bants

Bants is British slang for banter: teasing, joking back-and-forth between friends. “It’s just bants” means “we’re only joking.”

What bants means

Wiktionary defines bants as banter, particularly among men, and spells out where it comes from: “banter” with a jokey -s added, first used in the early 21st century. It’s the sound of a group chat or a pub table where everyone is taking the mickey out of everyone else. Good bants is quick, affectionate and gives as good as it gets.

You’ll also see it spelled “bantz.”

Examples

• “The group chat was top bants last night.”
• “Don’t take it personally, it’s just bants.”
• “He’s good for a few bants but I wouldn’t trust him with a secret.”

When “it’s just bants” isn’t

The word has a reputation. Wiktionary notes that bants is sometimes seen as boorish or chauvinistic, and as a word used to excuse that kind of behavior. “It’s just bants” can be a way of brushing off a joke that was actually cruel, sexist or bullying. If only one person is laughing, it isn’t really banter.

Where it came from

“Banter” itself is centuries old. Merriam-Webster dates the verb to 1653 and the noun to 1660, and calls its origin obscure. The clipped form “bants” is a 21st-century British creation that grew up in lad culture, student life and social media.

Related terms

• Cheeky: playfully rude.
• Bloke: a man.
• Roast: a round of harsh, funny insults.
• Savage: brutally harsh, in a funny way.

See more terms like this in our British slang guide.