What it means
Short for aggressive. You use it when someone's coming in hot, getting fighty, mouthy, or giving off that don't-even-look-at-me wrong energy. It can be the person, the mood, or the whole scene. A bloke can be aggro, but so can a pub, a queue, or a football crowd when it feels one spark away from kicking off.
Usage examples
"Don’t go near that geezer at the bar, he’s proper aggro and itching for a scrap. I asked for a cig and he started squaring up."
"Avoid the late train on derby night, it's all aggro, blokes shouting and squaring up over nothing."
"I don't want any aggro, I just came for a quiet pint, so let's not start, yeah?"
"He got proper aggro when the bouncer told him to wait, chest out and chatting like he wanted everyone to bite."
"Let's just sack it off and go somewhere else, this kebab shop's gone a bit aggro since those lads rolled in."
Where it comes from
British colloquial clipping of aggressive, in use by the 1970s and strongly tied to football, skinhead, and street talk. It spread as a quick way to label both a person looking for trouble and the tense, hostile atmosphere around them. Proper short, sharp, and built for moments that feel ready to flare.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Your vote counts
Is this real street talk or have we lost the plot? Cast your vote.
We look after this expression together
If they say it where you live and something is missing here, bring it. A magikito looks at it and adds it.
- An example
- Your patch
- Your voice