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BirdBoi

The A - Z of English Cockney Rhyming Slang

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Adam and Eve rhymes with believe
which is used as 'would you Adam and Eve it!'

Apples and pears rhymes with stairs
which is used as 'up the apples and pears'.

April showers rhymes with flowers

'arris rhymes with bottle as in aristotle

'arris is also a twice removed rhyme;
and rhymes with arse as in Aristotle - bottle - bottle and glass.
Which is used as in 'Look at her 'arris'

The 'H' is always silent in Cockney.

Barnet Fair rhymes with 'hair'
used as in 'Off to get me barnet cut.'

Bees and honey rhymes with 'money'
as in 'lovely honey'.

Berkeley Hunt rhymes with 'cunt'
as in 'you berk'
'berk' is rarely used in a strong swearing tense
more as someone might say 'you stupid so and so.'

Boat Race rhymes with 'face'
As in 'what an ugly boat'.

Boracic Lint rhymes with 'skint'.
Usually said as 'lend us a fiver, I'm brassic'.

Brahms and Lizst rhymes with 'pissed' or 'drunk'.
Said as in 'No more beer for him, he's brahms.'

Bristol City rhymes with 'tits' or 'breasts'
Usually of a woman as in 'She's got a fine pair of bristols.'

Brown bread rhymes with 'dead'
Always used as 'He's brown bread.'

Bubble and Squeak rhymes with Greek
Usually referred to anyone from Greece or Cyprus
or Turkey. Usually as 'You're a bubble.'

Bull and cow rhymes with 'row'
As in 'they were aving a right old bull'.

Butchers hook rhymes with 'look'
As in 'let's have a butchers'.

Chalfont St Giles rhymes with 'piles' or 'haemorrhoids'
used as in 'I've got a bad case of the Chalfonts'.
China plate rhymes with 'mate'.
Used as in 'ow you going, me old china.'

Cobblers awls rhymes with 'balls' or 'testicles'
Basically a mild rebuke as in 'don't talk cobblers.'
Or, another way, 'don't talk a load of old rubbish.'

Currant bun rhymes with 'sun'.
As in 'nice to see the old currant bun.'

Dicky dirt rhymes with 'shirt'
As in 'nice dickie you're wearing'.

Dog and bone rhymes with 'phone'
As in 'get him on the dog'.

Everton toffee rhymes with 'coffee'
As in 'do you want an Everton'.

Farmer Giles rhymes with 'piles' or 'haemorrhoids'
As in 'me farmers are killing me'.

German bands rhymes with 'hands'
As in 'hold out your germans'

Ginger beer rhymes with 'queer' or 'gay'
As in the very short 'he's ginger'

Half inch rhymes with 'pinch' or 'steal'
Very simply 'who's half inched my car'.

Hampstead heath rhymes with 'teeth'
As in 'shiny white 'ampsteads'

Hampton Wick rhymes with 'prick'
As in 'he's got a whopper of a 'ampton'

Hit and miss rhymes with 'piss'
As in 'I'm going for a hit and miss'

Irish jig rhymes with 'wig'
As in 'e's wearing an Irish'.

J Arthur Rank rhymes with 'wank'
Put simply 'going for a J Arthur'

Jack Jones rhymes with 'alone'
As in 'I'm on my Jack Jones'

Jam jar rhymes with 'car'
As in 'just bought a new jamjar'

James (or Jimmy) Riddle rhymes with 'piddle' or 'piss'
Use as 'I'm off for a Jimmy (or James)'
Be careful not to say 'I'm off for a JR'
as this can be confused with J Arthur Rank as above.

Joanna rhymes with 'piano'
As in 'give us a tune on your old joanna'

Kate and Sidney rhymes with 'steak and kidney pie '
Ask for a 'Kate and Sid pie'

Khyber Pass rhymes with'arse'
Put crudely 'give 'im one up the khyber'

Lucy Locket rhymes with 'pocket'
As in 'keep it in your lucy'

North and south rhymes with 'mouth'
As in 'blimey what a north an south'

On your tod rhymes with 'alone' or 'Tod Sloan'
use as 'I'm on me tod'

Pen and ink rhymes with 'stink'
Usually 'blimey, what a pen and ink'
also in plural as in 'this pen and inks.'
Plates of meat rhymes with 'feet'

As in 'get off me plates'

Pony and trap rhymes with 'crap'
As in 'I'm going for a pony'

Pork pie rhymes with 'lie'
Usually expressed as 'don't tell me porkies"

Rabbit and pork rhymes with 'talk'
Use as 'don't he rabbit on'
Or more common these days: 'more rabbit than Sainsbury's'

Raspberry ripple thymes with 'cripple'
As in 'poor bloke's a raspberry'

Rory O'Moore rhymes with 'floor' or 'poor'
Either term used as in 'down on the rory'
Either penniless or reached rock bottom
Or possibly the thing you stand on - 'I'm on the rory.'

Gypsy Rosie Lee rhymes with 'tea'
Use as 'I could do with a nice cup of rosy.'

Rub a dub rhymes with 'pub'
As in 'going down to the rub a dub for a drink.'

Ruby Murry rhymes with 'curry'
As in 'im going for a Ruby'

Sweeney Todd rhymes with 'Flying squad'
Now disbanded but also a famous UK TV cop series: Villains had greatest respect for 'the Sweeney'.

Taters (potatoes) in the mold rhymes with 'cold'
Expressed as 'Jesus, it's taters in ere.'

Tea leaf rhymes with 'thief'
As in 'you little tea leaf'

Titfer, or tit for tat rhymes with 'hat'
As in 'hold on to yer titfer'

Tom tit rhymes with 'shit'
Only as 'I'm off for a tom tit'

Tom and Dick rhymes with 'sick'
As in 'I can't come in to work, I'm feeling a bit Tom and Dick'

Threepenny bits rhymes with 'tits' or 'breasts
Obsolete UK coinage used to heap praise
as in 'what a pair of threepennies'
(pronounced thrup-knees)

Two and eight rhymes with 'state'
Meaning 'he's in a bit of a two an eight'

Turtle doves rhymes with 'gloves'
As in 'nice pair of turtles you're wearing'

Whistle and flute rhymes with 'suit'
As in 'wearing his new whistle'

Enjoy...

Blues

Edited: Put ruby in there, cheers Sid.

Laurence

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Holy Cow! I used to talk like that too!!!!!! The thing is, it's an evolving dialect too...... I saw a movie recently with rhyming slang and didn't know some of the references. Many years ago Sir Anthony Blunt was tried for treason, and if you wanted to call someone a cunt you called them "a right Sir Anthony....." now - nobody knows who he is.

I used to love gettin' pissed on a Friday night and going for a Ruby.......

(Ruby Murray - Curry) :S
Pete Draper,

Just because my life plan is written on the back of a Hooter's Napkin, it's still a life plan.... right?

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Great post, brings back memories of a misspent youth

An for those who didnt know. You can only be a Cockney if you where born within in the sound of the Bow bells


Origen of Git, as in "you little git" Git pregnant camel

Gone fishing

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In the movie "Snatch" there were a couple of references to "Jacobs" for testicles......., now I was born in the East End, spoke rhyming slang but couldn't work that one out. Anyone care to enlighten me?
Pete Draper,

Just because my life plan is written on the back of a Hooter's Napkin, it's still a life plan.... right?

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Jacobs Crackers - Knackers



Thank you Thank you Thank You - I was compleyely stumped!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then I haven't seen Jacobs Crackers for many, many years........
Pete Draper,

Just because my life plan is written on the back of a Hooter's Napkin, it's still a life plan.... right?

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it's an evolving dialect too...
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True no1 realy speaks it any more execpt the old skoolers like me grandad, not saying you guys are that old :P Now its the "chav"/"rude boy" lingo that will be rememberd from my generation...[:/]
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I used to love gettin' pissed on a Friday night and going for a Ruby.......
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Thankfully it still happens ;) Should i maybe organize a skidvers curry nite :S

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------------------------------------------------------------

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I used to love gettin' pissed on a Friday night and going for a Ruby.......
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Thankfully it still happens ;) Should i maybe organize a skidvers curry nite :S



Well, I don't really get pissed any more, but I could murder a ruby.........:P
Pete Draper,

Just because my life plan is written on the back of a Hooter's Napkin, it's still a life plan.... right?

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I recall a bit of it being used in the "Ocean's Eleven" remake, where the safecracker refers to "Serious Barney". :S:D

mh

.
"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

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In the UK, a Barney is an argument (I dont know the derivation)..



Popular wisdom is "Barney Rubble" = trouble, but my father (who was raised in SE London) used "barney" long before the Flintstones were ever on TV, so I don't think that can be a correct derivation.
...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

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