Meanings
- Multicultural London Englishpluralplural onlythe police.
2011, Chyna, How I Escaped a Girl Gang: Rolling in a London Girl Gang, Hachette UK →ISBN I had the role of lookout, scouting for boydem while Candice forced open the door by slipping a knife into the actual lock itself, or smashing the window in, her hoodie wrapped round her fist.
2 more examples
Used to scream and shout and threaten to call the boydem when I showed my face.
2013, Polly Courtney, Feral Youth, Troubador Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 11'Why d'you think the boydem showed up when they did, huh?' Tilly snapped.
2014, Rohan Gavin, Knightley and Son: K-9, A&C Black, →ISBN, page 170Synonyms: police
Synonyms & antonyms
nounthe police.
Origin
From Caribbean pidgin, equivalent to boy + them.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
boydem. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boydem
“boydem.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boydem. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “boydem,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boydem.
Source: boydem on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.