(Scotland) Drunk.
Shand's father had missed the whole thing — getting fou in the pub, more than likely—but his mum had been there, in her best green twinset, her court shoes polished to a shine as high as Shand's.
"fou" means: Drunk.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"fou" means: Drunk.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
"fou" means: Drunk.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Add your own interpretation of "fou".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Browse all slang words starting with F.
(dialectal, chiefly, Scotland) fool.
(Scotland) houseleek.
Fule is a Scottish dialectal spelling and pronunciation of 'fool' — the way the word sounds in broad Scots speech. It's the kind of term you'll encounter in Scottish literature, dialect writing, and still occasionally in everyday speech in Scotland, especially among older speakers or in rural areas. Calling someone a fule has all the same punch as calling them a fool, just dressed in distinctly Scottish phonetics. It's authentic, regional, and carries a certain literary weight from centuries of use.
(slang, dated) Drunk.
No comments yet — say something.
(vulgar) Very drunk.