Surviving student life: English Slang Collection

Uni

"Mum keeps asking when I’ll get a proper job, but I’m off to uni for freshers, skint already, hunting cheap pints."

Swot

"You coming out Friday? Nah, I’m swotting for the maths test. It’s only Year 10, mate. Says you, you’ve borrowed my pen again."

Burn the midnight oil

"Deadline’s tomorrow, so I’m burning the midnight oil at the kitchen table, chugging coffee while the laptop fan screams like it’s dying."

Buckle down

"If we buckle down now, we’ll smash this report before lunch and actually get a Friday night that isn’t just emails and regret."

Knuckle down

"If you knuckle down for these last two weeks of revision, you will walk into that exam feeling ready."

With flying colours

"I thought I’d absolutely bodge the driving test, but I passed with flying colours, zero minors, and the examiner was grinning the whole way back."

Sail through

"Everyone was stressing about the driving test, but Priya sailed through, nailed the parallel park, and walked out grinning afterwards."

In the bag

"Interview went sweet, mate. Job’s in the bag. Don’t jinx it. Too late, I’ve already told Mum and ordered a celebratory chippy tea."

Absolutely bricking it

"Boss pinged me, said quick chat at 4. I’d done nothing wrong, but I was absolutely bricking it all afternoon, pacing by the kettle."

Slog

"That revision session was a proper slog, mate, I was up till 2 with a brew and a sad biscuit, but I got it done."

Fried

"Fried is basically when someone's, you know, mentally drained or mentally exhausted, they're confused, they're like just done with whatever task they're doing. An example would be, because I tried so hard to lock in for this exam, but after three hours I'm just fried. I can't even look at any book anymore."

Fried

"Three hours into revision, two iced coffees deep, and I still could not remember basic vocab. I was fried and staring at the wall like it owed me money."

Final boss

"Got through every interview round, now the final boss is the salary chat."

Digs

"I am knackered, I am just gonna head back to my digs, stick the heating on and watch telly till I drop off."

Townie

"We took Dave to the farm and he tried to tap a cow like it was a contactless card. The lads were howling. Proper townie behaviour, bless him."

Ace it

"She aced it at the interview, shook their hand, walked out proper buzzing, and by lunchtime she’d already texted us saying the job’s in the bag."

Bunk off

"We bunked off maths, legged it to Greggs, and blamed a broken bus. Sir clocked us, sighed, and told us to do one."

Skive

"Where’s Tom gone now? Skiving off again, mate. Said he was nipping to the loo and came back forty minutes later with a meal deal and zero shame."

Skiver

"Where’s Dave? Said he was popping out for a sarnie, but he’s been missing since ten. Absolute skiver, hiding in the bog on TikTok."

Play hooky

"I’m playing hooky on Friday, told my boss I’ve got a dentist appointment, but really I’m catching the early game with the guys."

Sickie

"Dave’s pulling a sickie again, reckon. Rang the boss saying he’s crook, then got pinged at Bunnings smashing a snag and shopping for a new esky."

Keener

"She colour-coded the entire group project two weeks before it was due and made a shared spreadsheet with deadlines. Total keener, but honestly we would have failed without her."

Bookworm

"She's been a bookworm since she was five, always three novels deep at once."

Know-it-all

"Nobody wants the know-it-all on quiz night correcting the host's answers."

Clever clogs

"I said the Tube’s on strike and you’re like, technically it’s industrial action. Alright, clever clogs, give it a rest and let me be late in peace."

Bright spark

"Which bright spark put the BBQ in the conservatory? Now the smoke alarm’s going off and Gaz is wafting it with yesterday’s Sun like it’ll help."

Dunce

"They sat the class dunce at the front, though he turned out to be a brilliant mechanic the moment he left school."

Grass

"Who told Miss we were bunking off PE? Bet it was Simon, the little grass, piping up the second detention got mentioned."

Grass up

"Who grassed me up to the headteacher about the fire alarm prank? Don’t look at me, I was bunking off behind the bike sheds with a sausage roll, swear down"

Snitch

"Who snitched to the boss about our two-hour lunch at Wetherspoons? Bet it was Darren, the office grass who logs off at five on the dot."

Tattletale

"Don't tell her, she's a tattletale and the whole class will know by recess."

Goody-two-shoes

"Of course the goody-two-shoes handed the lost wallet straight to the police."

Copycat

"Quit being a copycat and pick your own outfit for once."

Brain-fart

"Total brain-fart, I stood at the cash machine and completely forgot my PIN."

Zone out

"Sorry mate, I proper zoned out in that meeting. Thought you were chatting about budgets, turns out you said it’s my round. Now I’m skint."

Space out

"I spaced out during the whole second half of the film and had to ask my mate who the villain even was."

Cat nap

"I’m done in, gonna have a cat nap on the sofa. Wake me in 20, then we’ll grab a cuppa and crack on."

Brownie-points

"I took the bins out without being asked, definitely earning brownie-points today."

Couch surfing

"After the breakup, I'm crashing on Jess's sofa, then Dan's, dragging my rucksack everywhere. Proper couch surfing until I find a room that isn't a shoebox."

Lollipop lady

"Nearly got clipped rushing to the gates, and the lollipop lady barked, Oi, wait. She stopped the traffic, gave me a look, and waved us across."

Break a leg

"Break a leg is an alternative to saying good luck or do great out there. And a good example would just be, let's say your friend is about to perform in a ballet recital and go on stage. Ironically, you would say break a leg to wish her luck."

Break a leg

"Curtain’s up in two, mate. You’ll smash it. Break a leg, yeah? Grab your props and don’t fluff your lines like last night."

Hit the ground running

"New starter hit the ground running, had the spreadsheet sorted by elevenses, answered three emails, and still had time for a brew. Boss was well chuffed."

Learn the ropes

"He started at the new gaff on Monday and he's already stressing. Told him relax, he's just learning the ropes, he'll be sound by payday."

Wet behind the ears

"First day on the site and he’s already calling the boss mate. Bless him, he’s wet behind the ears, but he’ll get there."

Greenhorn

"Go easy on the greenhorn, it's only his first week on the job."

Burning the candle at both ends

"I’ve been burning the candle at both ends all week, late at the pub then up for the commute. No wonder I’m shattered."

Locked in

"Locked in, it basically means, like, focus on something, like, be, like, seriously focused on it. It could be, you know, for exams or for anything, literally, mainly used for, like, studying and exams. But it could be maybe, like, for an event or for, like, the gym as well, you know, to lock in to get, like, a better body or something. An example would be, oh my god, summer's in literally three months, I need to lock in if I want to go out to the beach and stuff."

Surviving student life

Voices of the people