Cockney Rhyming Slang
The true definition of a Cockney is someone born within the sound of Bow Bells. That specifically refers to the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow church in the East End of London, however it’s a term generally applied to indigenous working-class east enders and sometimes, loosely, to any working-class Londoner. The word itself originates from fourteenth century English meaning a cock’s egg; a term used by country folk to refer to town’s people. I imagine the implication was that town-dwellers, being unwise to country ways, would not know that hens, not cocks, lay the eggs!
Cockney Rhyming Slang (CRS) is not a language because all of the words used are clearly English, neither can it be called a dialect because those who use it are perfectly capable of not using it. Here’s how it works: Words, usually nouns, are substituted by a pair of words, the second of which rhymes with the original word – but, usually, only the first word of the pair is used. Confused? Read on.
The best way to illustrate the above is by example. The CRS for stairs is ‘apples and pears’, so the word used is ‘apples’. “I’m just going upstairs” becomes “I’m just going up the apples”!
Here are some other CRS words that are still in common use:
Arse= Khyber (Khyber Pass) so “Stick it up your khyber.”
Mate= China (China Plate) so “ How are yer, me old china?”
Phone= Dog (Dog and Bone) so “ I’ll give him a dog tonight.”
Look= Butchers (Butcher’s Hook) so “Take a butchers at Tom’s new jam jar [=car].”
Things can get really obscure sometimes when a double link is used. For example, Arse (again!) can sometimes be Aris. This is from Aris being short for Aristotle, which rhymes with bottle for which the rhyming slang is ‘Bottle and Glass’ and glass rhymes with arse! There are no rules!
If you are new to this try translating the following and I will post the answers in a couple of days:
1) She’s got beautiful minces.
2) She may be his skin and blister but she’s nothing like him.
3) I can’t see. Where’s me gregs?
4) I bought a new whistle for me wedding.
5) What a lovely pair of bristols she’s got!
It’s a living culture and new slang for modern words appear all of the time.
Cockney Rhyming Slang (CRS) is not a language because all of the words used are clearly English, neither can it be called a dialect because those who use it are perfectly capable of not using it. Here’s how it works: Words, usually nouns, are substituted by a pair of words, the second of which rhymes with the original word – but, usually, only the first word of the pair is used. Confused? Read on.
The best way to illustrate the above is by example. The CRS for stairs is ‘apples and pears’, so the word used is ‘apples’. “I’m just going upstairs” becomes “I’m just going up the apples”!
Here are some other CRS words that are still in common use:
Arse= Khyber (Khyber Pass) so “Stick it up your khyber.”
Mate= China (China Plate) so “ How are yer, me old china?”
Phone= Dog (Dog and Bone) so “ I’ll give him a dog tonight.”
Look= Butchers (Butcher’s Hook) so “Take a butchers at Tom’s new jam jar [=car].”
Things can get really obscure sometimes when a double link is used. For example, Arse (again!) can sometimes be Aris. This is from Aris being short for Aristotle, which rhymes with bottle for which the rhyming slang is ‘Bottle and Glass’ and glass rhymes with arse! There are no rules!
If you are new to this try translating the following and I will post the answers in a couple of days:
1) She’s got beautiful minces.
2) She may be his skin and blister but she’s nothing like him.
3) I can’t see. Where’s me gregs?
4) I bought a new whistle for me wedding.
5) What a lovely pair of bristols she’s got!
It’s a living culture and new slang for modern words appear all of the time.
posted by Bazza at 1:21 AM
32 Comments:
Melvyn Bragg talks about CRS in "The Adventure of English". As far as I remember he was very complimentary about CRS -in contrast to some intellectuals who like to look down on it.
I can't translate any of your challenges as yet.
A recent CRS term which I find amusing is "Becks and Posh" which means nosh (food) - but it might have been even more amusing if it had meant dosh (money).
(For anyone from far off lands Becks is one of the richest footballers on the planet and he is married to Posh who is a successful pop star.)
What a fascinating post, bazza. I absolutely have no clue what those words mean, so I am not looking at Rob's response until I am done typing this. Super post! Is this how the term Bubble and Squeak got started?
rob: I think you will kick yourself (metaphorically!) when you see the answers. I did know about 'Becks and Posh'. I am sure she will be known world-wide as one of the ghastly Spice Girls!
gem: Well, Gem, at least you have an excuse not to know them but I am a bit surprised at Rob (above). Bubble and squeak is made from left-over vegatables and, formerly, remains of the Sunday roast, all mixed up with mashed potatoes and shallow-fried. Nowadays it's usually vegetarian. I'm far to posh to eat it. My wife does something wonderful with leftovers; she throws 'em away! The term Bubble & Squeak is onomatopoeic, supposedly immitating the sound of frying cabbage and mash. Blimey.
Wow! What fun.
The only one that's obvious to me is twin sister for skin and blister. I'm going to have to ponder the rest. A lovely diversion!
pentha: You are almost right with twin sister; it's simply 'sister'! As it happens 'twin sister' fits well with 'skin and blister' doesn't it? This is one of the rhymimg slang expressions where both words are always used.
I am completely lost, but also love this post, because at least now I have a better understanding about what I have no understanding about. I always wondered about the mysteries of Cockney, and at least now I have some clue as to where it all comes from.
I'll take a shot in the dark from a totally ignorant perspective here based solely on sentence structure because I love games, even if I'm way off.
1. I'm gonna guess that she's got beautiful minces is eyes. It just seems to fit for the sentence structure for #1.
5. Which then brings me to #5 which because of the wording there it would seem to be, um, referring to another part of female anatomy that comes in pairs a bit lower than the eyes ;)
2. Because this is like another term flesh and blood, I'm gonna guess a female relative like a sister or something similar.
3. It seems a little obvious to guess eyeglasses here, but I'll go with the obvious :)
4. I have no idea, but wonder if it is some sort of attire (a suit or dress?)
LOL
Thanks for this absolutely delightful post!!!
Peace, joy and Love be with you Bazza this lovely weekend.
This is totally facinating Bazza and although I haven't a clue what they mean, I will enjoy reading the answers when you post them. Cockney seems as much a mystery to me as the secret Argentine language Lunfardo(although my friends are always trying to teach me.)I'm no expert but etymology always turns me on!
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1. eyes, 2. whore, 3. must be glasses or specs, but that is unfounded, 4 no idea, and 5. again, I don't know.
I typed the above, then read the comments, I can't add or change anything, I leave it as is. The second one, Bazza, I say whore because of 'sore', I see that is blister/sister? Bristols, I don't know what bristol is, except some liquor I think I have heard of, Bristol creme? But that doesn't give me anything either.
Great info tho, Bazza, a real privelege to know this stuff, I had no idea.
In the US, there is a word game but it is not so used as this CRS is. It is to move the first letter of two adjacent words around, as for 'a hard day' one says, 'a dard hay'. And that can get fun at times, but no one actually talks that way, but there is a long poem written thereby, I will try to remember it and bring it to you.
Thanks for a great post and much brain exercise, lol, a lot for me!
By the way, just thought of it, in Hebrew R and N together are 'stridulous' as a stridulous sound, so it is slightly onomatopedic, but not completely, from that idea, one might say, rain, strain, brain, train, crane, refrain, and so on, follow suit.
And for me, the Arabic follows and borrows from the Hebrew, not the other way around, so claiming influence in Spanish from the Arabic, is just another case of denying the influence of the Hebrew. Just a note, my opinion.
serenity: You were right about minces being eyes. The CRS is 'mince pies'! Again, your instinct was right about No.5 (in Brit English No. = #). But I won't say why just yet because someone might know it. In fact, your intinct was pretty good on all of your answers. I think your ancestors must have crossed the Atlantic on the QE2 rather than The Mayflower.
lexa: It is postulated that CRS originated when market traders wanted to communicate with each other without their customers knowing what they were saying. Maybe Lunfardo would have been slightly more obscure! The east end of London was the area where all the Jewish immigrants came to at the turn of the last century so there was a strong tradition of Yiddish for a long time. It's still amusing to hear words like 'spiel' (play or gamble) being pronounced the anglicized way: 'speel' instead of 'shpeel'.
jim: Again, your instincts are right about No.1 and No.3 but wrong about No.2. I'll probably post the answers on Monday evening.
It's interesting about the Hebrew influence on Spanish. I don't think that fact is widely appreciated. Thanks for the input. The great thing about blogging is how we can all learn off of each other.
Whistle = suit (whistle and flute).
How I know that, I have no idea.
Hey, Jim! I do use moving words around as a rejoinder. No, my rejoinders aren't that spiffy (that's why blog is named for lame-o comebacks that come to me too late). Anyway, if someone says to me, "I'll bust on your blog," I'll say, "I'll blog your bust." You get the idea. It's about as hip as saying, "Yeah, you are." (with the emphasis on yeah.)
emma: Yep, you got it. That's exactly right.
jim: In my previous comment I forgot to say that Bristol Cream is a sherry that was imported into Bristol docks from Jerez in Spain.
Sherry is a fortified wine made in Spain almost exclusively for the British market. 'Harvey's Bristol Cream' is probably still the best-selling sherry in the UK.
gem: I don't think I should comment on a private conversation between you and Jim!
This is very interesting. my mind keep thinking but still have no clue what those words mean.
Post your answer quick. :)
You opened out a new world Bazza! My only understanding of cockney is contained in the references Prof. higgins made in My Fair Lady. Dropping aitches do not make English any less colorful.
benny
pink ginger: I promise to reveal all on Monday!
benny: Sometimes the importance of sub-cultures is overlooked. Slang can have a pivital role in helping small groups to define themselves. Glad you enjoyed this post! Check out the answers on Monday evening.
I have come nowhere close to an answer for any of them. In the spirit of the game, I yell “calf rope.” It is an obscure colloquialism used in this part of the world. I will write the meaning of the phrase on a small scrap of paper and tape it to the leg of a migratory bird. The prize for the first person to find the scrap of paper will be one migratory bird.
I've heard these in use (albeit not as habit):
butcher's (something my brother says)
bristol ships?
and blister.
I'd forgotten mince pies and whistle and flute.
... Australia and New Zealand probably absorbed some of it from tv programmes, more so than handed down through the generations.
I'd say there are a few web sites devoted to this, if anyone's interested... yes, Wikipedia has one (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockney_rhyming_slang).
But I'm still none the wiser on Gregs.
Can we make cockney rhymiing slang out of Blair?
Blair and Cherry? so Blair can be called in Cockney as Pit or (Pitt!)
You might say it doesn' t rhyme.
Yes Blair and Pit don't rhyme; nor does Blair make sense.
benny
the secret of adsense a gift to you in my blog
slaghammer: 'calf rope'? I think it means 'Don't you dare come in this house with those muddy shoes. You treat this place like a hotel. Just you wait until your father gets home.' Am I close?
stephen: All will be revealed very shortly!
benny; That's convoluted enough to be CRS!
adsens master: Yeah, right.
Here are the answers to the Cockney Rhyming Slang Quiz.
1) She’s got beautiful minces. Minces = Mince Pies = Eyes
2) She may be his skin and blister but she’s nothing like him. Skin & Blister=Sister
3) I can’t see. Where’s me gregs? Gregs=Gregory Pecks= Specs=Spectacles
4) I bought a new whistle for me wedding. Whistle=Whistle & Flute=Suit
5) What a lovely pair of bristols she’s got! This needs a slightly longer explanation:
This originates from the time when Bristol was the second largest port in England, after London. Sailors went the ‘New World’ bringing tobacco products from Bristol, Virginia. This was known as travelling between the Bristol cities. You can probably work out the CRS for ‘Bristol Cities’. If not, email me!
LOL, funny stuff Bazza, I am proud about the Bristol liquor, I knew that from somewhere. Bristol cities huh, lol. very funny.
Gem, that is a great game, I have heard that done and it is impressive, I had forgotten about it. Thanks for the information, I enjoyed it.
PS: I think I'll blog your see. lol.
Jim--By George I think you've got it! A fast study, huh?
Darn, darn, darn! I didn't see this until you'd posted the answers and I'm sure I would have won this contest. And pigs fly.
But I was right about the minces.
jim: I have even heard 'Harvey's' used as an extended slang term for 'Bristols'!
gem: There must be some interesting things to say about ripostes that you think of the next day. Is that the figurative meaning of 'l'espirit de scalier'?
mimi: The great thing about CRS is that you could easily make your own words up. The trouble is that nobody would know what you were talking about!
A true cockney is born within the sound of the bells from St Marys in Cheapside hence within the square mile of the city of London, not Bow.
Well, damn. I knew all of your CRS terms. But I didn't find this page until today, 6 August 2008.
I admit I didn't know Gregory Peck, but I knew "specs" anyway.
Just let me get on me whistle and titfer, and pull me daisies on me plates, and I'll be ready to toddle down the apples.
Hi Sandman. You probably noticed that I don't maintain this blog any more but I will be back soon.
Thanks for your comment. Bazza.
ol my days, some o' youz egg yokers aint got a bleeding scooby, this is 'am n cheesey.
1.eyes
2.sister
3.specs
4.suit
5.titties
you wanna learn cockney slang pop in an eastend boozer n rabbit n pork to an ol' pot n pan, although 'e may not welcome a top hat!
well done Bazza me ol' currant bun, make it harder next time though. ;)
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