Cheeky Nandos

2011catchphraseclassic

Published August 17, 2026

Cheeky Nandos is a British slang phrase for a casual trip to the Nando's restaurant chain that went viral in late 2014 alongside selfies of young men throwing the A-OK hand gesture. The phrase confused Americans so badly in 2015 that it kicked off a wave of explainer articles from UK media.

british memesslang memesfast food memescatchphrase memesmid 2010s memes

Overview

Cheeky Nandos is a British slang phrase describing a casual, spontaneous trip to the Nando's restaurant chain1. Starting in late 2014, the phrase started trending online alongside selfies of young men throwing the A-OK hand gesture, usually paired with heavy lad-culture captions3.

The word "cheeky" in British English describes irreverent or mischievous behavior, and slapping it in front of Nando's turned an ordinary chicken meal into shorthand for a specific flavor of UK lad energy2. The phrase is inseparable from a very particular aesthetic of skinny jeans, gym vests, and hair gel that Urban Dictionary contributors documented in painful detail2.

Origin & Background

Platform
SoundCloud / Twitter (viral spread)
Date
2011

The exact origin is unclear, but the earliest known use of the phrase appears in a hip hop track uploaded to SoundCloud by user Buzy Ray on November 25th, 20113. The next notable sighting came on September 26th, 2012, when Flickr user Finn Harries posted a photograph of himself pointing at a plate of food with the caption "having an exceptionally cheeky Nandos"3.

How It Spread

The phrase picked up Twitter traction on January 19th, 2014, when user Marcus Butler tweeted about "cheeky Nandos" and pulled in over 3,400 favorites and 820 retweets across the next two years3. On October 26th, 2014, Twitter user @LukeLiddle posted a photograph of singer Morrissey throwing the A-OK hand sign on stage with the caption "When your Nandos is extra cheeky"3.

Urban Dictionary caught on in late 2014, when user CheekiPeriPeri submitted an entry on December 21st tying the phrase to men wearing "skin-tight pants" and an "orgy of gel"2. A follow-up entry from user Rekt92 on March 27th, 2015 defined it as slang used by "fuckboys" on social media2. On May 9th, 2015, Tumblr user ahrned reblogged an explainer post that pulled over 58,300 notes in 72 hours3.

The confusion turned international on May 12th, 2015, when BuzzFeed published a listicle of cheeky Nando's tweets alongside a separate article about baffled Americans3. Cosmopolitan UK followed with a piece describing how Tumblr had "descended into a pit of mass confusion and laughing at Americans" trying to work out what a cheeky Nando's even was1.

How to Use This Meme

The format typically pairs a selfie or group photo with a caption invoking "cheeky Nandos," often with the A-OK hand gesture3. Common conventions include heavy use of British lad vocabulary like "the lads," "top banter," and "smash it," plus references to skinny jeans, hype vests, and trips to the gym2.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cheeky Nandos

2011catchphraseclassic

Published August 17, 2026

Cheeky Nandos is a British slang phrase for a casual trip to the Nando's restaurant chain that went viral in late 2014 alongside selfies of young men throwing the A-OK hand gesture. The phrase confused Americans so badly in 2015 that it kicked off a wave of explainer articles from UK media.

british memes slang memes fast food memes catchphrase memes mid 2010s memes

Overview

Cheeky Nandos is a British slang phrase describing a casual, spontaneous trip to the Nando's restaurant chain1. Starting in late 2014, the phrase started trending online alongside selfies of young men throwing the A-OK hand gesture, usually paired with heavy lad-culture captions3.

The word "cheeky" in British English describes irreverent or mischievous behavior, and slapping it in front of Nando's turned an ordinary chicken meal into shorthand for a specific flavor of UK lad energy2. The phrase is inseparable from a very particular aesthetic of skinny jeans, gym vests, and hair gel that Urban Dictionary contributors documented in painful detail2.

Origin & Background

Platform
SoundCloud / Twitter (viral spread)
Date
2011

The exact origin is unclear, but the earliest known use of the phrase appears in a hip hop track uploaded to SoundCloud by user Buzy Ray on November 25th, 20113. The next notable sighting came on September 26th, 2012, when Flickr user Finn Harries posted a photograph of himself pointing at a plate of food with the caption "having an exceptionally cheeky Nandos"3.

How It Spread

The phrase picked up Twitter traction on January 19th, 2014, when user Marcus Butler tweeted about "cheeky Nandos" and pulled in over 3,400 favorites and 820 retweets across the next two years3. On October 26th, 2014, Twitter user @LukeLiddle posted a photograph of singer Morrissey throwing the A-OK hand sign on stage with the caption "When your Nandos is extra cheeky"3.

Urban Dictionary caught on in late 2014, when user CheekiPeriPeri submitted an entry on December 21st tying the phrase to men wearing "skin-tight pants" and an "orgy of gel"2. A follow-up entry from user Rekt92 on March 27th, 2015 defined it as slang used by "fuckboys" on social media2. On May 9th, 2015, Tumblr user ahrned reblogged an explainer post that pulled over 58,300 notes in 72 hours3.

The confusion turned international on May 12th, 2015, when BuzzFeed published a listicle of cheeky Nando's tweets alongside a separate article about baffled Americans3. Cosmopolitan UK followed with a piece describing how Tumblr had "descended into a pit of mass confusion and laughing at Americans" trying to work out what a cheeky Nando's even was1.

How to Use This Meme

The format typically pairs a selfie or group photo with a caption invoking "cheeky Nandos," often with the A-OK hand gesture3. Common conventions include heavy use of British lad vocabulary like "the lads," "top banter," and "smash it," plus references to skinny jeans, hype vests, and trips to the gym2.

Frequently Asked Questions