Cockney Rhyming Slang
L.O. To understand how words
vary across dialects
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A dialect found mostly in East London
The principle is to decide what it is you
want to say, and then find words which
bear no real relation to what you're
going to say, but which rhyme loosely
with your phrase.
Cockney rhyming slang used to be a form of Pidgin English
designed so that the working Eastenders could have a right good
chin wag without the toffs knowing that they were talking about
them.
These days people just make it up for a
laugh, so young streetwise Londoners
say things like
'Ah mate, 'ad a right mare I did, got
chucked out me pad and now fings
wiv the trouble and strife have gone
all pete tong!'
Any ideas as to the meaning?
Cockney
Meaning
Example
believe
I don’t Adam and Eve it
Apples and pears
stairs
Get yourself up the apples
and pears
Army and navy
gravy
Pass the army, Son
Artful dodger
lodger
I’ve got an artful to help pay
the rent
Ayrton Senna
Tenner
You owe me an Ayrton
Brass bands
hands
I shook him by the brass
Bread and honey
money
He’s got loads of bread
Bubble bath
laugh
I had a right good bubble
Butcher’s hook
look
Take a butcher’s at that!
Adam and Eve
Cockney
China plate
Meaning
Example
mate
How are you, me old china?
Dicky bird
word
He hasn’t said a dicky bird to
me!
Army and navy
gravy
Pass the gravy, Son
Donkey’s ears
years
I haven’t seen you in donkeys
Frog and toad
road
I was walking down the frog
Lemon squeezy
easy
It was lemon, mate
Rosie lee
tea
If you’re brewing a pot, I’ll
have a rosie
Tom Foolery
jewellery
I gave me Trouble some Tom
Foolery this Christmas
Trouble and strife
wife
I’ve just had a Barney with me
Trouble.
So the English Language is in a
constant state of change
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New words are borrowed from other
countries;
Dialects change in different parts of the
United Kingdom;
Even some slang words eventually get
recognition in the Oxford dictionary when they
become commonly known!
Your next task is to investigate how English
varies.