Peng and butters are opposite verdicts on looks in British slang. Peng — especially in London and Multicultural London English, ultimately of Jamaican Patois origin — means attractive or excellent: 'that's peng,' 'peng ting' for an attractive girl. Butters means the opposite: ugly, unattractive — and it's offensive, so it's used with care.
| Dimension | peng | butters |
|---|---|---|
| Category | 🇬🇧 British & Irish slang | 🇬🇧 British & Irish slang |
| Region | UK | UK |
| Lifecycle | Mainstream | — |
| First attested | ~2005 | ~2000 |
| Generation | gen z | gen z |
| Views | 3.1K | 199 |
| Editorial status | community | community |
British slang (especially London / MLE) for attractive or excellent. "Peng ting" = attractive girl; "that's peng" = that's great. Multicultural London English; ultimately of Jamaican Patois origin. Spread nationally via UK rap, drill, and school playgrounds in the 2010s.
“"Her outfit last night was peng."”
Ugly; unattractive. Offensive; use with care.
“"Don't be butters about it."”
UK slang for attractive or excellent — people, food, an outfit.
A blunt, offensive put-down of someone's looks — not casual banter.
Butters is a genuine insult, not a lighthearted jab the way some slang put-downs are — treating it as harmless the way 'mid' gets treated will land badly.
Peng and butters are opposite verdicts on looks in British slang. Peng — especially in London and Multicultural London English, ultimately of Jamaican Patois origin — means attractive or excellent: 'that's peng,' 'peng ting' for an attractive girl. Butters means the opposite: ugly, unattractive — and it's offensive, so it's used with care.
UK slang for attractive or excellent — people, food, an outfit.
A blunt, offensive put-down of someone's looks — not casual banter.
Butters is a genuine insult, not a lighthearted jab the way some slang put-downs are — treating it as harmless the way 'mid' gets treated will land badly.
They overlap, but not exactly. Butters is a genuine insult, not a lighthearted jab the way some slang put-downs are — treating it as harmless the way 'mid' gets treated will land badly. Use the rest of this page to pick the right one for your context.