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Here Is An Important List Of Liverpudlian Slang, Or Scouse Slang, Words That You Will Hear When You Visit Liverpool - From 'Boss', 'Bevvy' And 'Baltic' To 'G'wed', 'Antwacky' & 'Clobber' — Plus, An Overview On The Liverpool City Region
Scouse Slang is of course well understood by locals to the Liverpool City Region, however, if you are just moving to Liverpool you will definetly want a list of Scouse slang words you can reference when you hear some of your newfound friends speak.
Regardless of if you are moving to Liverpool for work, to study at one of our many Universities that house around 70,000 students, or if you just feel like relocating to a new city, this quick guide will help you get on your way with some of the local slang terms used in the Liverpool City Region.
The Liverpool City Region (LCR) comprises of 6 Metropolitan Boroughs, with a population of more than 1.6 Million people having an intertwined culture and heritage, whilst all still enjoying their own localised identities to their specific Boroughs and neighbourhoods. The LCR includes the City of Liverpool & the Boroughs of Wirral, Knowsley, Halton, St. Helens and Sefton. There are also two additional Associate Boroughs to the Liverpool City Region include the Borough of West Lancashire (West Lancs) and the Borough of Warrington.
Here is some of the local Liverpool slang words and phrases that you will hear used across the City's Six Boroughs.
Scouse Slang Quick Links
Here's Quick Links for some of the Scouse Slang you will hear in Liverpool, we have put some of the key Liverpool Vocabulary in bold with a quick link to the word. Just click on them to go straight to them.
Scouse // Boss // Sound // Clobber // Smashing it // Baltic // Ta-ra // Bevvied // Our Kid // Scran // Bizzies // Lad // Sound as a pound // Going the ozzy // Jarg // Scally // Antwacky // Bonus Words: Blag // Devo'd/Devoed // Cob On // Belt up // Give us a bell // G'wed // Bevvy // Chucking it down // More coming soon!
18 Scouse Slang Words & Phrases & A Few Bonus Ones Too:
'Scouse' - First and foremost, what does 'Scouse' even mean? The word 'Scouse' is the nickname for Liverpudlians (the official name of people from Liverpool). 'Scouse' is the name of the bowl of the imported Scandinavian stew, which is called 'Lobscouse', or 'Scouse' for short. This then led to the nickname of the local inhabitants of the Liverpool Bay Area that ate the stew in the Port of Liverpool areas also being known as 'Scousers', in addition to their official name of Liverpudlians. The Port of Liverpool traditionally spans multiple Liverpool Boroughs: The City of Liverpool, the Borough of Wirral and the Borough of Sefton. With the modern expansion of the Liverpool Free Port, this also now includes the Borough of St Helens. Some of the key Port of Liverpool Areas across the Boroughs that ate Scouse included the likes of the Pier Head, Dingle, Birkenhead, Seaforth, Bootle and Wallasey. Scouse then also became known as a nickname of the Liverpudlian Accent that the local people spoke with. The accent is influenced by an amalgamation of poor air quality, and a whole host of immigration from around the world, as well as from across the UK; including Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
'Boss' - Liverpool's almost emblematic slang word that most people will know about before visiting the City. Saying something is 'Boss' means that it is brilliant or excellent. E.g. 'Mate, I can't believe you got the job! Well in. That's boss, that is.'
'Sound' - This an agreeable word meaning good or great. E.g. "Yeah that's sound mate, I'll see you there."
'Clobber' - This term means clothes. E.g. 'I need to get some new clobber.'
'Smashing It' - A phrase used when you are doing really well. It is a phrase that is used to express delight when someone is succeeding at something that they want to achieve. Eg. 'She's absolutely smashing it with her exams.'
'Baltic' - This means extremely cold, however, can just more gerenally mean that the weather is partiularly cold. This derives from The Baltic Triangle neighbourhood due to its links with the whaling trade in the Baltic Sea, which during the Winter months it can be dangerously cold. The goods gathered from the Baltic Sea would often be stored in warehouses in the area that is now known as The Baltic Triangle. The 'Triangle' part of the City Centre neighbourhood's name is attributed to the fact that the roads in the area form a large triangluar shape with the area being encompassed within those limits. However, due to the success of the area as a digital and creative hub, the definition of The Baltic Triangle has slowly edged outside of the original triangular perimeter of those roads. E.g. "I'm not going outside, it's baltic out there."
'Ta-Ra' - This is a way of saying goodbye which has been influenced by the speakers of the Welsh language due to the fact that 'Ta-ra' is the Welsh word for 'Goodbye'. E.g. 'Ta-ra mate, see you later.'
'Bevvied' - This means drunk. E.g. 'He was well bevvied last night, he could hardly stand up straight.'
'Our Kid' - Pronounced 'are kid', this is often used to refer to a sibling or close relative. E.g. "Me and our kid are going to the match.'
'Scran' - This simply means food. E.g. 'I'm absolutely starving, shall we go get some scran?'
'Bizzies' - Used when referring to the police. E.g. 'Stop acting like a divvy, the bizzies are about.'
'Lad' - Whilst this term is not exclusive to Liverpool, it is a word that is used as a way to almost punctuate sentences. E.g. 'I'ya lad, how are we?'
'Sound As A Pound' - This means something is great and can be used as a term of agreement. E.g. 'Sound as a pound, I'll see you then.'
'Going The Ozzy' - This phrase means going to the hospital. E.g. 'He's sadly ended up in the ozzy after that fall. Hopefully he'll be out again soon.'
'Jarg' - This means that something is fake or broken. E.g.'I don't know why my phone is acting all jarg, I'll reset it and see if that does the trick.'
'Scally' - This is a term that can be used to desribe someone who is causing trouble and is behaving in a manner in a rough way that is deemed inappropriate. E.g. 'Keep an eye out on those scallies over there.'
'Antwacky' - This means that something is old-fashioned or percieved to be out of date. E.g. 'That vintage shop on Bold Street sells some proper antwacky clothes you know'
'Z-Cars' - Another, more obscure word for the police. This takes its name from the 60s TV show 'Z-Cars' which was set in the fictional town of Newtown near Liverpool. The place Newtown was based on was Kirkby which is situated in the Borough of Knowsley in the Liverpool City Region and now firmly sits as part of the suburban Liverpool neighbourhoods. E.g. 'The Z-Cars are over there, lad.'
Bonus Word: 'Blag' - This means to talk your way out of a situation or to trick someone into thinking that you can do something when you actually can't. It is essentially another word to desribe someone as 'lying'. E.g. 'He blagged his way into that job, he wasn't nearly fit for the role. It's so unfair.'
Bonus Word: 'Devo'd'/'Devoed' - This term is short for 'devastated'. The expression is used to state complete and utter disappointment about a stituation. It can be used both casually over something small or a minor inconvenience, yet also carried weight for something more serious. E.g. 'I was proper devo'd that we missed the flight, it just threw our plans out of the window.'
Bonus Word: 'Cob On' - If someone's in a bad mood or is acting in a very grumpy manner, then they will likely be described as having a 'cob on'. It's a playful way of acknowledging that someone is in a mood without taking it too seriously by letting them know you are aware that they are upset in a non confrontational way. E.g. 'You've got a right cob on since you walked through the door. Come on now, what's up?'
Bonus Word: 'Belt up!' - Telling someone to 'Belt up' is a way of telling a person to be quiet or stop talking. It’s often used in a generally light-hearted way and often in a playful manner, however, it can also be more serious if someone’s getting on your nerves and can be said in a bout of irritation.
Bonus Word: 'Give us a bell' - This is a classic Scouse phrase that means 'give me a call.' It’s a casual and friendly way to ask someone to contact you by phone. Whether you're making plans, following up on something, or just want to chat, saying 'give us a bell' to someone is a simple and laid-back way to suggest a phone call, however, depending on the circumstances it can also mean dropping by to someone's home. This phrase is often used when arranging to talk to someone later, but it can also be used more generally to keep in touch. For example, if you're saying goodbye to a friend after meeting up, someone from Liverpool would say as a way of checking in, e.g.: 'Make sure to give us a bell when you get home'.
Bonus Word: 'G’wed' - Is classic Scouse slang for 'Go ahead'. It is generally used to encourage someone to do something, or used in agreement. You might use it to cheer on a football player in a match as they are about to take a shot at the goal, to encourage a friend to try something new, or just give them a bit of a push out of their comfort zone. It is such a popular Liverpudlian term that there is now a Liverpool-based TV Show called 'G'wed'. E.g. "G'wed then mate, I'll stay for one more drink. Then I'm going to have to get the bus."
Bonus Word: 'Bevvy' - Similar to 'bevvied', this word normally refers to an alcoholic drink. However, it's definition has expanded and can just mean almost any drink, though traditionally it will be a beverage that is alcoholic in nature.
Bonus Word: 'Whopper' - In Scouse, calling someone a "whopper" means they’re being ridiculous, daft, or making a fool of themselves. Whilst it is in the a form of an insult, it's use is often lighthearted and inoffensive. It is generally used for letting someone know they have acted in over-the-top way or in an embarrassing manner. Due to the funny and amusing nature of the word, it helps deflate a situation in which someone may be taking themselves a bit too seriously or acting up. E.g. "He was acting like a proper whopper last night so I told him to calm down. Thankfully, he did and we ended up having a great night in the end."
Bonus Word: 'Chucking It Down' - This means that it is raining heavily. E.g. "I can't go outside, it's chucking it down out there!"
Liverpool's Purple Wheelie Bins: An Unofficial Icon Of The City — Their History, How They Were Almost Red
In 1999 there was a trial for Red Wheelie Bins, however, this was changed to the colour Purple in order to represent the combination of the City's two Premier League football teams, Liverpool FC's red kit and Everton FC's blue kit.
Though, initially, there was uproar and many residents across the City of Liverpool were deeply unhappy with the prospect of a Purple Bin outside their house.
However, the Purple Bin is now very much a Liverpudlian staple in the city and certainly a point of Scouse Pride with it becoming one of the many unofficial icons of the city.
The Liverpool City Region & The Scouse / Liverpudlian Identity
The Liverpool City Region (LCR) has six Metropolitan Boroughs comprising of the City of Liverpool & the Boroughs of Wirral, Knowsley, Halton, St. Helens and Sefton, with a population of more than 1.6 Million people.
Many people from the surrounding areas can often identify with Liverpool, and in turn, identify with being a 'Scouser' or a 'Liverpudlian', in addition to their own localised Borough and identity (such as the Boroughs of Knowsley or the Wirral). With areas such as Bootle, Huyton, Kirkby, Birkenhead, Wallasey, and Aintree all being from surrounding Boroughs, yet not being within the City of Liverpool's official boundaries, however, many from those areas often identify as and are often seen by many, as 'Liverpudlians' or 'Scousers'.
The creation of the Liverpool City Region has certainly supported in many from the surrounding Boroughs feel part of 'Liverpool', and in turn, feel part of the 'Scouse'/'Liverpudlian' identity.
The Meaning Of 'Liverpudlian' — The Charming Name For People From The Liverpool City Region
The history and story of the name Liverpudlian is as charming and quaint as the city itself — though, nevertheless, it is still a bioming, bustling major Port City in the UK, Liverpool and it's Liverpudlians have a quaint and smalltown feel to it.
For this you will need a little extra context. Particularly with the name Liverpool. There have been multiple variations of Liverpool over its more than 800 year history, oral history plays a part in this as people often spoke the names of places as opposed to always writing them down. When it was written down, standardised spelling and the level of education present today did not exist, so naturally, a variety of spellings occurred. There were often many additional names for Liverpool due to misspellings and mispronunciations over the centuries.
The name Liverpool developed from variations such as Livpul, Liuerpul, and Lyver Pool to name a few. Though, Liuerpul and Livpul particularly play a large role in the fabulous name, Liverpudlian.
Furthermore, due to the nature of history, many theories have been put forward and alternative ideas within a similar vein.
The Lyver Pool was the original name of the small inlet of water. With the name Lyver Pool meaning the Pool of Life, as Lyver translates to 'Life' in Old English. This pool, or creek, or puddle, is situated on the actual grounds of what is now the outdoor Liverpool ONE Shopping Centre. The reason that the Hilton Hotel and One Park West buildings are curved is because they represent the shape the inlet of water — the original Lyver Pool. 'Pol' translates to a pool, creek or puddle.
So, Liverpudlian, essentially means "people from a muddy puddle" — which is an interesting piece of history and such a sweet name for people from one of the most crucial shipping ports in the world.
Overview Of Scouse Slang
Whilst not all words may be refined to the Liverpool City Region, such as 'scran' and 'lad', they are used exponentially more in the City as opposed to many other parts of the UK. With common terms such as 'bevvy', 'clobber', 'boss', and 'baltic' being second nature to many locals, those that are visiting Liverpool will more than likely need these localised terms explained to them.
What Scouse Slang Do You Use?
This is just a small selection of the local lingo, and we'll add some bonus slang now and again to keep it up-to-date! Yet it provides a more in-depth look at some of the Liverpool City Region's quirky vocabulary, what they mean and why they are used.
Let us know in the comments further down or through our email address what Liverpool Slang you use the most, what your thoughts are on some of the local language, or your own opinions and stories about the Liverpool lingo. And please do let us know of any little stories you have that you think may be of interest!
New To Liverpool?
Let us know what Liverpool Slang words that you found the funniest, the most unusual, and ones that if you tried to guess before reading this article, you just wouldn't even have a clue about.