Line #25 BritishEnglish/CockneyRhymingSlang


1	[[header:[[center:[-'''UsefulNotes/BritishEnglish Slang'''\
2	[[BritishEnglish/EnglishSlangAToF A-F]] \| [[BritishEnglish/EnglishSlangGToL G-L]] \| [[BritishEnglish/EnglishSlangMToR M-R]] \| [[BritishEnglish/EnglishSlangSToZ S-Z]] \| '''Cockney'''-]]]]]
3
4	Here is a list of just many of the colourful slang terms that have come from the East End of London.
5
6	Note that the actual rhyming part of the name is dropped in common parlance, just to make things more impenetrable.
7	----
8	[[foldercontrol]]
9
10	[[folder:Well-known Phrases]]
11	* '''Apples and pears''': Stairs. Mostly a PopCultureOsmosis with Brits that aren't Cockney. If there are any imitators, they most likely will say "Apples and pears -- stairs!"
12	* '''[Aunt] Joanna''': Piano. [[UsefulNotes/{{Australia}} Down under]], it's mutated to "Goanna", a kind of lizard. (Hence Joanna the lizard in ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuersDownUnder''.)
13	* '''Barclays [Bank]''': Wank. Also '''Barclays Banker''' – wanker, useless person, City banker.
14	* '''Battle cruiser''': Boozer; i.e. pub.
15	* '''Berk''': Literally, [[CountryMatters cunt]], from Berkeley Hunt. Nowhere near as insulting as the origin might lead you to believe, and never used to refer to a literal vagina; in fact is a mild and pretty affectionate insult calling someone silly or stupid.
16	** Sometimes misattributed to the term 'Berkshire Hunt' which makes less sense – note that, while 'berk' is pronounced as "burk", the county of Berkshire is said "Barkshire".
17	** In more recent years, this has been (appropriately) replaced with "Music/JamesBlunt".
18	** One joke on ''Series/MockTheWeek'' states that ''Series/BargainHunt'' doubles as rhyming slang for "the bloke who presents it".
19	* '''Boat race''': Face.
20	* '''Boracic [lint]''': Out of money – see "skint" above.
21	* '''Brass tacks''': Facts. This is one of the few examples to have made it into American English; Creator/JohnWCampbell used it as the name of the ''Astounding'' (later ''Magazine/{{Analog}}'') letters page.
22	* '''Bristols''': Tits – "Bristol City": titty[[note]]though one wonders, of all the UsefulNotes/BritishFootyTeams titled "City", why Bristol was chosen. Why not call them Hulls? Or Stokes? Or Chesters? Addendum: One theory as to this is that the choice of Bristol has nothing to do with the city itself; rather, the twin Bristol engines on certain World War II British aircraft such as the Blenheim were considered by air crews to resemble breasts.[[/note]]).
23	* '''Brown bread''': Dead.
24	* '''Have a butcher's''': Have a look at something. "Butcher's Hook" = look.
25	* '''Charlies''': Inoffensive term for a woman's genitals, or sometimes breasts. From "[[CountryMatters Charlie Hunt]]", whoever he was. Also "Charlie" meaning "twit", as in Berk above.
26	* '''Me old China''': Mate or friend ("China plate" = mate).
27	* '''Nuclear sub''': Pub.
28	* '''Near and Far''': Bar.
29	* '''On one's Tod [Sloan]''': Alone.
30	* '''Dog and bone''': Telephone.
31	* '''''Frontwheel''''' Jewish person (could be derogatory). "Front-wheel skid = Yid"
32	* '''Porkies [Pork pies]''': Lies. This, along with "apples and pears", is very well-known to many in the UK.
33	* '''Septic [tank]''': Yank; derogatory term for Americans. (Yank itself is rarely intended to be offensive, neither is Yankee. If they call you septic, however, well, it already sounds bad anyway).
34	* '''Sherbet [dab]''': Cab (taxi), though "sherbet" can also refer to cocaine.
35	* '''Tea leaf''': Thief.
36	* '''Tin tack''': Sack; as in, the metaphorical one you're given when you're dismissed from your job.
37	* '''Trouble [and strife]''': Wife.
38	* Slang for money:
39	** '''Bees and honey:''' Money in general.
40	** '''Dustbin lid (quid)''': £1
41	** '''Lady Godiva (fiver)''': £5
42	** '''Ayrton [Senna] (tenner)''': £10
43	** '''Score''': £20
44	** '''Pony''': £25
45	** '''Bullseye''': £50
46	** '''Ton''': £100
47	** '''Monkey''': £500
48	** '''Bag of sand (grand)''': £1000
49	** '''Shrapnel''': loose change.
50	* '''Jimmy Riddle [Widdle]''': Piddle (to urinate).
51	* '''Slap and tickle''': Pickle.
52	* '''Hot cross bun''': Nun.
53	* '''Whistle and flute''': Two- or Three-piece Suit.
54	* '''Plates [of meat]''': Feet. As in "having your plates out", means "walking barefoot".
55	* Slang for the police
56	** '''John [Hop]''': Cop.
57	** '''Bottle and stopper:''' Copper.
58	* '''Khyber Pass''': Arse. Best known from the title of ''Film/CarryOnUpTheKhyber'', which was very much GettingCrapPastTheRadar.
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Slang With Pop-Culture References]]
62	* '''Series/MorkAndMindy''': Windy.
63	* '''Literature/WinnieThePooh''': Shoe.
64	* '''Series/TheBradyBunch''': Lunch.
65	* '''Franchise/ScoobyDoo''': Clue. As in, "I ain't got a Scooby [Doo] about this."
66	* '''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit''': Vomit.
67	* '''Series/TheXFiles''': Piles.
68	* '''[[Series/{{Rainbow}} Zippy and Bungle]]''': Jungle.
69	* '''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse''': Spouse.
70	* '''ComicBook/JudgeDredd''': Head.
71	* '''Adam and Eve''': Believe ("I don't Adam and Eve it!")
72	* '''Theatre/KingLear[s]''': Queer (homosexual)/ears.
73	* '''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Captain Kirk]]''': Work.
74	* '''Film/JurassicPark''': Dark.
75	* '''[[Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]]''': Plonker.
76	* '''[[Film/BridgetJonesDiary Bridget Jones]]''': Moans.
77	* '''[[Music/{{Eminem}} Slim Shady]]''': Old lady.
78	* '''Harry Rag''', a Harry: A ''fag'', strictly meaning a cigarette. Also a jolly song by Music/TheKinks.
79	* '''Burlington Bertie''': 30. An old British music hall song from 1915. It's often the slang of the number during games of bingo.
80	* '''Literature/TheCanterburyTales''': UsefulNotes/{{Wales}}.
81	* '''Mona Lisa''': Pizza.
82	* '''[[Film/TheThirdMan Harry Lime]]''': Time.
83	* '''JekyllAndHyde[s]''': Strides (trousers).
84	* '''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk''': Sulk.
85	* '''Hey diddle diddle''': Fiddle. Honestly, which one would it be for?
86	* '''[[Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer Tom Sawyer]]''': Lawyer.
87	* '''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang''': Cockney Rhyming Slang. Yes, even the language has its own name.
88	* '''Sodom and Gomorrah''': Borrow.
89	* '''Theatre/{{Sweeney Todd\|TheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet}}''': The flying squad (the police).
90	* '''Series/{{Teletubb\|ies}}y''': Hubby (husband).
91	* '''[[Literature/TheSecretLifeOfWalterMitty Walter Mitty]]''': Kitty.
92	* '''Series/{{Jackanory}}''': Story.
93	* '''[[Series/HawaiiFiveO McGarret]]''': £50.
94	* '''[[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Barney Rubble]]''': Getting into trouble.
95	* '''[[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends Tommy Tank]]''': Wank
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Slang Named After the Famous]]
99	* '''Music/JimiHendrix''': Appendix.
100	* '''Creator/LillianGish''': Fish.
101	* '''Music/ManfredMann''': A plan.
102	* '''Music/GloriaGaynor[s]''': Trainers.
103	* '''Creator/TomHanks''': Thanks.
104	* '''Music/MariahCarey''': Scary.
105	* '''Creator/JohnWayne''': Train.
106	* '''Jackson Pollock[s]''': Bollocks.
107	* '''Creator/ChristopherLee''': Pee (urinating).
108	* '''Music/TomJones''': Bones.
109	* '''[[Music/{{Jamiroquai}} Jay Kay]]''': Takeaway.
110	* '''Jack the Ripper''': Kipper.
111	* '''Creator/MyrnaLoy''': Saveloy (a type of sausage).
112	* '''Creator/JohnCleese''': Cheese (fitting because Cleese's father's surname was originally Cheese before he (the father) changed it).
113	* '''Music/EarthaKitt'''/'''Creator/BradPitt''': Shit.
114	* '''Alan Whicker[s]''': Knickers (underwear).
115	* '''Creator/ErrolFlynn''': Chin.
116	* '''Music/BobMarley''': Charlie (this is slang for cocaine, with no relation to the name of any person).
117	* '''Creator/RickyGervais''': Ace.
118	* '''Creator/GregoryPeck''': Neck. It's as famous as "apples and pears".
119	* '''Creator/SylvesterStallone''': Alone.
120	* '''Creator/NelsonEddy''': Readies (can mean "ready money" or any amount of money).
121	* '''Creator/AlanLadd''': Sad.
122	* '''Creator/KeiraKnightley''': Slightly.
123	* '''Pete Tong''': Wrong. (Tong is a famous British radio DJ. Also the name of a Canadian {{Mockumentary}} and a Paul Kaye film, ''It's All Gone Pete Tong'')
124	* '''Creator/KeithMoon''': Loon.
125	* '''Creator/VincentPrice''': Ice.
126	* '''UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar''': Geezer.
127	* '''Creator/VincentVanGogh''': Cough.
128	* '''Creator/FredAstaire''': Hair. (Can also be stairs.)
129	* '''Joan of Arc''': Park.
130	* '''Creator/WallaceBeery''': Query.
131	* '''Music/{{U2}}''': Flu.
132	* '''UsefulNotes/JohnMajor''': Wager.
133	* '''Creator/JamesDean''': Keen.
134	* '''Creator/LaurelAndHardy''': Bacardi.
135	** '''Stan and Ollie:''' Brolly (umbrella).
136	* '''Music/{{Beyonce}} Knowles''': Sausage rolls.
137	* '''Creator/HenryFonda''': Honda (car company).
138	* '''Creator/GeorgeRaft''': Graft (slang for "work").
139	* '''Creator/JohnnyDepp''': Step.
140	* '''Creator/AnnaMayWong''': Pong (smell).
141	* '''Creator/MickeyRooney''': Loony.
142	* '''Creator/HattieJacques''': The shakes (as in, shaking with terror).
143	* '''[[Music/TheShadows Hank Marvin]]''': Starvin' (hungry).
144	* '''Music/ShaniaTwain''': Pain.
145	* '''Creator/WilliamPowell''': Towel.
146	* '''Music/JohnnyCash''': Slash (urinate).
147	* '''Ruby [Murray]''': Curry. Named after an otherwise obscure singer from [[UsefulNotes/NorthernIreland Stroke Country]].
148	* '''Creator/WSomersetMaugham''': Warm.
149	* '''Creator/JaneRussell''': Mussel.
150	* '''Music/ShirleyBassey''': Chassis.
151	* '''[[Music/TheJacksonFive Jackson]]''': £5.

Context BritishEnglish / CockneyRhymingSlang