From salty, safe, drip and peng to bruv, buff and bare: The origins of some of the slang terms now being spoken across Britain by younger generations

From salty, safe and drip, to peng, bruv, buff and bare, they are slang terms which have become popular in Britain in recent years.

But millions of people in the UK are still unfamiliar with many of the words, even as they are used more widely by younger Britons.

Whilst ‘beef’ has its origins in the 18th century, ‘salty’ first came into use among sailors in the 1800s to describe someone who is angry.

Both ‘peng’ and ‘safe’ have their origins in Britain’s Jamaican community, and ‘drip’ emerged in America’s rap scene.

It comes after a survey found that foreign students who are members of Generation Z and learning English are trying to get to grips with the popular phrases.

The Trinity College London study showed that 71 per cent of overseas students learning English are asking teachers and lecturers to explain slang terms they have seen on social media, TV or elsewhere.

The use of the term ‘beef’ to refer to an argument is believed to have its origins in 18th century Britain

The use of the term ‘beef’ to refer to an argument is believed to have its origins in 18th century Britain.

Londoners once cried ‘hot beef’ – the Cockney rhyming slang term for ‘stop thief!’ – to raise the alarm if a robber had stolen something.

Although the term was not widely used in this context, it has become more popular in recent decades after being imported from the United States.

Trinity College’s survey reported that it is the most frequently queried term among students learning English.

The term NPC has its origins in the rise of gaming. Its literal definition – ‘non-player character’ – is used to describe background characters in video games who are not controlled by those playing them.

However, in more recent years with the rise of social media, it has come to be used among younger generations as a term for someone who is boring or who blindly follows convention.

It is the second most queried term amongst students learning English, according to the survey of teachers carried out by Trinity College London.

The term pop-off, which teachers listed as the third most queried term, is used to describe someone getting very angry.

Use of the term ‘salty’ to describe someone who is upset – rather than to signal a taste – stretches back further than many might expect

Its origins are less clear, though it is believed to stem from the 1930s.

Use of the term ‘salty’ to describe someone who is upset  – rather than to signal a taste – stretches back further than many might expect.

In the late 19th century, it came to be used among sailors to refer first to crude speech and then to anger.

The best examples of it being used in the latter form are among African Americans in the early 20th century.

They would refer to someone getting angry easily as ‘jumping salty’. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, it was primarily used among African Americans later in the 20th century too.

In more recent decades, the ‘jumping’ part of the phrase has fallen out of use, with the simple term ‘salty’ becoming far more popular on both sides of the Atlantic.

The use of the term ‘safe’ to signal that something is good or someone is decent originally stems from Jamaica.

It has likely therefore become popular in Britain due to the UK’s significant Jamaican community, which is around 800,000 in number.

The same is the case for the words ‘peng’ – which is used to mean something good – and ‘bare’, which refers to a lot of something.

The term drip – which in slang form describes something cool or fashionable – is believed to stem from the rap scene in the US city of Atlanta in the early 2000s.

It became far more popular in 2018, when it was used repeatedly in music video hits by artists such as Gunna, Lil Baby and Cardi B.

Gunna explained in a previous interview: ‘Drip is your attire, the clothes you wear.

‘My drip today man, I got on a Saint Laurent hoodie, some Balmain’s and some Chanel shoes because it’s Friday.’

As for ‘bruv’, which is used to describe a close friend or brother, it is largely a UK term.

It stems from the Cockney pronunciation of ‘brother’, which sounds like ‘bruvver’. Over time, this has been shortened.

It has been further popularised among Britain’s black community and has become more widely popular in recent years.

Buff is used to refer to someone who is attractive or well-toned.

It was popularised in this context in the 1980s, but its origins stretch back to the 17th century, with a definition of ‘to polish, make attractive’.

In their survey, Trinity questioned 505 academics who teach EFL (English as a foreign language) to students in the Generation Z age group which covers those aged from 12 to their mid-20s.

The survey found 80 per cent of foreign students arrive knowing multicultural English (MCE) slang terms – having picked them up through social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram – but do not always know their meaning.

The term drip – which in slang form describes something cool or fashionable – is believed to stem from the rap scene in the US city of Atlanta in the early 2000s. It became far more popular in 2018, when it was used repeatedly in music video hits by artists such as Gunna (above), Lil Baby and Cardi B

International students are also picking up their English from gritty British TV series’ such as Top Boy, although that does not feature on the list of shows that teachers recommend their students watch.

The show most frequently recommended by teachers to students to help them improve their English is hit US sitcom Friends, with 62 per cent (332) of respondents saying they have suggested watching it.

Next on the list is Netflix series Stranger Things, on 44 per cent (232), whilst BBC show Sherlock is third on 39 per cent (205).

Despite its prim and proper characters and their use of received pronunciation, period drama Downton Abbey only comes in fourth on the list, with 32 per cent (167) of the surveyed teachers recommending it.

Other shows that educators have recommended include Game of Thrones (29 per cent), High School Musical (29 per cent), and Gossip Girl (26 per cent).

Sex Education (11 per cent) and The Walking Dead (10 per cent) are also on the list.

Because of the influence of US shows, as many as 45 per cent of foreign students are speaking with what is called a GenAm (General American) accent.

As a result, more than two thirds of EFL teachers (67 per cent) now include MCE into their lessons whether it is ‘bruv’ for close friend or ‘bare’ (a lot, many, very).

The terms that teachers most struggle to explain to students are led by ‘Elvis has left the building’, with 33 per cent (177) of respondents saying they have difficulty.

The phrase was originally used to tell revellers that music superstar Elvis Presley had departed a venue, in the hope of discouraging an encore.

It has since become a light-hearted way of saying a person has left somewhere, or even to explain someone’s death.

Other tricky terms include ‘cock and bull story’ – the name for an implausible excuse – and ‘neck of the woods’, which describes a particular area.

Teachers also struggle with ‘get someone’s goat’ (make a person angry) and ‘have a bone to pick’ (a grievance).

Dr Ben Beaumont, head of English language teacher education at Trinity, said: ‘The findings highlight the evolving nature of language in a connected world and the growing impact of social media and popular culture on language acquisition among Generation Z.

‘The rise of streaming TV services and the popularity of specific shows have turned language learning into a dynamic, multimedia experience for Gen Z.’

While new words are being incorporated into classrooms, outdated expressions from ‘broken record’ to dialling a number’ are confusing to the youngsters as are idioms such as ‘neck of the woods’ and ‘best thing since sliced bread.’

Dr Beaumont added: ‘Our study highlights the nature of language learning in today’s interconnected world, where social media and popular culture play pivotal roles.

‘It’s essential to keep pace with Gen Z’s language journey and offer engaging ways for learning to blend seamlessly with their multimedia experiences.’

The research was commissioned by Trinity College London when developing its new Skill Up learning app which helps foreign students learn English.