Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down The Most British Insults They've Ever Heard

People Break Down The Most British Insults They've Ever Heard
File:Adele with tea cup.jpeg - Wikimedia Commons

Blimey.... and crumpets.

Oh the Brits, they are a saucy and sassy bunch aren't they? They are far more free wheeling and fun with everyday language and conversation. Everyone else is so uptight and proper all of the time. Let's be more British. Of course then we'd never know if we were being insulted or congratulated; but that is half of the fun. Listening to the British people hurl insults is like a masterclass in subtle reading and rage combined. I've never been so insulted and simultaneously entertained.

Redditor u/Redditfrie wanted to discuss all those beautiful British slangs we love to bandy about by asking..... British people of reddit, what is the most british insult you can think of?


BEWARE>>>>> Much of the content below isn't for the kiddies.



1-

french stereotypes GIF by CheezburgerGiphy

Knob.

DirtySingh

Also, consider some of the variations; knobhead, knob cheese, knob gobbler...

seaandtea

When I read in a recipe recently that called for a knob of butter, I immediately felt insulted. 😂

therealub

2-

My English boyfriend said "Screw off you coffin dodger!!" Meant to be shouted at old people.

Neither994

Oh I'm gonna keep this one in my arsenal! Mostly because most old people where i live have no clue what it means.

Karsdegrote

3-

bike GIFGiphy

Jog on you tosser.

oknh

As a Brit, I don't hear this enough anymore.

Similarly: "on your bike, bellend!"

Sees_Walls

4-

You complete and utter twat.

pete_spiderman

Dunno if its an American thing or just in my area, but I've only ever heard it pronounced "twot" before. I could be wrong but I think in the movie Easy A its pronounced like that as well, but I don't know why that even comes to mind.

anything1997

5-

angie imacelebau GIF by I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! AustraliaGiphy

What a numpty.

CarefulComparison

"That's my girlfriend, you numpty!!" Is my favorite Harry Potter quote.

Sam57765

6-

Do one you bloody pillock.

HandLion

I'm American and I tried using the word "bloody" one time and my brother told me to STFU cause this wasn't Harry Potter. :(

LolaBunnyHoneyBee

7-

Enough Pulling Hair GIF by OriginalsGiphy

You're getting on my tits.

Malfoof51

It's a cruder equivalent of 'you're getting on my nerves'. Said by guys and girls.

crashlanding87

8-

Well, nearly anything can be a British insult when you put the word "Absolute" in front of a word.

For example, I could say: "You absolute doorknob" and it would sound like an insult!

PlayfulJellyfish9

Same goes for "complete and utter".

Eg: "you complete and utter muppet".

Also: muppet.

CologneTrooper

9-

Neo Yokio Giant Toblerone GIF by walter_Giphy

The Scottish do this really well.

I was working in Scotland last year and standing at the bar in a hotel. It was quite busy, and they were a bit drunk and loud.

The guy at the back keeps pushing his mate, telling him to move forward when he turned and said "I canny occupy tah same space as him you Toblerone".

I laughed so hard I nearly cried!

PaulBag4

10-

Reminds me of a Michael Macyntire (I think?) bit where he suggested anything can be used to replace "drunk" when you're British.

"We got proper bungalowed last night."

"Jessica was completely and utterly side tabled yesterday."

Shakezula123

11-

crazy homer simpson GIFGiphy

My friend calls people "absolute watermelons" and I love it.

Lababy91

You don't really even have to put anything after absolute.

"OH you ABSOLUTE.... trails off in disappointment*

DankFloyd_6996

Pat-Pat

Was at a limmy book reading a couple of years back where a bunch of drunk teens kept shouting it out loud for no reason. Everyone round them were just telling them to shut it. I reckon it's gone from "heh, that's quite funny" to "freaking honking patter" in a lot of people's minds.

mathamhatham

And you Ma?

Cocina Mauricio GIF by Avon MexicoGiphy

Ya dad sells Avon!

dgw25

Yer da guards statues.

oundcosy

Under rated!

bos_well_

Rhymes with Jerk

What a berk. Not used as much nowadays but I still like it. Same with the insult "pleb".

SM_83

Berk has fascinating origins. I believe it comes from Cockney Rhyming Slang (poetry) short for Berkshire Hunt... as in, C*nt.

So Berk is a totally mild and generally acceptable way of saying C**t.

My gran called my a bloody berk once. Great.

seaandtea

Treasonous Ways

bonnie gordon GIF by AlphaGiphy

When I was angry at my mum once she tried making me a cuppa tea, so I took it and poured it down the sink.

_becatron

Legally speaking, according to the magna carta you are no longer British after committing such an act.

fullicat

Glassworks

Not seen window licker yet?

Hawk_The_Slayer

I know right. I'm so far down looking for it... and then I found you.

And just between us... my fave thing of the week was a photo of a frosted up windscreen with MONG written on in massive letters... and the caption, I can't believe someone just did this to my car... it took me 30 minutes to lick it off.

I hate myself for laughing.

seaandtea

Move Along

carpool karaoke adele GIFGiphy

Sod off, you prat.

James99500

I love the phrase dozy prat, so add that and that's perfection.

friggintodd

Fur and Liquor

Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries.

Aksi_Gu

There is some deeper meaning to this, hamsters breed indiscriminately and elderberries were commonly turned into booze...

dt030

Mags

can't wait meryl streep GIF by MauditGiphy

I have an older Scottish friend who said her mother used to call everyone she didn't like a "bloody Maggie thatcher."

shedoesthatsometimes

Loss of Nice

I'm not British, but I used to date a very prim and proper girl from Cambridgeshire.... she was embroiled in a feud with a workmate for a while during our relationship, and at one point things got so bad that they both stopped using "kind regards" at the end of emails and just switched to "regards." It was brutal.

Beans_ON_Toasttt

REDDIT

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Lupita Nyong'o
XNY/Star Max/GC Images

Lupita Nyong'o Recalls Being Offered More Slave Roles After '12 Years A Slave'—And Fans Are Heartbroken

Lupita Nyong'o may have instantaneously become a Hollywood "it" girl" after winning an Oscar for her first-ever film role in 12 Years A Slave back in 2014, but it's been anything but the typical Hollywood story since.

Nyong'o, who was raised in Kenya, recently spoke to Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo on CNN's Inside Africa about where her career has gone since that big Oscar night.

Keep ReadingShow less
Simu Liu
Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix

Marvel Star Simu Liu Sparks Debate After Calling Out How Far Hollywood Has Backslid With Asian Representation

Actor Simu Liu, best known for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, called out Hollywood in a post on social media lamenting Asian actors not getting the same opportunities as their white counterparts.

In a since-deleted post, the actor said the film industry has backslid in Asian representation onscreen, responding after X user @SelfieIgnite posted on X, urging Hollywood to “put more Asian men in romantic lead roles."

Keep ReadingShow less
Tim Walz; Donald Trump
Meet the Press/NBC; Pete Marovich/Getty Images

Tim Walz Fires Back At Trump With A Simple Demand After Trump Uses Ableist Slur Against Him In Deranged Rant

Ever since MAGA Republican President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to release the full files compiled by his Department of Justice and the FBI to indict and arrest registered sex offender and longtime friend of Trump Jeffrey Epstein in 2019, voters have been demanding Trump keep his campaign promise.

Now there's a call for the release of another file the Trump administration has been hiding—the POTUS' medical file. More specifically, the results from Trump’s October 2025 MRI.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vivek Ramaswamy
Noam Galai/Getty Images for Cantor Fitzgerald

Vivek Ramaswamy's Controversial Solution For How To Make Parenting 'More Affordable' Is Not Going Over Well

Billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is facing criticism after he touted—and later deleted—a video speaking about his plan for how to make parenting "more affordable" by making school year-round.

Ramaswamy is currently campaigning for the 2026 Ohio gubernatorial election and at a time when many around the country are struggling with the rising cost of living, he thinks he's got one major thing figured out.

Keep ReadingShow less
Corporate buildings
Photo by Sean Pollock on Unsplash

People Explain Which Industries Are More Corrupt Than Anyone Wants To Admit

As consumers, we all have some corporations that we support and others we do not, based on the brands we use and the topics we focus on. And we'll inevitably have some opinions about the corporations we don't support.

But there's a possibility that they might be much worse in nature than we even gave them credit for.

Keep ReadingShow less