peng

Peng is London slang for attractive, or just really good. A person can be peng, but so can food, trainers or a song. The superlative is “pengest.”

What does peng mean?

Peng is an all-purpose word of approval. Said about a person, it means good-looking (“she’s peng”). Said about food, it means delicious (“this jerk chicken is peng”). Said about almost anything else, it means great. It is strongly associated with London and Multicultural London English, and with UK music like grime and drill.

How to use it

• “That new burger place is actually peng.”
• “Those trainers are peng, where’d you get them?”
• “Everyone at the party was saying he’s peng.”
• “Best chicken shop in the area? This one, easily the pengest.”

You will often hear it paired with ting: a “peng ting” is an attractive person, though like “ting” on its own, that phrase can sound objectifying.

Where it comes from

Peng’s exact origin is unclear. It has been part of London youth slang since at least the 2000s and spread nationally through UK music and social media. Some people link it to Caribbean influences on London speech, but there is no settled answer, so be wary of anyone who claims a precise source.

Related terms

• ting: thing, or an attractive girl
• leng: another London word in the same family
• bruv: brother, mate
• peak: in UK slang, unlucky or bad
• bare: in UK slang, lots of

See more terms like this in our British slang dictionary.