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. |
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/context.php
FollowingContext BritishEnglish / CockneyRhymingSlang
Go To
- Show Spoilers
- Night Vision
- Sticky Header
- Wide Load