(Cockney) Rhyming Slang is believed to have originated in the early 19th in the East End of London. It replaces a common word with a phrase constructed of one or two words. It’s original purpose is not known for but it is commonly referred to as a code intentionally designed to confuse listeners. It is informal and rhymes with it’s meaning. Rhyming slang can often also be abbreviated which can confuse listeners. Often people also create new Rhyming Slang using their imagination and it may be possible to guess the meaning. If Rhyming Slang was originally created as a code, it will be less effective these days as a lot it is generally known or understood. Someone who is Cockney is a native of East London and a ‘true’ Cockney is said to be someone who is born within distance of the sound of St Mary-le-Bow Church (The Bow Bells).
The amount of vocabulary generated in Rhyming Slang is impossible to quantify but there are many words and expressions for many situations. In this blog, we will look at some very common ones. Whilst people will sometimes have different opinions on what means what,
Dog and bone (phone)
Called ‘dog’ for short
Harry, your wife is on the dog and bone (dog)
The dog‘s ringing, can someone answer it please?
Mince pies (eyes)
Mince pies are traditional pies that are eaten at Christmas.
Often called minces for short.
Open your minces and look at what you doing!
She has beautiful mince pies.
Apples and pears (stairs)
Be careful when you are coming the apples and pears!
It is healthier to take the apples and pears rather than the lift.
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There are other popular examples such as:
jam jar (car)
Mars Bar (scar)
Barnet fair (hair)
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What about Benny’s, nifty, pen and ink, two and eight and plates of meat?
If you would like to have a class in Rhyming Slang, out of curiosity or would like to impress someone, you can book classes with us. Your teacher will be a CELTA qualified teacher from London. We also specialise is helping with pronunciation, IELTS, legal English, general English and business English.