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smeggy

Smeggy is British slang for something bad, foul, inferior, or disgusting, derived from 'smeg' — itself a shortening of smegma.

ˈsmɛɡi126 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🇬🇧 British & Irish slang
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UK
#1·Apr 28, 2026UK

Smeggy is British slang for something bad, foul, inferior, or disgusting, derived from 'smeg' — itself a shortening of smegma. The term gained wide cultural currency through the British sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf, where 'smeg' served as a general-purpose expletive on par with 'crap.' Calling something smeggy implies it is unpleasant, substandard, or generally objectionable. The register is informal, playful, and slightly adolescent, carrying a distinctly British comedic flavour.

The hostel was smeggy at best — peeling wallpaper, broken shower, smelled like old socks.
Origin: Derived from 'smeg,' a shortened form of 'smegma' (from Greek 'smegma,' soap or unguent); popularised as a euphemistic expletive via Red Dwarf. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora.
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK

(UK, slang) Bad, foul, inferior.

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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang

UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.

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