wasteman

A wasteman is a useless, annoying or worthless person. It is a London slang insult for someone who wastes everyone’s time: unreliable, lazy, all talk, or just irritating.

What does wasteman mean?

Calling someone a wasteman means you think they contribute nothing. It might be the friend who always cancels, the guy who borrows money and never pays it back, or someone acting big online with nothing to back it up. It is a put-down, but between friends it is often used as light banter.

You will also hear the shorter “waste,” as in “he’s such a waste,” and the female version “wastegyal.”

How to use it

• “He cancelled again? Proper wasteman.”
• “Stop being a wasteman and help me carry this.”
• “Some wasteman parked across my driveway.”
• “Ignore him, he’s a wasteman online and quiet in real life.”

Where it comes from

Wasteman is part of the London slang often called Multicultural London English, which borrows heavily from Jamaican Patois. Its exact first use is unclear, but it became widely known through grime, UK rap and British comedy, and it is now understood across the UK.

Related terms

• roadman: a young guy into street culture
• mandem: your group of guy friends
• bruv: brother, mate
• gassed: hyped up, or talking rubbish
• noob: a beginner, the gaming equivalent of useless

See more terms like this in our British slang dictionary.