Student slang is a rapidly changing lingo. In the interests of preserving your cool if you are in conversation with a campus creature from the UK, here’s a glossary of well-worn faves across campuses in the UK.
Bare
Not actually anything to do with what you are thinking, bare is an adjective meaning “a lot of”, or “obviously”.
“I can’t come to your party, I’ve got bare work to do.”
“He bare fancies that girl he’s talking to. I really hope he doesn’t start telling her about his birthmark in the shape of Italy.”
Used by: Hipsters, at first; slowly but surely filtering down through the student ranks.
Bnoc
An acronym standing for “big name on campus”. A Bnoc (pronounced bee-knock) is a self-proclaimed campus celebrity - often the chair of a society or involved in student politics. The term is often used to mock the subject for their delusions of grandeur, rather than as a compliment.
“Sam thinks he’s such a Bnoc, but really he’s just deputy treasurer of the cheese appreciation society.”
Used by: The weary friends of CV-obsessives who live in the student’s union.
Chundergrad
Chundergrad is a general term for anyone studying a bachelor’s degree. It is thought to derive from the partying tendencies of those studying for their first degree.
“Having a job is seriously going to affect my partying quota. I had better make the most of my years as a chundergrad.”
Used by: Final-year students
Dench
A generic term meaning that something is good. Dench was invented by rapper Lethal Bizzle, and has since become the name of a clothing range which he launched with Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong. It is unknown whether the word was inspired by British actress Dame Judi Dench, but the two have become inextricably intertwined.
“I just found a pound coin on the floor, what a dench trip to Tesco this turned out to be.”
Used by: Those in the know, slangoisseurs, if you will.
(Submitted by @sashwatson on twitter)
Hench
Hench is a term denoting a large and muscle-bound individual. More recently, it has been used to describe anything of voluminous size.
“Let’s go to Perfect Fried Chicken, their portions of chips are hench.”
Used by: Lads. To describe themselves.
Jel
A contraction of “jealous”, first popularised by the cast of The Only Way is Essex but now common in student circles. If the situation calls for it, a student may even pronounce themselves “well jel”.
“You’ve finished your dissertation? Jel.”
Used by: Closet TOWIE fans
Lad
A noun used to describe a student alpha male. Connotations of being deemed a “lad” include, but are not limited to: promiscuity, sporting prowess, a fondness for protein shakes, love of practical jokes and a general arrogance in most aspects of life. Often used ironically, the term may be compounded to describe someone who has had particular luck or success in a certain field, as in example two below.
“What a lad.”
“He got a first? Geography lad.”
Used by: It’s a universally recognised phenomenon.
Libes
Affectionate term for the library.
“Meet me in the libes, I’m on the second floor.”
Used by: Frantic essay writers who need to conserve all of their formal language ability for their work.
Sick
Having replaced the conventional meaning of sick with chunder, students found themselves with a leftover word which they weren’t quite sure how to use. That is until one bright spark decided to do something “crazy” and invert it completely: sick now means good or impressive. “The Worcestershire sauce on these beans on toast is sick.”
Used by: Middle-class rap fans.
Thora
Cockney rhyming slang for a third-class honours degree, in honour of the actress Thora Hird. An alternate form of this is a “Douglas”, after the former Tory minister Douglas Hurd. “I really need to spend less time googling or I’m going to get a Thora.”
Used by: Those who want to bring a bit of vintage kitsch to the third class.
Rah
A derogatory term for a student who displays a set of physical characteristics and attitudes specific to the upper middle class. The stereotypical rah hails from the home counties and sports a hairstyle which is deliberately unkempt. A received pronunciation accent is essential, along with a repertoire of tales from their gap year.
“Fiona is such a rah, I heard she asked her boyfriend to change his name to Jack Wills.”
Used by: Those who are unappreciative of the rah’s unique sense of style.
Vac
Not the vacuum cleaner your mum had in the 90s, but a contraction of “vacation” which can refer to any university holiday period. Usage is prevalent among students at Oxford, who also refer to their faculty as the “fac” and a tutorial as a “tut”.
“I’ve got a tut, but I’m hoping to leave the fac building early to go home for the vac.”
Used by: Oxbridge students and the extremely time-poor.
