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Emily Ratajkowski and Theo James Teach You British Slang

On this episode of "Slang School," Emily Ratajkowski and Theo James teach you British slang. They star in "Lying and Stealing" which opens July 12th in theaters and will be available on DirecTV exclusively June 13th.

Released on 06/21/2019


Pull a blinder means to pull off something amazing

when you didn't think it was gonna happen.

Yeah, that's kind of like us in this interview right now.

[Unison] It's true. Pulling a blinder.

Hi guys I'm Emily Ratajkowski.

And I'm Theo James.

And Theo is going to teach me some British slang today.

[british music]

So ironically I was born in London

but all the slang I know is from California so

this is gonna be pretty fun and exciting right?

Maybe you'll recognize a few.

[Emily] All right.

[Theo] Cuppa. Cuppa.

Cuppa tea.

A cuppa tea!

A cuppa tea!

[Together] Mug. Is that like face?

No, well yeah, I could- you could mug you off.

Well, there's a mug of tea, which we all know,

but if you are a mug that usually

is kinda derogatory term.

Saying, you know, you've got a bad face,

You're ugly. or you're an idiot, yeah.

Okay, like mean mug.

Mm, kinda yeah. Okay, okay.

Bugger all.

Fuck all, sod all, nothing really.

You know he's got bugger all left.

Okay, got it.


To chunder.

Chunder is a bit, it was an older nineties phrase

which meant to be sick.

Wait, I'm going to bring that back.

Yeah, chunder. Chunder,

like aw yeah that's chunder.

[laughs] No, not as in sick,

it's more like to throw up, literally to vomit.

Oh, I thought like sick, like 'sick bro'.

Yeah maybe we should just

try and bring that back. So chunder like

I had a bit of a chunder.

Yeah exactly. Okay, got it.

Punching above your weight.

Punching above your weight, which you know.

I think we know that one right.

[Theo] Uni, University.

University right, right.

Not college, C of E, Church of England.

Whoa. Is that right?

My brain just exploded, honestly.

[Theo] Builder's tea? Builder's tea.

Uh, alcohol?

No it means a specific type of English tea,

which is kind of a blend of many leaves.

Wow this is so crazy, that's the most British thing

I've ever heard, a blend of many teas, okay wow.

A few spanner's short?

A few spanner's short means, you know

a few, what's the equivalent phrase?

Not enough cookies in the cookie jar,

i.e. you're a few spanner's short in the old head.

So you're a bit dumb, yeah. Oh like you're dumb.

I'm also gonna bring that around.

Yeah he's a few spanners short.

He's a few fucking

spanners short. What is spanners though?

Spanners is tools, you know.

Oh wow.

[Theo] Tinkle, means to have a little wee.

Little wee. Yeah.

I love you saying little wee, Theo.

It sounds not normal, [laughs] rat-arsed.

Rat-arsed means to get shit-faced drunk.

I think that should be my new nickname

what do you think?

Rat-arsed no.

Rat-arsed like it's like rat-ter rat-tarsed.

On the raz is one of my favorite expressions

that I often get taken the piss out of for saying.

But it means on the town, you're out for a good night.

Like we'll be on the raz tonight for the premier.

Exactly yeah.

What is it dorky to say that?

No I guess it's a bit old-fashioned,

so people think that I sound like some kind of cockney

which I'm definitely not.

I'm gonna start saying that too, on the raz.

Are you on the raz, you going on the raz tonight?

On the raz and on the town.

Brill, brilliant.

Oh wow tease I should have known that one.

Ah bloody, just a great word.


We should really start using bloody more in the states.

Bloody's a good word.

'Cause it's not like offensive.

No it's not.

It's very light. And the equivalents

are offensive right?

Yeah, it's true.

Balderdash means kind of nonsense.

Ah, that's balderdash.


[Theo] Scrummy, yummy.

Okay, wow, that's cute.

Scrumzy, yeah. Oh you're so scrumzy.

Scrumdiddlyumptious trainers,

which are sneakers. Trainers, sneakers.

Gob-shite, derogatory term for someone who's full of shit

and speaks, you know kind of talks bollocks basically.

I feel like a lot of these are from Harry Potter

like olden, olden British right?

Yes it's true.

[Theo] Minted. Minted.

Like oh you're rich. Wealthy, yes.

Wow crazy.

It's all gone Pete Tong, some cockney rhyming slang

but it's a more modern one, it's all gone wrong.

The other one is apples and pears, which are stairs.

That's stairs, whoa, what?

Who came up with that is for stairs.

Those naughty cockney's. No one knows, wow okay.

On the pull.

On the pull means out trying to score with the ladies

but pull usually means, On the prowl.

to kiss, to snog. Snog.

So it doesn't necessarily mean sexual.

Throwing toys out of the pram.

You know to throw- to complain basically

and act like a child. To bitch.

Yeah kind of.

Yeah, whine. Yeah whine exactly.

Okay kick up a stink, also whine right?

Yeah kick up a fuss. See I knew that one.

[Together] Quids in.

Quids in, you know, money in.

A quid is a pound so you know,

quids in, so and so will do that,

quids in to win. Okay like a full bet.



Poppycock means nonsense. Oh it's poppycock,

it's absolute poppycock.

It's poppycock darling.

I want to kind of like name my next dog Poppycock

is that weird? It's a good idea, yeah.

Hmm I'll think about it, chalk and cheese.

Very different, two things.

you know, like oil and water.

Oh wow, chalk and cheese.

Honestly like you guys are crazy, you brits.

Very sweet. Chalk and cheese.

You really know how to like,

you have a way with words.

Yes it's true, those damn brits.

Got it, botch job, botched the job.

Botched the job, pull a blinder means

to pull off something amazing

when you didn't think it was gonna happen.


It's true,

[Together] Pulling a blinder [laughs]

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