Most London slang glossaries are written from memory. This one is checked against Green’s Dictionary of Slang, the standard reference work, and the first thing that turns up is that the best known word on the list does not mean what people think.
Green’s records road man in three senses: an itinerant thief, a street-level drug dealer, and a popular, fashionable male. The third is the one in general use. The first two are older and still there.
The ones outsiders get backwards
These are the words most likely to be misread by someone who has only half heard them, and the misreading usually inverts the meaning.
Peak is bad. Green’s gives it as unpleasant or depressing, and as a noun, bad news. It is not a compliment and it has nothing to do with being at a peak.
Moist is an insult. Second-rate, inferior, weak. Historically it also meant drunk, of a person or a situation.
Bait does not mean a trap. In current use Green’s records it as an individual who is likely to get into trouble or attract unwanted attention. Something done bait is something done too conspicuously.
Safe is approval. Green’s gives it as denoting approval, with the implication of being socially acceptable to a given peer group, and as satisfactory or pleasant. It is a greeting and a verdict at the same time.
The ones that mean what they sound like
Peng: good, which Green’s defines as used in a variety of non-specific but positive senses. The sub-entry peng ting is recorded as a very attractive woman.
Buff: strong, muscular, healthy, good looking. This one is older and wider than London.
Gassed: delighted. Green’s also carries older senses of drunk or drugged, and of hair that has been chemically straightened, so the word has travelled.
Leng: of a woman, attractive. As a noun, Green’s records it separately as a gun, which is worth knowing before using it loosely.
The ones that are structural rather than descriptive
Mandem: males, men, and by extension people in general. That second sense is the one that surprises people: it is not always gendered in use.
Blud is recorded under blood, which Green’s traces as a term of address to a fellow Black person and, by extension, a general term of address used by any race. It is a form of address rather than a description.
Bare: many, lots of. A quantifier, not an intensifier of quality. Bare people means a lot of people.
Cotch: to relax, and as an adjective, comfortable or relaxing. Green’s also records an older and unrelated sense meaning to vomit, which is a good argument for context.
Creps: trainers. Straightforward, and one of the few with a single meaning.
What the dictionary does not have
This is the useful half, and no other glossary says it.
Several of the most commonly listed London slang words have no entry in Green’s at all. Searched on 5 October 2026, wagwan, allow it, endz and chirpse all returned no results, and ting in the sense of thing or person is not recorded either.
That does not mean they are not used. It means they are either too recent, too local or too oral to have been documented in the standard reference work, and that anyone quoting a definition of them is quoting themselves.
Why it is worth knowing
Mostly so you do not use it. The quickest way to sound like a visitor is to deploy a word you have read a definition of, and the second quickest is to get peak or moist the wrong way round in a bar.
It is more useful as comprehension than as vocabulary: the point is understanding what was said to you, not saying it back.
Our London travel tips cover the rest of what visitors get wrong, and the tipping guide covers the one that actually costs money.
Where to go next
The London travel tips cover the rest of what catches visitors out, and tipping in London covers the one that costs money.
London after dark covers where you are most likely to hear any of this.
Questions we get asked
What does roadman mean?
Green's Dictionary of Slang records road man in three senses: an itinerant thief, a street-level drug dealer, and a popular, fashionable male. The third is the sense in general use today.
What does peng mean?
Good. Green's Dictionary of Slang defines it as used in a variety of non-specific but positive senses. The sub-entry peng ting is recorded as a very attractive woman.
What does peak mean in London slang?
Unpleasant or depressing, and as a noun, bad news. It is the opposite of a compliment, which is the mistake visitors most often make with it.
What does bare mean in London slang?
Many, or lots of. It is a quantifier rather than a description of quality, so bare people means a lot of people.
What does mandem mean?
Males or men, and by extension people in general. Green's Dictionary of Slang records both senses, so it is not always used in a gendered way.
Is wagwan in the dictionary?
No. Checked on 5 October 2026, Green's Dictionary of Slang returned no results for wagwan, and none for allow it, endz or chirpse either. They are in use but not documented in the standard reference work.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 224 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
