British Slang For Fat Person (8 Examples!)

For good or ill, it’s a fact that there is virtually any given vernacular with a good amount of slang to describe a fat person.

From the heartwarming and endearing things you might call your friend to the more derogatory and unpleasant things others might say about the overweight, there’s always plenty to choose from.

Today, we’re going to look at some of these slang terms.

So, let’s get started.

In This Article

British Slang For Fat Person

Chunky

First we have chunky, a word widely used in Britain to describe a fat person.

It is used widely to describe quite varied levels of weight, and could even be used to describe a very bulky, muscular athlete.

In any case, this one is widely used in Britain to mean a reasonably fat person.

It could be used as a means of address like this:

Example in a sentence: “Hey, chunky! How are you doing?”

Or it can be used as an adjective.

Example in a sentence: “He’s got quite chunky, hasn’t he?”

The word comes from the word “chunk”, which seemed to arise in English around the end of the 17^th Century. By 1751 it had added the –y affix to create an adjective.

Chubby

Next we have chubby, very commonly used across Britain and across generations.

It’s sometimes used to describe a certain kind of fat person, with a very round face.

It can otherwise be used to describe someone in their whole body who isn’t all that fat, just a little bit fat.

This one also comes down to us from the 17^th Century, where it originally meant to compare someone to the fish the chub.

It has always meant slightly fat and round.

Example in a sentence: “He isn’t fat, he’s just a bit chubby.”

Pig

Undoubtedly the most unkind and insulting entry on this list is pig.

You should never describe someone as a pig—this slang term is always used as an insult.

The connection, I should think, is quite obvious.

Pigs—or at least the domestic pigs we raise for meat—are usually very fat.

They’re also considered to be sloppy and greedy animals.

This one can be used to describe a fat person, but it can also simply be used to describe someone who eats a lot.

In the 19^th Century, “piggy” came into slang meaning resembling a pig.

From there, it eventually just came to mean a fat person.

Example in a sentence: “Look at him! He eats like a pig!”

Lardo

Lardo, though perhaps among the more archaic names on this list, is certainly still used in Britain as a slang term for fat person to an extent.

Lard, of course, is far less popular and not used anywhere near as much as it once was.

Originally, the term meant the rendered fat of a swine, and came from the French larde.

Eventually, by the end of the 18^th Century, “lardaceous” came to mean something that was full of or seemed to resemble lard.

Shortly thereafter, sometime in the 19^th Century, “lardo” came to mean a very fat person—and still does today.

Example in a sentence: “Hey, quit hogging all the chips, lardo!”

Lard Arse

Similar and following on from Lardo, Lard Arse is another slang term for a fat person.

It’s usually a fat person with a very big behind.

Example in a sentence: “Oi! Lard arse! Get a move on!”

Related Post: British slang for butt

Pudgy

This one is, depending on the context, both a slang term and simply a Standard English term.

It means someone who is short and fat, though not necessarily more fat than just a little.

You’d use it just to describe someone’s body type, than to actually talk about them being overweight.

Naturally, again, you wouldn’t use this term to describe someone if you weren’t very comfortable and familiar with that person.

The origin of this term is not completely clear.

The colloquial “pudge” was in use in the 19^th Century in parts of England, which was perhaps related to the earlier term “pudsy” which meant plump.

Some have even suggested there is a connection to the word “pudding”, since a variety of similar words are listed in old dictionaries alongside it.

We may never know for sure.

Example in a sentence: “She had black hair, she was kind of short and pudgy.”

Fatty

This one is fairly universal in the English-speaking world but definitely has a certain privileged place in British slang.

This is a universal go-to, one that pretty much any British person would understand and probably have in their own vocabulary.

It could be used to describe a person, an animal, or even anything that seemed fat.

Again, this one can definitely be a friendly term of endearment for someone you know very well.

Otherwise, be careful.

Naturally, in origin, this one is just an adjective form of “fat”. It originated in the late 14^th Century, and is attested as a name for a fat person from 1797.

Example in a sentence: “Hey, fatty! Good to see you!”

Heffer

Finally, we have heffer.

This one is definitely as insulting as any of the others if you don’t know the person well enough, so it’s again worth being careful.

Despite how harmless this one sounds, it’s still not worth risking upsetting someone.

It originates, probably, from the Heffalump character in A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh stories.

For a long time, that has been a slang term for a fat person, so this is simply a shortened version.

Example in a sentence: “I won’t lie, I’ve become a bit of a heffer over the holidays.”

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Slang can be a tricky thing, and ultimately someone else’s weight is not anyone’s business but their own—so be extremely careful with how you use these phrases!

That said, plainly English is well equipped not only with slang terms for fat person, but with friendly and well-meaning ones that you might use with willing friends.

More in British Slang

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Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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1 thought on “British Slang For Fat Person (8 Examples!)”

Stephen

April 5, 2024 at 4:12 pm

There’s a lot of accurate and well-written content here – surprising for an ad site! But I did notice one incorrect entry. Under “British slang for Fat Person,” the word given as “heffer” should be spelled “heifer” – its original meaning is “a young cow.”