American in UK 'decodes' two-word British slang with many meanings

An American living in the UK has decoded a commonly used phrase in the UKthat even some Brits don't really know the meaning of. TikTok user@kjordyyy, who regularly documents things he loves and doesn't understand about the UK, joked he was going to help people figure out what 'You alright?' actually means, and said it's all about the tone the words are said in.

"Trouble trying to decode passive-aggressive sarcasm? You’re welcome!" he captioned his video, which started with a blank whiteboard in the middle of a room. He said: "It is no secret that the Brits have mastered the phrase 'You alright?'

"It can mean anything from 'hello' to 'do you need an ambulance?' Welcome to decoding British slang 101."

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The American said the phrase is "so interesting" because it has "so many meanings" and "it's all about how you say it".

He explained it can mean you're "concerned," giving the example of saying it when your "neighbour's cat just died".

The second meaning is "probably the most common" and he spelt and pronounced it "y'll right?" which is a greeting you would say to someone as you "pass by" to be polite.

He said: "No, people, you do not respond back to them. I had to learn that the hard way."

Then, the third way to say it, he referred to as "a bit tekky [technical]" because the emphasis is on the 'you'.

"Someone has bumped into you in the street, you look at them kinda like, YOU alright? Am I gonna have to give you this backhand right now?" he joked.

Number four was one that he said "low key p*****" him off, and it's "you alrightttttt?" because he said they "don't care" about the answer you're going to give.

"They're saying it because they have to," @kjordyyy pointed out, saying that if anyone said it to him in that way he'd give them "the cold shoulder".

He continued: "Last but not least 'You alright?' translation: The passive-aggressive neighbour that saw you do something you weren't supposed to do.

"I was in Clapham one time, and you know when you have like an empty wrapper, I walked by and opened someone random's recycling bin, and put it in there.

"And a dude looks at me and goes 'You alright?' almost like a 'I know what you just did'. He caught me, I'll be honest.

"So if anyone catches you with the 'you alright?' with a question mark, just know, they've seen what you've done and they're onto you."

He joked at the end of the video if you made it this far, you're "now fluent in passive-aggressive greetings".