Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

...to make a UK map of slang for bunking off lessons...

136 replies

WalkDontWalk · 08/10/2025 15:24

This is a spin-off from another thread....

Skipping lessons or entire days of school was 'bunking off' where I grew up - which was Sarf London.

There's an Arctic Monkeys song in which Alex mentions 'she wagged English and Science', which I checked with a friend from Sheffield, and it means what I thought it meant.

I think you could make a map of the UK by plotting regional slang for skipping lessons.

OP posts:
Mokel · 08/10/2025 16:07

skiving - Midlands

Shadowhunter12 · 08/10/2025 16:06

Mitching when I grew up in South Wales

Chiaseedling · 08/10/2025 16:03

London - bunked off

Arlanymor · 08/10/2025 16:02

Mitching, but I believe da yoof now call it sagging off... (south Wales).

DollyPinkDaydream · 08/10/2025 16:01

Bunking/bunking off - Sarf East Land-dan / Norf Kent

elliesmummy19 · 08/10/2025 16:00

Mitching- south Wales

Bernadinetta · 08/10/2025 15:59

Skiving, and by extension “playing skivvy”
NE England

Bananalanacake · 08/10/2025 15:58

Ex DP who went to school in Glasgow also called it dogging. He thinks it's hilarious that term now means having sex in car parks.

the5percentclub · 08/10/2025 15:57

Dogging/dogging off/dogging it - Glasgow

MemorableTrenchcoat · 08/10/2025 15:56

PrincessAnne5Eva · 08/10/2025 15:32

Skiving in my area meant sitting chatting in class doing no work, not physically being absent from the lesson.

It means both in Scotland. Also skiving off is used for actually playing truant.

VictoriaEra · 08/10/2025 15:55

Manchester - skiving was getting out of work, but wagging was missing classes.

LaMarschallin · 08/10/2025 15:54

On the mung: South Wales (near Swansea)

PauliesWalnuts · 08/10/2025 15:52

Wagging - North Mcr. Skiving is just wasting time in general e.g. taking 20 mins to come back from the staff room after delivering a message to another teacher etc.

BethBynnag86 · 08/10/2025 15:52

Sagging off -Liverpool

scorpiogirly · 08/10/2025 15:51

Mooching South Wales

HarlequinHare · 08/10/2025 15:50

Skiving off - Essex

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 08/10/2025 15:49

Mitching - SW England.

Ablondiebutagoody · 08/10/2025 15:48

Wagging - East Midlands

WhyamIinahandcartandwherearewegoing · 08/10/2025 15:48

Skidging - west coast Scotland

nornironlady · 08/10/2025 15:46

On the beak/beek? Belfast

Londondreamer · 08/10/2025 15:45

Wagging it - West Midlands

IAmThePrettiestManOnMyIsland · 08/10/2025 15:40

Dogging it - East Midlands

Somnambule · 08/10/2025 15:35

Twagging/twagging off. East Yorkshire.

CraftyNavySeal · 08/10/2025 15:34

There’s a quiz here that maps all the different words we use www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/15/upshot/british-irish-dialect-quiz.html

PennyShine · 08/10/2025 15:33

We called it mitching in Co Antrim too.

Swipe left for the next trending thread