Bebo users’ slang terms suggested for dictionary

PIFF brehs don’t get shifted, you know?

Well, you won’t — but young users of social networking website Bebo understand. Because they are just some of the slang terms that could be about to feature in a new edition of the Collins English Dictionary.

Publisher Harpercollins approached the website to help identify the most widely used slang terms in Britain.

The translation for the phrase above is Piff: good; breh: boy; shifted: get arrested.

Other slang includes “stunting” or showing off; “pee”, which is money; “co-dee”, friends; and “pinky” which means £50.

The shortlisted words were put forward by a panel of 14-18 year-olds. And some regular words also feature with twisted meanings.

Over the next few months Bebo’s 10.5m users will vote on the words and terms they think should be included in the 30th anniversary edition.

Some of the favourites include: bare (a lot of), seen (cool), mugged (take the mick), fiend (addicted to something) or hater, a negative person.

The most popular terms will be submitted to Collins, where a team of experts will research their origins and decide which make the grade for inclusion in the dictionary. Bebo will also publish the winning teen slang words.