Slang dictionary
mandem
or man dem [man-dem] or [mahn-dem]
What does mandem mean?
Mandem is UK slang for a group of men or people in general, like one’s crew, boys, or mates.
Where does mandem come from?
Mandem comes from the Caribbean English “man” and “them.” Recorded in the 2000s, mandem is associated with the Multicultural London English, especially common in the East End of London and among working-class youth.
British singer Jessie J—who used mandem in her 2010 song “Do It Like a Dude” (“We can do it like the mandem,” or boys)—explained the term in an interview with TV host Jonathan Ross, saying it’s a “street term” for the “boys you roll with.”
Examples of mandem
Who uses mandem?
Outside of its use in UK slang for “men,” mandem has made some prominent appearances in popular British culture.
And they thought Carles had no mates! #Squad #Mandem #AVFC pic.twitter.com/wjeRyzBuF2
— Holte (@TheHolteTweets) July 29, 2015
The Best Mandem!! 👊🏾👊🏾👊🏾 https://t.co/xcukdM57AO pic.twitter.com/aHhhabH3YV
— RYRY (@RyanNile) December 4, 2018
In 2011, Joivan Wade, Dee Kaate, and Percelle Ascott created the YouTube comedy series “Mandem on the Wall.”
Mandem was defined as a “group of men, typically gang members” in Polly Courtney’s 2013 Feral Youth, a novel set in South London.
Grime artist, Novelist, (Kojo Kankam) employed a more woke use of the term mandem in his 2018 song “Stop Killing the Mandem”:
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of mandem like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of mandem that will help our users expand their word mastery.