Snake

Snake (noun / verb / UK slang)

(Also used as: Snakey, Snaking)

Definition: A backstabber, grass, or fake friend who smiles to your face while quietly stitching you up behind your back. As a verb, it just means betraying someone who trusted you.

Pronunciation: /sneɪk/

Where It Comes From: People have associated reptiles with liars since biblical times, but British slang gave it a whole new lease of life over the last decade or so.

Between UK rap tracks talking about keeping your circle small and reality shows like Love Island plastering the phrase all over ITV every single summer, “snake” shifted from literary metaphor to standard schoolyard and pub vocabulary for anyone moving shady.

How People Actually Use It: You hear this whenever someone breaks basic loyalty codes.

It gets thrown around for everything from workplace politics to messy weekend drama. A workmate taking credit for your idea in front of the boss? Snake. A mate secretly sliding into your ex’s DMs two days after the breakup? Absolute snake behaviour. If someone is being quietly dodgy or avoiding eye contact about plans, they’re just “acting snakey.”

Examples in the Wild:

• “Keep your mouth shut around Dave, he’s a proper snake and tells the boss everything.”

  Translation: “Don’t confide in Dave because he reports everything to management.”

• “I can’t believe she snaked her own best mate just to get free festival tickets.”

  Translation: “She shamelessly betrayed her close friend for personal gain.”

• “Why are you moving so snakey with your phone every time I walk past?”

  Translation: “Why are you acting so suspiciously and hiding your screen?”

Similar Slang: Rat, Grass, Two-faced, Shady, Weasel, Dodgy, Sly