allow it
/əˈlaʊ ɪt/
Very CommonForget it, leave it alone, or stop doing that. A dismissal or refusal.
Tone matters a lot here. Said calmly it means relax or forget it. Said with sharpness it is a firm no. Can also be self-directed to mean you are giving up on something.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | nah allow it, i'm not going out in this rain | Deciding against going out because of the weather. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | allow it bruv, he didn't mean it like that | Drop it, the person did not intend any offence. | tiktok, 2022 |
| 03 | i tried to fix it but allow it, it's not worth the stress | Giving up because the effort outweighs the result. | reddit, 2024 |
| 04 | allow him, he's always like that | Ignore that person, they always behave that way. | instagram, 2023 |
Use it when
- You want to tell someone to drop a topic or stop pressing.
- You are deciding not to bother with something.
- Someone is doing something annoying and you want them to stop.
- A plan is not worth the effort and you are cancelling it.
Do not use it when
- You literally mean to permit or allow something to happen.
Origin and context
Rooted in Jamaican Creole, where allow carries a similar sense of dismissal or refusal. Entered London speech through Caribbean communities and became standard MLE.
- First seen
- 1990s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/london-slang-allow-itUpdated: 2026-08-29License: CC BY 4.0