Mandem

Mandem (noun / UK slang / MLE)

(Also heard as: The mandem, Mandem’s)

Definition: Your boys, your crew, or the lads you’ve known forever.

Pronunciation: /ˈmæn.dɛm/

Where It Comes From: Jamaican Patois. “Dem” makes things plural, so “man-dem” literally means “them men” or “the boys.” London’s Afro-Caribbean community brought it over, and grime artists and drill tracks spread it across the rest of the UK.

How People Actually Use It: It’s how you talk about your tight circle. You drop it when you’re rallying the group chat, meeting up for five-a-side, or grabbing a bite with the boys who’ve always got your back.

Examples in the Wild:

• “I’m linking the mandem tonight.”

  Translation: “I’m meeting up with the lads tonight.”

• “The mandem always have each other’s backs.”

  Translation: “The boys always look out for one another.”

• “Tell the mandem we’re heading out at eight.”

  Translation: “Let the lads know what time we’re leaving.”

Similar Slang: The boys, The lads, Squad, Crew, Fam, Gs, Gyaldem (for the girls)