Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in
My Fair Lady
, Dick van Dyke as the chim-
neysweep in
Mary Poppins
, or Don Cheadle in
Ocean's Eleven
.
One colorful Cockney invention that survives from the mid-19th century is the
neighborhood's unique rhyming slang. According to urban legend, the Cockneys
devised this secret way of talking to confuse policemen who might be listening.
Another theory suggests that it was used between market vendors in order to rip off
customers. Either way, Cockney rhyming slang helped create a sort of neighbor-
hood pride for this downtrodden community.
Here's how it works: Simply replace an everyday word with a nonsensical
phrase that rhymes with it. Instead of stairs, it's “apples and pears”—often
shortened to simply “apples,” as in, “I'm walking up the apples.” For teeth, it's
“Hampstead Heath” (or just “hampstead”: “The dentist took a bloody good whack
at me hampsteads”).
Some Cockney rhyming slang words have become integrated into everyday
American speech. For example, “blow a raspberry” comes from the slang “rasp-
berry tart” for fart. And did you ever notice that “getting down to brass tacks”
rhymes with “facts”? Many others—including several on the list on the next
page—remain widely used as slang throughout the UK (if not in the US).
The tradition has continued into the 21st century—though these days it's done
as a fun bit of irony, rather than as an actual secret language. For curry, they might
say “Ruby Murray”—also the name of an Irish pop singer from the 1950s. Someone
might suggest, “After work, let's head to the pub for some Britneys” (Britney
Spears = beers), or “Go wash yer Chevy” (Chevy Chase = face).
Cockney Rhyming Slang
Translation
a la mode
code
Adam and Eve
believe
Barnet Fair (barnet)
hair (hairstyle)
bubble and squeak (bubble)
Greek
butcher's hook (butcher's)
look
china plate (china)
mate (friend)
deep sea diver
fiver (
£
5 note)
loaf of bread (loaf)
head
Mutt and Jeff (mutton)
deaf
