Cockney
…a secret language?
When we talk about Cockney…
…in general we refer to an old British
accent, spoken in the Cockney area of
London.
To be a true Londoner,
a Cockney,
you have to be born within the
hearing distance of the bells of St.
Mary Le Bow, in the City of
London…
Geography of Cockney English:
The term “Cockney“
Definition
a cock‘s egg, a misshapen egg such as occasionally laid
by young hens
Historical reference
17th century
Cockney was used by country folk to refer to town’s folk
who were considered being ignorant of the established
customs and country ways.
In other words they wanted to express that city people
didn’t know anything about the tough life and were so
called “verweichlicht”.
Today
Natives of London use the term with respect and pride –
“Cockney Pride”.
Cockney English
Cockney is characterized by its own special
vocabulary and usage and traditionally by its own
development of “rhyming slang”.
The rhyming slang was invented in the early mid
1800’s, used by the tongue of the London street
traders in attempt to conceal their often illegal activities
from the recently established police force.
What exactly is “Cockney rhyming slang”?
Definitions
a code of speaking
“Cockney rhyming slang uses a conjunction
of words, whose last is used to suggest a
rhyme, which is its definition.“
Or
“A slang, in which the word intended is
replaced by a phrase that rhymes with it,
the rhyming word is then dropped and
becomes understood.“
Example:
take the word:
“Lies“ rhymes with:
leave out “Pies“:
replace Lies by Pork:
Lies
Pork pies
Pork Pies
Lies Pork
If you now translate the sentence:
“Lügst du?”
It would be in cockney rhyme slang:
“Are you telling porks?”
Further information . . .
In the Cockney language not only one word was replaced, but the
whole sentence until it was all coded.
In the 18th century this coded language spread out fast. Of course, the
police was not dumb and learned the language as well.
The secret language lost its original meaning.
Today a large amount of these coded words are part of the daily
language in London.
A for 'Orses .................. ('ay for 'orses)
B for Mutton .................. (Beef or Mutton)
C for Miles ................... (See for Miles)
D for Ential .................. (Differential)
E for Brick ................... ('eave a Brick)
F for Vescence ................ (Effervescence)
G for Get It .................. (Gee, forget it!)
H for Bless You ............... (Aitsshfa! A Sneeze)
I for The Engine .............. (Ivor the Engine)
J for Oranges ................. (Jaffa Oranges)
K for Restaurant .............. (Cafe or Restaurant)
L for Leather ................. ('ell for Leather)
M for Sis' .................... (Emphasis)
N for Lope .................... (Envelope)
O for The Wings Of A Dove ..... (O! for the Wings of a
Dove!)
P for Relief .................. (?!?!)
Q for A Bus ................... (Queue for a Bus)
R for Mo' ..................... ('alf a Mo')
S for Rantzen ................. (Esther Rantzen)
T for Two ..................... (Tea for Two)
U for Me ...................... (You for Me)
V for La France ............... (Vive la France)
W for The Winnings ............ (Double you for the
Winnings)
X for Breakfast ............... (Eggs for Breakfast)
Y for Husband ................. (Wife or Husband)
Z for Wind .................... (Zephyr Wind)
Cockney rhyming slang is used in British English by many people
in their everyday speech. Today you can hear several established
terms used in conversations throughout Britain…
• "Let's have a butchers at that magazine"
(butcher's hook = look)
• "I haven't heard a dicky bird about it"
(dickie bird = word)
• "Use your loaf and think next time"
(loaf of bread = head)
• "You will have to speak up, he's a bit mutton"
(mutt'n'jeff = deaf)
• "I'm going on my tod"
(tod sloan = alone, or own)
• "Are you going to rabbit all night?"
(rabbit and pork = talk)
… and if you do not know what certain
phrases mean, you can consult a
dictionary. Truly, there is a dictionary
just for Cockney language as well as a
wide range of online dictionaries where
you can look up translations …
Cockney to English
English to Cockney