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The final bow: After a successful run since transitioning to Netflix in 2019, the fifth and final season of Top Boy has dropped today on the streaming platform<\/p>\n
There are sure to be times you are left baffled at what the meaning behind a particular word or phrase could be while watching Top Boy if you’re especially unfamiliar with British colloquial – or, Multicultural London English (MLE) – language.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Below is a list\u00a0of recurring idioms used in the gritty crime drama,\u00a0along with a definition and example of how the word or phrase is used in a sentence.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Top Boy slang and phrase guide:\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n You get me?<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n Meaning: A regular phrase used throughout the series, “you get me” is akin to the question, ‘do you understand me?’ or the phrase ‘you know what I mean.’\u00a0<\/p>\n It is used in conversation to establish whether someone has acknowledged a statement you have made.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sentence use: ‘I’m only at this party because the birthday girl is my cousin, you get me.’<\/p>\n Bruv<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: Probably one of the simpler words to identify, “bruv” is like saying “brother.” However, it is not exclusive to blood relatives. The word can be used to refer to a friend or extended family member, as well as a biological brother.<\/p>\n Use: ‘Bruv, what are you doing tonight? I’ll come meet you later.’<\/p>\n Cuz<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n Meaning: It is a simplified way of saying cousin. “Cuz” is often used in reference to a person belonging to the same extended family as you. But “cuz” is also commonly used to address one’s friends too.<\/p>\n Use: ‘What’s up, cuz? How’s everything with you?’<\/p>\n Wasteman\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: A derogatory term used to describe a worthless person who has nothing positive going on in their lives.<\/p>\n Use: ‘Danny has no job, he’s living rent free with his girlfriend and owes me money. What a wasteman.’<\/p>\n What you sayin?<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: It is a greeting which can be likened to “how are you?” or “what’s up.” Similarly, it is a way of asking your counterpart to fill you in on any details, a bit like saying, “what are you telling me?”<\/p>\n Use: ‘What you sayin’, Marcus. I ain’t seen you since last year, man.’<\/p>\n End of an era: Six final episodes of the show became available for fans to view this morning on Netflix UK, with episodes ranging from 41 to 56 minutes in length<\/p>\n Yard\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: In Jamaican Patois “yard” means home. In the U.K., the word is also used to refer to one’s residence.<\/p>\n Use: ‘I’m not going. The walk from my yard to the post office is long!’<\/p>\n Ps\/Pees<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: Quite simply “p’s” or “pees” is another word for money or cash.<\/p>\n Use: ‘We’re going to make a lot of P’s when we sell this.’<\/p>\n From Canada to London: The action-packed series – executive produced by Canadian rapper Drake – will see main characters Dushane and Sully appear for one last showdown in the Summerhouse Estate<\/p>\n Zoot<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: It is a rolled up marijuana cigarette, which can also be referred to as a “spliff” or “joint.”<\/p>\n Use: ‘Do you want to come outside and smoke a zoot with me?’<\/p>\n Likkle<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: Used to describe anything small in stature. It is another word for “little.”<\/p>\n Use: ‘Wow, I remember Lisa when she was just a likkle girl.’<\/p>\n Swear Down<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: A phrase commonly used in and around London to signify that what you are saying is 100 percent true and no lies were told. It is a bit like saying “the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” It is said to affirm something really happened how you said it did.<\/p>\n Use: ‘I promise you I saw Angela kissing Darius. Saw it with my own eyes. Swear down!’<\/p>\n Pattern<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: The word grew in popularity among youths in 2020 and means to organise, or to sort out something with someone.\u00a0<\/p>\n Use: ‘That situation with Kareem is over. I patterned him.’<\/p>\n The premise: Top Boy is primarily set on the fictional Summerhouse Estate in Hackney, north east London , focusing on tension between the drug gangs that operate almost openly and those who strive to live honest lives against the odds in the crime-riddled area<\/p>\n Bless up<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: The phrase is used to leave the end of a conversation on a positive note and is a way of wishing someone well, a good day\/time. It can also mean “blessing(s) from the most high (a God like figure).”<\/p>\n Use: ‘It was good seeing you, Brenda. Bless Up!’<\/p>\n In a bit<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: “In a bit” is comparable to “see you later” or “goodbye.” It is said when bidding someone farewell. The phrase is derived from the saying “I’ll see you in a bit.”<\/p>\n Use: ‘Good catching up with you, Trish. In a bit!’<\/p>\n Wagwan<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: Believed to have first been used in the Caribbean, “wagwan” is the direct translation for “what’s going on?” It is used as a greeting like “how are you?”<\/p>\n Use: ‘Wagwan, Terrell. I saw your little cousin the other say, he’s almost my height now!’<\/p>\n Cultural communication: Street talk and British colloquialism is prevalent among many who live in East End estates –\u00a0 used authentically and heavily by Top Boy characters.<\/p>\n Link<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: “Link” is to go and see\/meet up with someone, usually a person you are romantically interested in or have a continuous sexual relationship with.<\/p>\n Use: ‘Hey, are you free to link later tonight?’ or ‘Zach and I are linking.’<\/p>\n Say no more<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: To communicate one’s total understanding of a conversation, a person would use the phrase, “say no more.” The phrase is the equivalent of saying, “I understand.”<\/p>\n Use: ‘If you don’t want to meet up that’s fine. Say no more.’<\/p>\n Brudda\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: Akin to “brother,” “brudda” is an endearment used to refer to a sibling, close friend or comrade.<\/p>\n Use: ‘Yes, brudda! Long time, no see!’<\/p>\n Shook<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: The definition of “shook” is “to be scared.” In other words, it is used to describe a person afraid or frightened of something or someone.<\/p>\n Use: ‘You should have seen Anton’s face when he saw me. He was shook, man!’<\/p>\n All-star cast: Returning actors and actresses in season five will include Walters, Robinson, Simbi Ajikawo, Jasmine Jobson, Saffron Hocking, and Araloyin Oshunremi, along with new cast members Barry Keoghan and Brian Gleeson<\/p>\n Mandem<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: “Mandem” loosely translates to a “group of male friends.” However, it can also be used to refer to a set of female friends too.<\/p>\n Use: ‘When all the mandem come we’ll head to the club and grab some drinks.’<\/p>\n Food\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: Urban slang for illegal narcotics like weed.<\/p>\n Use: ‘Did you pick up the food?’<\/p>\n Motive<\/span><\/p>\n Meaning: “Motive” has grown in prominence over the years. It loosely means “a reason to go out” and have a good time.<\/p>\n Use: ‘Yo Smithy, have you got a motive for Friday night yet?”<\/p>\n The Department of Language and Linguistic Science at the University of York defines MLE as a dialect of London English, emerging in early 1980s in parts of London where there has been a relatively high level of immigration.<\/p>\n MLE is based on the traditional East End Cockney dialect, but it has a number of different sounds and grammatical constructions.\u00a0<\/p>\n The first major group of post-Second World War immigrants arriving in London came from the West Indies (the Caribbean) between 1948 and approximately the mid-70s – a group known as The Windrush Generation.\u00a0<\/p>\n They brought their language – Jamaican Creole or \u2018Patois\u2019 – and this sowed the seed that, 40 years later, would colloquially develop into MLE.\u00a0<\/p>\n MLE has many other ancestors, too – considering the very large number of other languages that immigrants brought with them, ranging from Punjabi, Bengali and Tamil to Yoruba, Akan, Arabic and Turkish.<\/p>\n Many of the people who spoke these languages learnt English after they arrived, and like almost all adult learners they spoke it with a \u2018foreign\u2019 accent.\u00a0<\/p>\n This foreign accent formed part of the linguistic melting pot that made up the input to MLE.\u00a0<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/09\/07\/13\/75161177-12491287-image-a-65_1694089977636.jpg\")
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<\/p>\nWHAT IS MULTICULTURAL LONDON ENGLISH (MLE)?<\/h3>\n