What it means
London street greeting borrowed from Jamaican patois, basically a squished-up "what is going on". You drop it when you bump into someone you know, and nobody is expecting a full breakdown of your week back. It works as a friendly opener with chilled energy, leaving the door open for whatever conversation rolls in after. You will hear it most around multicultural London and wherever Caribbean influence runs deep in the local slang.
Usage examples
"Yo bruv, wagwan, you coming down the chicken shop or what?"
"He leaned out the shop doorway, called wagwan across the road, and we ended up chatting for twenty minutes about nothing."
Where it comes from
A squashed what is going on, carried from Jamaican patois into multicultural London speech. The relaxed greeting lands as a friendly opener, no full life update expected back.
Other ways to say it
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