cockney slang

[ciderally]

new sweeney todd film got me thinking about it

sweeney todd.....flying squad
dog n' bone ..... phone
apples n' pears ... stairs ..........thats all i know...is there much more?

[Bobinovich]

Erm, just a few http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/ :eek:

[gillian17]

Plaster is short for
Plaster of Paris which rhymes with
Ariss which is short for
Aristotle which rhymes with
Bottle which is short for
Bootle and glass which nearly or possibly exactly depending on ones accent rhymes with a vernacular version of your posterior.
And we wonder why it is dying.
Japanese has less syntaxic convolusions.

[scorrie]

Barclay's Bank and Gary Glitter are apparently rhyming slang. No idea what for though?

By the way, I read that poor Gary had a heart-attack recently.

[gillian17]

Gary Glitter is easy
Glitter rhymes with Bitter
Bitter and Ale rhymes with
Cambodian Jail
Barclay's Bank rhymes with
Jodell Bank
JR Rank
NatWest Bank
etc

[neepnipper]

Have to ask my dad, he was born within the sound of Bow bells. One that I can think of is Kate and Sidney........steak and kidney!

[gillian17]

Which Bow Bells?
Its something to do with St (somebody might be Mary) of Bow
Your father will know better than I.

[DeHaviLand]

Barclay's Bank and Gary Glitter are apparently rhyming slang. No idea what for though?

By the way, I read that poor Gary had a heart-attack recently.

Much deserved. Pity about the lack of severity.

[Thumper]

oops...I though gary glitter rhymed with something else...brown watery stuff :eek: that starts with s ...... x

[MadPict]

Jodell Bank


It's Jodrell...

[gillian17]

I know if I walk to the top of the hill I can see it on a clear day.

And I am the one who is meant to be (or claims to be) able to spell!
Sorry

Night boys I am tired.

Speak to you all tomorrow. xx

[Fran]

Have to ask my dad, he was born within the sound of Bow bells. One that I can think of is Kate and Sidney........steak and kidney!

I'm a cockney too!

[JAWS]

The Church where Bow Bells are is called St Mary le Bow. Cockneys are people born within earshot of Bow Bells. I would imagine in this day and age that the use of a particular distance from the Church is used as I would think that with the noise of a busy modern city you would almost have to be in the bell tower to hear them.

The convention with Rhyming Slang was to omit the second part so only the "apples" or the "dog" would be used in speech. If you were unaware of the second part of the rhyme it is difficult to relate "apples" to stairs or "dog" to the phone.
Rhyming slang itself, as in other cases, tends to develop as time goes on in response to recent events of note. As with many other things it's origins are disputed. Suggestions that it was created to mask criminal activities is agreed to by some and hotly disputed by others.

A Whistle is a suit as in Whistle and Flute.
Trouble is a wife as in Trouble and Strife. (Don't blame me for that one ladies!) :eek:

There are hundreds of them so come on folks, some of you must know a few.

[Mik.M.]

Much deserved. Pity about the lack of severity.
Next time hopefully,fingers crossed

[paris]

I'm a cockney too!
And me Fran. jan x

[ciderally]

rub a dub dub...pub

[gillian17]

i always thought rub a dub dub was a sub but if that is the case what is pub. I don't know.
I have just had a butcher's pub can be Rub-A-Dub, nuclear sub, bath tub or wormwood scrubs.
Thanks to Bobinovich for the link.

[ciderally]

i always thought rub a dub dub was a sub but if that is the case what is pub. I don't know.

wasent too sure of that one..seem to remember it from "dell boy"

[gillian17]

To add to your first post.
I haven't looked it up, but my father (Who is not cockney) always used to tell us to "get up the dancer's" meaning stairs from Fred Astaire's.

[ciderally]

To add to your first post.
I haven't looked it up, but my father (Who is not cockney) always used to tell us to "get up the dancer's" meaning stairs from Fred Astaire's.

i like that one...

[northener]

Rhyming slang itself, as in other cases, tends to develop as time goes on in response to recent events of note. As with many other things it's origins are disputed. Suggestions that it was created to mask criminal activities is agreed to by some and hotly disputed by others.

.

The underworld language is called 'Cant'. It has been recorded as far back as the late C16th. An absolutely fascinating subject.

There's certainly a strong case for rhyming slang being used as Cant to mask the true meaning of the conversation.

But, Cant in itself masks the true meaning of words, so there would be no need to mask it further. Unless you wanted to hide your activities from other Cant users.

As Jaws stated, the jury is still out on that one.

.
.

[gillian17]

My Concise Oxford Dictionary, which is not very concise!, defines it as "language peculiar to a specified group: thieves cant. But when I look at the origin it says 16th Century (in sense 'singing' later 'whining speech' (as of a beggar) hence jargon.
I can see the singing from Latin cantare ie chant but I cannot see the jump to jargon.

[northener]

My Concise Oxford Dictionary, which is not very concise!, defines it as "language peculiar to a specified group: thieves cant. But when I look at the origin it says 16th Century (in sense 'singing' later 'whining speech' (as of a beggar) hence jargon.
I can see the singing from Latin cantare ie chant but I cannot see the jump to jargon.

Yup, first recorded in Harmans " A Caveat or Warening for Common Cursetors" (1588). Originally as beggars 'to speak' - recorded extensively after this date by Dekker and others in late C16th /early C17th.

Later in the C17th it seems to be more widely used to refer to general Underworld slang, as opposed to purely beggars.

.

[porshiepoo]

And me Fran. jan x

Huh???? You're from Kent!! How's that work then? :lol: