gassed

In British slang, being gassed means being really excited or hyped up. “I’m gassed for the weekend” means you can’t wait. Closely related forms mean something different: “gassed up” is being flattered or overhyped, and “gassing” is talking rubbish.

What does gassed mean?

The word covers a little family of meanings, all built on the idea of being pumped full of air:

• Gassed: excited, buzzing. “I’m so gassed, I got the tickets.”
• Gassed up: hyped beyond reason, usually by compliments. “Don’t gas him up, his head’s big enough already.”
• Gassing: talking nonsense, lying or exaggerating. “Stop gassing, you never met him.”

American English has its own close cousin: “gas someone up” means to hype them up, which is used the same way on both sides of the Atlantic.

How to use it

• “Everyone’s gassed for the new album.”
• “He got gassed up by his mates and thinks he can sing now.”
• “You’re gassing, there’s no way that happened.”
• “Not gonna lie, I’m a bit gassed about this job offer.”

Where it comes from

These uses come from UK street and youth slang, popularized through grime, rap and social media. The exact starting point is unclear, but the “pumped full of air” image ties them together: you are inflated with excitement, inflated by praise, or full of hot air.

Related terms

• peng: attractive or really good
• bare: lots of
• peak: unlucky or bad
• wasteman: a useless, annoying person
• innit: “isn’t it”

See more terms like this in our British slang dictionary.