Cockney Rhyming Slang

L.O. To understand how words vary across dialects

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

Adam and Eve 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!

Cockney Meaning Example China plate 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

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.