issue, using clapped would mean dimwitted.
    • If someone calls you clapped on a dating app, they think you’re unattractive.
  15. 15
    Dench If someone says you’re dench, they think you’re attractive.
    • If you’re walking past a group of people and you hear them say “man, you’re dench,” they’re saying you look really good.
  16. 16
    Dead Use dead when something is boring or not worth your time.
    • If you and your friends go out to the pub and aren’t having fun, say “this is dead, let’s head to the next place” to let them know you’re ready to go.
  17. Dry is used negatively to describe something that’s lacking.
    • If someone says, “I can’t get with that, man. It’s dry,” that means they don’t want to do something because it’s boring.
  18. 18
    Ends Your ends are the neighborhood you come from or live in. “The Ends” refers to impoverished neighborhoods.
    • Say “I come from the ends” if you come from a bad neighborhood.
    • Say “I went back to my ends the other day” if you went back to your hometown the other day.
  19. 19
    Fam Short for family, fam is used to refer to close friends or family. It is usually used to refer to a close friend, but if you’re casually talking about your family you can say “the fam.”
    • To know if your friend is going out to eat with you, ask “You coming to grab a bite with us, fam?”
  20. 20
    Fresh Use fresh when something is new and clean.
    • When there’s a nice car coming down the road, say “Man, that’s fresh!”
  21. Instead of saying “the girls and them,” Roadmen condense the phrase and say galdem. This is used to refer to a group of women.
    • When you and your girls are going out to the club, say “The galdem about to head down to the club.”
  22. 22
    Gassed Use gassed when you’re excited about something.
    • When there’s a new movie in your favorite franchise, say “Man, they just announced the third movie. I’m so gassed!” to express your excitement.
  23. 23
    Garms Garms is short for garments, which is another word for clothes.
    • Say “Yo, you’ve got some fresh garms” when you think someone has a nice outfit on.
  24. 24
    Geezer Geezer is another way to say “old person.” Depending on the context it’s used in, it can be positive or negative.
    • If someone says, “Aww, he’s so sweet! What a geezer!” They think that you’re sweet based on your old age.
    • If you’re in public somewhere and someone says “Get out of here, you geezer,” they’re insulting you based on your age and telling you to leave.
  25. This is another way to say cool.
    • “Man, your fit is mad gully” means your outfit is super cool.
  26. 26
    Hype To hype something up is to make it seem more exciting than it actually is. Depending on the context, it is also an expression of excitement.
    • “That restaurant was all hype” means that the restaurant was underwhelming.
    • ”I can’t believe she wants to grab a bite! Man, I’m hype!” means you’re excited a woman wants to get food with you.
  27. 27
    Innit This is just short for “isn’t it.”
  28. 28
    Jokes Use jokes to say that something is funny. It can also be used sarcastically to say something isn’t funny, depending on the context.
    • Man, that was jokes, you’ve got me rolling” means that your joke was really funny. If the joke wasn’t funny, someone would say “You’re all jokes, huh?” without laughing.
  29. If something is leng, that means it is super attractive. In the case of food, leng means really tasty.
    • “Man, you’re leng today” means you look super attractive today.
    • “Man, we gotta go back to that place up the street. The food was leng!” means that the place up the street had really good food and your friend wants to go back.
    • Leng is a step above peng.
  30. 30
    Loud Loud has a handful of different meanings depending on the context it’s used in.
    • When someone is talking about food and says “that was loud,” they mean the food was really good. This use of loud is more common than peng and leng.
    • When someone says “it smells loud,” they mean it smells a lot like weed.
    • If someone says “that jacket is loud” in an excited tone, they mean your jacket looks nice. If they say it in a more disapproving tone, they mean your jacket is too flashy.
  31. 31
    Long Use long to describe a difficult task that’s going to take a long time.
    • If your friend asks for help during a move, say “Nah, that’s mad long.” to let them know that you don’t want to do it because it’ll take too much time and effort.
  32. 32
    Lips Lips is another word for kissing.
    • If you get back from a date and your roommate asks “You get lips?” they’re asking if you guys kissed.
  33. Mental is another word for crazy. Use it to describe a person, place, or thing that is crazy. [2]
    • Say “man, that place is mental!” to describe a crazy place. Mental can be used to describe something positive or negative, depending on the tone and context it’s used in.
    • If someone says “Nah, man’s mental. I don’t think you should talk to him,” they’re advising you not to talk to someone because they’re crazy.
    • If someone says “Man, that concert was mental! He performed bare songs!” they’re saying they had a good time at the concert and that the main act played a lot of songs.
  34. 34
    Man There are many meanings to man depending on how you use it.
    • “I hate this weather. Man is hot” means that you don’t like the weather because you’re hot.
    • You can use “man” to refer to a group of people. Say “It’s bare people at the store, fam. Man need to go home” to say there are too many people at the store and they need to leave.
  35. 35
    Mandem Mandem refers to a group of people, usually guys.
    • Say “Me and the mandem are going to the pub” to let someone know that you’re going to the pub with your group of guy friends.
  36. 36
    Moist Moist is used to describe an extremely soft and emotional person.
    • If someone is trying to get you to do something and they say “Come on, stop being so moist,” they want you to stop being ‘soft’ and do what they said.
  37. This is just another way to say “most of the time.”
    • If someone says “More time, we just stay in the house,” they mean that they stay inside most of the time.
  38. 38
    Moving Among Roadmen, moving is another word for “acting.”
    • If someone says “you’re moving weird,” they mean you’re acting weird.
  39. 39
    Nang Originally from Hackney, London, this is a rare slang that means something is cool. [3]
    • “That shirt is so nang” means your shirt is really cool.
  40. 40
    Neek Neek is another word for nerd or geek. If you’re reading a book and someone calls you a neek, they’re not being nice.
  41. Depending on the context it’s used in, nitty can refer to cheap drugs or drug addicts. It can also mean you’re foolish. [4]
    • If someone says “Man, you’re acting nitty!” they mean you’re acting crazy like a drug addict.
    • If someone says, “Alright, calm down, you nitty,” they really mean “Relax, you fool.”
  42. 42
    Owned To own someone is to dominate them in an argument or game. “Owned” originates from the early Internet hackers. [5]
  43. 43
    Par Par is another way to say “insult.” If someone has parred you, they’ve insulted you.
    • “Mate, why you parring?” means “man, why are you insulting me?”
  44. 44
    Peak An embarrassing bit of bad luck. [6]
  45. Peas is another word for money. [7]
    • If you hear someone say “I got mad peas,” that means they have a lot of money.
  46. 46
    Peng This is very common Roadman slang. Peng refers to something that’s cool, appealing, or attractive. It can also be used to describe tasty food. [8]
    • Mandem down the street’s very peng” means the guys down the street are really attractive.
    • Say “This show is peng” to convince your friend a show you’re watching is really good.
  47. 47
    Pree To “pree” means to look at or check on something.
    • “Pree the whip down the street. Too peng!” means “look at the car down the street. It’s super cool!”
  48. 48
    Roll With If you’re rolling with someone, you’re spending time with them. In some cases, it means you’re getting along well with them.
    • ”I roll with the mandem down the road,” means you spend a lot of your time with the guys down the street.
    • I’ve been rolling with this gal from my ends” means you’ve been having a good time with a woman from your neighborhood.
  49. This is another way to say “etcetera.”
    • If you’re describing a lot of similar looking people in a sentence, say “one had a mid taper, another had a high top fade, their mate had a blowout taper, reh teh teh.”
  50. 50
    Say Less When someone says say less , they are affirming your statement or agreeing with you. Say less is used as a prompt to get on with the action.
    • If you tell your friend “I’m hitting the town with the mandem, you coming?” and they say “Say less,” that means they are coming out with you.
    • This is similar to the phrase “‘nuff said,” which implies that nothing more needs to be said.
  51. 51
    Safe In Roadman slang, safe is short for “stay safe.” It is usually used when you’re saying goodbye to someone.
    • “Thanks for having me over, man. I’ll see you tomorrow. Safe” means “thanks for having me over. I’ll see you tomorrow. Stay safe.”
  52. 52
    Schitz Taken from the word “schizophrenia,” schitz is a way to call someone crazy. You can also use it to describe a crazy person.
    • If someone is making a scene in public by blowing something out of proportion, say “What are you doing, man? You’ve gone schitz.”
  53. Slap it means to do something or put something onto something else, depending on the context.
    • If a store clerk asks “You want chips, too?’ say “Yeah, slap it on there” to let them know that you want chips added to your order.
    • Slap can also mean to toss something. If someone says “slap me my phone,” they want you to toss them their phone.
    • If someone says they’re “slapping corn,” that means they’re shooting bullets.
  54. 54
    Skeng Skeng is another word for weapon. [9]
    • If you’re going into a sketchy situation and your friend says “Don’t worry, I’ve got my skeng,” it means they have their weapon on them for protection.
  55. 55
    Shank Shank is another word for knife.
    • If you hear someone say “Back up fam, I’ve got the shank on me,” leave the scene. They’re saying they have a knife and want you to back up.
  56. 56
    Strapped If someone is strapped, that means they’re carrying a weapon.
    • “Back off, I’m strapped” means “Leave me alone, I’ve got a weapon on me.”
  57. This is how a Roadman says "I promise."
    • When promising a friend that you won't talk to someone, say "I won't chat with them anymore. Swear down."
  58. 58
    Tapped This is another word for mentally ill. It can be used as an insult, but usually isn’t.
    • “They had to put him in the psych ward. He’s tapped” means they had to put a man into a psychiatric hospital because he is mentally ill.
  59. 59
    Ting Ting is short for “thing” and can be used to refer to any person, place, or thing.
    • Say “This is a good ting, super tasty.” when you’re eating really good food.
    • Say “Pass me that ting over there” when you need someone to pass you something.
    • If someone says “She’s a bad ting,” they’re saying that a woman is very attractive.
  60. 60
    Vexed If you’re vexed, that means you’re angry.
    • Say “Man, I’m mad vexed right now” when you’re very angry.
    • Ask “You trying to vex me?” if you think someone is trying to make you angry.
  61. Originally from Jamaican English, wagwan is a shorter way to say “what’s going on.” [10]
    • When you pull up on your friends and want to know what they’ve been up to, say “Wagwan, mate?”
  62. 62
    Wasteman A wasteman is someone who is foolish, annoying, and doesn’t have much going for them. [11]
  63. 63
    Wet Calling someone “wet” is like calling them weak and soft. Like “moist,” it is used to demean others.
  64. 64
    What you sayin'? This is how a Roadman says "how are you?" Use this when you're greeting your friends.
  65. Wallahi is an Arabic word that means “I swear to God.”
    • Use wallahi when you’re trying to emphasize your stance on something. For example, say “Wallahi, I didn’t go to the function.” to assure someone that you weren’t at a party.
  66. 66
    Wap Wap is another word for gun. [12]
    • If you hear someone say “Man, it’s about to get hot. I got the wap on me and I’m itching to slap corn.” then leave the area. They’re saying they have a gun on them and they’re ready to start shooting.
  67. 67
    Whip This is another word for car.
  68. Use yute when you want to refer to a young person or a group of people. [13]
    • “The yute down the street wants to roll with us” means the kid down the street wants to hang out with us.
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Section 2 of 3:

How to Use Roadman Slang

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  1. Instead of saying “what’s going on” and “the girls and them,” Roadmen say “wagwan” and “galdem.” Condensing words and phrases in a calm, casual way is common for Roadmen. So if you want to sound like one, get used to shortening your words.
    • Don’t condense everything, though. Overusing Roadman slang makes it seem like you don’t know what you’re talking about.
  2. A lot of Roadman slang words have multiple meanings based on how they’re used, so listen to the context to understand what a person is really talking about. One word can be casual in one context and serious in another. “Ends” is a really good example of this.
    • If someone is from a rough neighborhood and they say they’re from the ends, they’re specifically referring to impoverished neighborhoods.
    • If someone says they just came from their ends, they’re specifically talking about their neighborhood.
  3. Pronunciation is key when it comes to Roadman slang. If you say something wrong or under pronounced, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb. For words like “peng” and “bad man ting” make sure to strongly pronounce the P, B, and T to sound like a real Rodman. [14]
    • Watch videos of Roadmen speaking and sound out words and phrases you’re struggling with.
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Section 3 of 3:

What is a Roadman, exactly?

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  1. Roadman is a Black British descriptor word that originated among Jamaicans, and it's used to refer to young men in the UK who tend to get up to no good and possibly have gang affiliations. A roadman might commit crimes, do drugs, or just partake in disruptive shenanigans with their friends. They often wear Nikes and black puffer jackets, which is basically the official roadman uniform.

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      References

      1. ↑ https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/portuguese-english/bunda
      2. ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/browse/mental
      3. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1H14PvBsbMGrwzRGTBDsbzP/17-multicultural-london-english-words-and-what-they-mean
      4. ↑ https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/nitty
      5. ↑ https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/self-own-ownage-words-were-watching-slang-definition
      6. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/commentisfree/2018/jul/08/may-i-have-a-word-roadman-street-teen-speak
      7. ↑ https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/575511/british-slang-words-you-should-know
      8. ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/e/british-slang-words/
      9. ↑ https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=skeng
      1. ↑ https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/wagwan/
      2. ↑ https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/jfcc3xi
      3. ↑ https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wap
      4. ↑ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yute
      5. ↑ https://uniacco.com/blog/roadman-slang

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