Editorial

N Dubz Reunion: 5 slang phrases heard in lyrics and what they mean

• 18th May 2022

The news is out – N Dubz are officially reuniting with a brand new single and arena tour after 10 years apart. 

Whether you were a die-hard fan who had the iconic tracks on your retro MP3 player, or simply knew of hit singles such as ‘Number 1’, it’s a common fact that the band loved to establish their Northwest London identity in their lyrics. 

With this in mind, the team of language experts at Preply have analysed the words featured in some of N Dubz’s biggest hits to provide a roundup of Northwest London slang phrases and what they mean. 

Bunkin’- heard in ‘Better Not Waste My Time’ 

In the song ‘Better Not Waste My Time’, Fazer talks about school life and ‘bunkin” all his lessons in the bathroom. 

As it’s implied, the term refers to skipping school or missing lessons – safe to say quite a few of us wanted to be as rebellious as Fazer back in the day! 

Gassed – heard in ‘Girls’ 

You could say fans were indeed ‘gassed’ when they heard about N Dubz joining forces again. 

As heard in ‘Girls’, a ‘gassed’ person is someone who is simply overwhelmed with emotion, and cannot hold their excitement in. 

Bang Bang Shoes – heard in ‘I Need You’ 

You may have heard of popular vegan dish bang bang cauliflower, but have you heard of ‘bang bang shoes’? 

In ‘I Need You’, Tulisa raps the iconic line ‘he left me standing in my LBD, and bang bang shoes’. 

While it’s unclear that Tulisa was wearing an elegant pair of heels or flashy trainers, we can still conclude that she was wearing some really nice footwear. Joke’s on the guy for not noticing! 

Pickney – heard in ‘Shoulda Put Something On’  

Although you would assume this slang word is short for ‘picnic’, it actually does not have any reference to outdoor dining at all. 

As told in the hit song ‘Should Put Something On’, ‘pickney’ refers to a child and how the band were too young to even begin thinking about starting a family. 

Maddas – heard in ‘Wouldn’t You’ 

A classic Northwest London slang phrase – ‘maddas’ is used to describe something that is so mad (or so good) that you cannot explain it. 

It is heard in the hit song ‘Wouldn’t You’ and is directed at another half who may or may not be crazy about you.