39 slang glossaries

English, Scottish, Aussie or Irish slang, mobspeak, Rasta, Cockney or words and phrases used in the 1980s – you will love this resource. Hand-picked glossaries to cover as many aspects of slang as possible. You can explore it if you need to look up a special term for your translation assignment or simply if you want to enrich your vocabulary.

Peevish – Each community has its own slang, and if you wish to understand English slang and colloquialisms in the UK, then this is the place for you.

HHS Cougars – Slang changes and evolves with time. Here, you can find a few of the slang words used in the early to mid-60s.

University of Tampere – Did you just hear you’re being clocked by someone who is trying to do a piece of work on an empty suit and you need to know what it means? Then take a look at this mobspeak glossary.

Rice University – Everything you need to know to get by well in Texas: Texas Talk, from ‘aggravated’ to ‘yankee’, along with a pronunciation guide.

Urban Dictionary – Urban slang can be confusing, but Urban Dictionary knows all about it, and so will you if you give this glossary a browse.

Slang Vocabulary – We like this website because it has its terms organised not only alphabetically, but also by geographical region.

Wiktionary – A jargon buster glossary of Scottish slang, alphabetically organised and easy to browse.

Merriam-Webster – Language evolves, and many new words you’ve never heard appear. From Merriam-Webster, a dictionary of new words and slang.

Translate British – British and American English are as different as they are similar. If you’re trying to understand what your British buddy is yammering about, take a look at this glossary.

Effingpot – Trying to understand someone from across the pond? Then here is a glossary of British jargon, conveniently translated into American English.

Potpourri – If you don’t know what a flapper is, then you definitely need to take a look at this 1920s slang glossary.

Koala Net – If you want to feel at home in Australia, then you need to learn these slang words first.

The Source for Youth Ministry – Seeking to understand some of the youth culture today? Take a look at this slang dictionary.

Yiddish Slang Dictionary – You’ve found the Yiddish Slang Dictionary you were searching, to help you ‘shmooze’ or ‘kibitz’. You can browse this one alphabetically, and also by popularity.

Hemyock Castle – A great resource if you’re trying to find the definitions, meanings and origins of British and American official and slang terms for money.

The Art of Manliness – In the 19th century they had lots of terms related to money. Browse this glossary to find out what they were.

Gutenberg – A very encompassing slang dictionary, with different categories and types of slang. A bit difficult to browse, but definitely worth a look. The beauty of it is that you can browse it online or you can download it in various formats to read later.

Australian Dictionary – Curious about Australian English and Aussie slang? Then you are in the right place.

Cowboy Bob’s Dictionary – A dictionary of cowboy terms, broken down by letter and accompanied by illustrations.

Mental Floss – Terms and phrases from the first self-described hipster generation have lasted into modern conversation. To help you understand them, we’re giving you 26 beatnik slang words.

Businessballs – Slang words related to money are widely used in the British English language. This website is dedicated to debunking this terminology.

Jamaican Patwah – A website centred around Jamaican patois and slang words and phrases.

Mr Wiggles – An alphabetically organised ghetto glossary of words and phrases. You can also browse it by the categories listed in the beginning.

Australian Natural Adventures – Another dictionary of Australian language. Not that encompassing, but you never know what you’ll find.

The Hipster Handbook – Like most social groups, hipsters have their own way of communicating. You can find here a short list of the most common hipster words.

Grant Barrett – Almost 450 pages of English slang in one downloadable document: The official dictionary of unofficial English.

Slang – Irish slang, with all its ins and outs. You have the option of searching regional slang, by location (e.g. slang from Dublin).

Irish Slang – As suggested by the name, a website dedicated to Irish slang. You have many options to browse it, such as alphabetically or by category: drinking, food, greetings, etc.

butter LONDON – A short but handy dictionary of British slang, dubbed ‘The butter London dictionary’.

In the 70s – An encompassing list of all the words and phrases that were popular during the 1970s.

In the 80s – A page dedicated to defining slang words and phrases from the 80s.

In the 90s – Also from the same source as the previous two, slang from the 1980s, defined and explained.

Cockney Rhyming Slang – If you want to learn how to use slang words, then take a look here: Cockney rhyming slang, from English to slang and from slang to English.

The Mudcat Café – The Scottish slang glossary: it provides the Scots word, alternative phrases and their explanation.

Anglotopia – The top 100 of the most beautiful British slang words and phrases, from ‘tosser’ to ‘rubbish’.

Mike Pawka – A Rasta/Patois dictionary of words and phrases, in two different categories: dictionary and proverbs.

wikiHow – A guide to understanding Canadian slang, broken down into categories: general slang, local slang and derogatory slang.

BBC – Yorkshire has its own language, but by browsing this glossary you might get the hang of it.

Freelang – Another website dedicated to Cockney slang. You can look up words from Cockney to English and vice versa.