What it means
Nosh means food or a quick bite when you want something proper in you. It feels casual, filling, and a bit old-school British, not fancy or dressed up. A nosh-up is a bigger spread or a hearty meal. Just don’t confuse it with nosh off, which is a different rude phrase entirely.
Usage examples
"Fancy a bit of nosh after work? I’m hanging, so let’s hit that new Thai place and get something proper in us."
"Fancy a bit of nosh after the second half of the West Ham match at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday afternoon, I am proper hanging from the four pints at the Queen's Head before kick-off, so let us hit that new Thai place on the Roman Road and get something genuinely filling and spicy in us before the tube ride home to Stratford."
"My nan in Hackney puts on a proper nosh-up every Boxing Day at the small terraced house on Mare Street with the whole family of seventeen people squeezed around the dining table extended into the hallway, roasts a turkey of nine kilos with all the trimmings of the East End tradition, and the leftover sandwiches on the white sliced bread last until Wednesday at lunch."
"We’re not doing candles and tiny plates tonight, I just want some proper nosh and a pint."
"Grab us a bit of nosh on your way back, I’ve been grafting all day and I’m starving."
Voice comments
No one has left their voice yet. Break the ice.
Where it comes from
It comes from Yiddish nashn, meaning to nibble or snack, with older roots in German naschen. The word travelled into British English through Jewish communities, especially in London’s East End, then settled into wider everyday speech as a cosy, no-fuss way to mean food or a bite to eat.
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.
