Love Island UK has become the ultimate summer guilty pleasure. From the promiscuous games to the infamous Casa Amor monkey wrench thrown at the islanders halfway through their journey, the drama-filled series is some of the best, most addicting reality TV you will watch. Thirteen countries have hosted the Love Island Franchise, and the biggest and most viewed is Love Island UK. According to Deadline, the most recent season broke the record for five million viewers. And with the Season 8 finale dropping on Hulu on August 16, there’s no better time to catch up on the show — and the British slang used by the islanders.
The hilarious phrases and flirty terms coined by Love Island have to be the most charming, if also confusing, part of watching the show. Many of these words and phrases from Love Island are British slang and became amplified through the show’s popularity — though that doesn’t mean those of us outside the UK always know what they’re talking about. If you’ve found yourself frantically looking up terms while watching the show, don’t worry — we’ll break them down for you. Here are seven need-to-know phrases.
- Pull you for a chat
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When you “pull someone for a chat,” you take them to a private location around the villa and either make up or break up. This phrase might be the most popular Love Island UK saying, and it’s often the go-to in the TikTok parodies.
- Crack on
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When two islanders crack on, they are essentially developing a relationship and working on a connection. Those who do well on Love Island are usually good at cracking on, and it’s pretty much the point of the show.
- Mugged off
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When someone mugs you off in a relationship, they treat you poorly or like you’re stupid — think getting dumped, lied to, or something of that nature. The likelihood of being mugged off is pretty high in the villa, but the key is to brush it off if you can. Think of the Season 7 chaos when Liam returned from Casa Amor and completely embarrassed Millie.
- Grafting
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To graft is to flirt. If an islander is attracted to another islander but doesn’t have an immediate “spark,” they will usually graft. The art of grating is a survival tactic in the Love Island villa. Danica Taylor, a Season 8 fan favorite, is the grafting queen!
- Banter
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Flirtatious remarks back and forth are the basis of any good banter. It’s pretty much a friendly exchange of witty comments between two people, and it keeps a relationship alive.
- Gutted
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When islanders announce they’re “gutted,” they’re emotionally devastated. It is usually because someone they were coupled with “cracked on” or found a connection with someone else. Here it is in a sentence: Unfortunately, the love triangle between Yewande, Danny, and Arabella in Season 5 left Yewande gutted after Danny recoupled with Arabella.
- Are you taking the piss?
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When an islander says, “Are you taking the piss?” you can translate it as, “Are you joking?” Islanders usually say it once they find out gossip about other islanders in the villa.