Peng (adjective / UK slang / MLE)
(Also heard as: Bare peng, Proper peng, Peng ting)
Definition:
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Dead attractive, stunning, or gorgeous.
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Absolutely delicious when talking about food.
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Top-quality or looking sharp in general.
Pronunciation: /pɛŋ/
Where It Comes From: Patois brought it over from Jamaica, linked back to kushungpeng—an old road term for top-shelf herb. Through the 90s and early 2000s in London, Caribbean slang mixed into daily playground talk and early grime bars. It didn’t take long before kids stopped using it just for gear and started using it for anything that looked, tasted, or felt ten out of ten.
How People Actually Use It: Thrust into regular chat whenever something looks good. You’ll hear someone whisper it at the bus stop when a proper sort walks past, or shout it at the table when the local bossman hands over a fresh box of wings that hits the spot. If your mate scrubs up well for a night out, telling them they look peng is the ultimate compliment.
Examples in the Wild:
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“Mate, check the girl in the trench coat—she’s proper peng.”
Translation: Look at her over there, she’s seriously good-looking.
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“That salt and pepper chicken from the takeaway was bare peng.”
Translation: That food tasted amazing.
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“Bought a fresh pair of kicks for the weekend, looking bare peng.”
Translation: Picked up new trainers and they look top quality.
Similar Slang: Fit, Stunner, Sort, Scran, Proper, 10/10, Bad
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