6you should try to translate lancastrian lol theres a video with the words in lancastrian then in rp english th-cam.com/video/-pFsotM6nb4/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=Fishsta if you dont understand cockney you wont understand lancashires dialect
we do use it in the south still, but not a lot. we say things like take a butchers which means 'a butchers hook' - to take a look. btw when you use rhyming slang you dont tend to say the last word (the one that actually rhymes) so having a bubble which means 'having a bubble bath' - you are having a laugh. or dog and bone for a phone, that kind of thing. so a sentence would be like this - you are having a bubble (bath), il never get up them apples (and pears) with these old plates (of meat). which means - you are having a laugh, il never get up those stairs with these old feet. hope that helps lol!!
My family came from the Eastend (I was the first born outside of there) and I can say that I have never heard any of these, and none of them make sense as cockney rhyming slang does not need a reason for why they use it, it just has to rhyme. I mean, Apples and pears is a genuine one, and neither apples or pears relate to stairs in any way. Plus when you think of it, most cockney rhyming slang you don't even use the full slang, as it's shortened to the first word which is never the rhyming word anyway (Boat, Plates, Frog, Whistle etc etc) Oh, and factor in that words like Copper and Snout are already slang terms anyway, why would they create rhyming slang for them as well.
Duck and dive (ducking and diving) is very widely used - that's about it from that list. Other's which are still commonly used are expressions like 'have a 'butcher's' at this; or 'don't be a 'berk''.
The other thing to know is when it is spoken it is common just to use the first word not the full rhyme. So fancy a rosie, not fancy a rosie lee. Or need a new whistle for the wedding, not need a new whistle and flute for the wedding. Or going for a ruby tonight, not going for a ruby murray tonight.
And China/Dutch (which are interchangeable), cobblers, iron, Bristols, pony, Mozart, dog, butcher's... "Mozart" turned up in a Julian & Sandy sketch which featured a whole different load of slang!
I've lived in London for... er... 40 years (blimey!) and haven't heard most of them and find the explanations a little dubious, as if written by someone who doesn't know much about it, but I could be wrong, of course. A common one is 'Move your Aris', meaning 'Move your Aristotle' because Aristotle rhymes with bottle, from 'Bottle and Glass' which rhymes with arse...
The Doggett's Coat and Badge is the prize awarded for winning a 7.44 km rowing race on the Thames in the upstream direction between London Bridge and Cadogan Pier Chelsea. It first took place in 1715 with 6 apprentice watermen, who used to ferry passengers up, down and across the Thames, taking part. The rower in the winning boat was awarded a traditional waterman's red coat with the addition of a silver badge. The actor Thomas Doggett instituted the race in appreciation of the watermen who got him to the various theatres along the banks of the Thames in London, Anyone who held the badge could charge more as they would get you to your destination quicker. If you are anywhere near the south side of Blackfriars Bridge you will see there is a large pub on the upstream side and it is called the Doggett's Coat and Badge. It is many years since I was last there but it was a good place to have a drink and watch the river traffic.
If you watch the Lord Mayor's Show (probably not this year) you can see them escorting the Mayor's carriage, with ceremonial oars in their arms. Very smart they look too.
The things I didn't know I didn't know. Many thanks for that- I love to hear of these old customs and their connection to pubs/places etc. Thank you once again.
The thing with rhyming slang is you would only use the first word of the rhyme, the person you were speaking to would have to know the rest thus making it secret, eg ive been on my plates so long i cant get up the apples. Plates of meat, feet. Apples and pears stairs, the rhyme does not have to relate to the subject.
Hey Alanna. :-) You did well, especially considering that most of these are essentially bollox. They often don't relate to the translation but simply rhyme. Your face when you realised what copper referred to was perfect and summed it all up. I'm not from London but certain terms have entered general countrywide use like "Having a butchers," as in having a look at something. Hope you are settled back into the UK now, just in time for Lockdown 2: The Sequel.
Some rhyming slang has made it into everyday use: as a kid I was told to "use your loaf!", which I understood without realising it was rhyming slang for 'Loaf of bread = head'.
Yes, originally it was a code used by East Enders in order to fool the police, but now it's become a part of the cultural language, with some expressions even working their way into every day English expressions, especially when the word you want to use is a swear word or insult. For example, a lot of English people say "cream crackered" meaning knackered (i.e. tired), "Khyber Pass" meaning arse, "Mutt and Jeff" meaning deaf, "pen and ink" meaning stink, or "sceptic tank" meaning Yank (i.e. American). It's also a language that's evolved over the decades to match contemporary culture. Regarding some slang like "Mutt and Jeff", a lot of us use contractions of the expression. "Are you going a bit mutton?", when you ask if someone's losing their hearing.
@@white-dragon4424 "Let's have a butcher's" - butcher's hook (look) is also still in common use. As well as "brassic" (boracic lint, skint), "boat race" (face) and maybe "dog and bone" (phone)
I think “editor Alanna” needs to make more appearances I found her character informative and fun, look forward to how the show handles her character going forward 😂 great vid! Thank you
Bit of an odd mixture. I’m a 62 year old Cockney born and bred and I’ve never heard of a lot of these. My dad used box of toys as in hold your box of toys, but usually you only use the first word as in going for a Ruby for a Ruby Murry - curry or all whistled up as in whistle and flute - suit. We still use rhyming slang in my family but not so much the younger generation. And of course some people make it up as they go along!🙄😄
Canadian subscriber here. This one was completely unrelatable to me. I just didn't get it at all, and I'm sure no one outside the UK did. Been watching your videos for a couple of years and looking forward to Tuesdays. I hope you can go back to including people from North America and other places again, but of course keeping to your new home and the British theme. Of course I'll watch you anyway as I always do. Just a suggestion if you want more subscribers outside the UK.
Cadge for me is cadge a lift (grab a lift) off someone, meaning lift in car travelling, from south lincs, same words, different meaning in different parts of uk, foreigners have no chance in the uk do they 🇬🇧🤔😂👍
I love the rhymes that go one stage further or drop one of the words - like Barnet - Barnet (Fair) = hair. Syrup - syrup of figs =wig. Most of the ones you found here are not in use but there are plenty that still are. Great to see you’re back to your zany ‘norm’.
You beauty you, thank you!! I’ve just been informed we (my large extended family) are doing a Xmas eve Zoom quiz night. I was struggling to think of an interesting topic for my section...but now i’ll just steal/borrow this whole thread content (loving the fact that you provide the genesis of each one!)! 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Nice one as usual...!!!👍But to be honest your face expression whenever you say " Lets go" with waving hand give me joyous and beautiful feeling...💕 Two thumbs up ☝!!!
Rhyming slang was brought here to Australia in the early days of European settlement when there were lots of convicts here. They had a need to be able to talk to each other without the guards understanding them The language becomes more difficult for outsiders to work out when a sentence contains several of these slang terms, and they are referred to by the first word only. For example in the house, the goods to steal might be said to be up the apples Apples = apples & pears = stairs. Sometimes the slang term is taken another generation then abbreviated as well. The most common example I can think of is “seppo ” = American. It doesn’t seem very complimentary but we love North Americans. American = yank = septic tank = seppo Another gem Alanna. You have such a charming smile. Thank you
Some of these only work with the right accent (dawning = morning/'mawning'), others are long forgotten references or rhymes for words we don't really use any more. Others are certainly intended to be obscure and un-guessable, usually combined with cropping the rhyming part out. So you might only say 'apples' for stairs but those in the know understood. I think you did really well considering. I love the timey-wimey shenanigans giving us two Alannas in the same video.
I just found this and wanted to tell you about a pub on the river bank at Blackfriars bridge! There is a pub there once! Called the Doggett's Coat and Badge! I learnt about those guys back then in the late 70's early 80'S I think it is still there! I don't know so forgive me if it is not ok! That was lovely to hear your Cockney Rhyming slang! Thank you that was fun!
It's Hampton Wick. That's why Sammy Hagar called one of his albums "Standing Hampton". It's also why the Goons had an occasional character called Captain Hugh Jampton.
Some cockney slang rymes with another word that refers to another word that is the rhymes so its an added layer of bafflement Eg Arris=Aristotle=Bottle=Bottle and Glass=Arse
One of my favourite evolution of Cockney rhyming slang words is a ‘raspberry’. It was a ‘raspberry tart’. It rhymes with f - r -. I believe there are many more terms that started that way.
I’m a Londoner,& I’ve only heard of four of them,I’ve learnt a lot today,some are still used today,but slowly disappearing,Apples & pears- stairs & dog & bone -phone,I still hear a lot.thanks for my Tuesday lesson.
Some Cockney rhyming slang is common in Australia; like "have a butcher's (hook)" means to have a look, "cream crackered" means knackered, and "dog and bone" means phone.
A mate of mine insisted that he pulled on his “Grimsby’s” in the morning. Grimsby Docks =Socks..... but he came from Nottingham - f**kin miles from the coast and nowhere from The Smoke
I got a john bull from the old bill for having no bees wax on my haddock! Translation...........I got stopped by the police for having no tax on my car. (Haddock & Bloater = Motor)
Enjoyable post Alanna, being 70 years old i still use a few Rhyming slang words such as in greeting someone in know, hello my old China from Chine Plate - Mate, going to get my eyes tested because my Mincies are not so good from Mince Pies - Eyes, telling some to stop nattering by saying shut your North up from North and South - Mouth, and from my footballing days getting the manager shouting at me to get up his Aris, this is a double version of Rhyming slang as follows Aristotle and Bottle Bottle and Glass - Arse. Iam sure there are others i use but cant bring to mind.
My Dad was born in Somerset and lived there all his life and would always use rhyming slang, sometimes making up his own, e.g. 'Alan Whicker' = vicar. I've never heard anyone else use that.
These are some obscure examples you found. I think some of the answers were Victorian phrases that we don't use any more. Ones I've heard of are: Dog & bone - phone Apples & pears - stairs Ruby murray - curry Butcher's hook - look Brown bread - dead Mince pies - eyes Giraffe - laugh Cream crackered - knackered I think some of them get shortened through like "having a butchers" or "going for a ruby"
Sadly, I struggled with them too when I first moved to London but was constantly told to “use your loaf” by one of my lecturers! Couldn’t understand what he meant at first until it was explained to me. Lol. Stay safe
Some of the most interesting rhyming slang is where there is a trail of rhymes leading to the meaning. For example, the well-known Aris. Aris - short for Aristotle Aristotle - rhymes with bottle Bottle - bottle and glass Bottle and glass - arse. To take it a stage further, you can add April. Is it April in Paris? - rhymes with Aris, and so on. The movie Cockneys vs Zombies has a hilarious character that uses the most convoluted and ridiculous rhyming slang that even the other cockneys don’t know. A personal favourite, which I sort of wished was real rhyming slang, in Trafalgar as a rhyming slang for zombie, as follows: Trafalgar -Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square - Fox and Hare Fox and Hare - Hairy Greek Hairy Greek - Five day week Weak and feeble - pins and needles Needle and stitch - Abercrombie and Fitch Abercrombie - Zombie. And I love the fact that changes in fashion and society can affect Rhyming slang. At one time the U.K. actor Gareth Hunt was used to describe a certain part of the anatomy. Nobody’s remembers Gareth Hunt anymore now James Blunt has somewhat taken his place. Personally I’m never happier than when I’m spruced up in me piccolo, me tidfer and me daisies and I venture up the frog to the rubbadub to get completely Brahms.
I think you would enjoy the tv program Countdown, it’s quite educational and you could find it interesting too.They do sometimes explain the meaning of older words.
Hi Alanna , very charlie price watching your video. slang's not as common as it used to be but older Londoners still use slang some times.no more lemon and lime stay safe......
Trouble is, because it's become trendy, there are so many modern ones that just miss the point, and the guide books/websites make it up as they go along! Try talking to some oap Cockneys and you get a proper insight, it's much cleverer than just picking words that rhyme, and the full expression wouldn't normally be said; ie Have a "butchers"...... means look, Wash your "Germans".....means hands; Mind your "plates".......means feet, etc
The Thames river competition for Doggetts coat and badge is a boat race started in 1715. Successful entrants were awarded the coat and badge and would attract a higher number of customers because they were faster than the other boatmen.
Half of these I've never of! I live in East London, I've been brought up around East London people but these I swear have been made up by some rubbish website. But still love your videos and you always make me laugh xx
I really enjoyed this! Like every video but I love ones similar to this (Thanks Alanna), Leading onto this would you consider another video on Life in the UK Tests! Tuesday is my favourite day now!
Rhyming slang phrases like "apple and pears" (meaning stairs) are usually shortened to one word, so for example "tit for tat" (hat) becomes "titfer", or "Barnet fair" (hair) becomes just "Barnet". Many are in common usage today.
Ones I remember from my youth in the 50s are 'Having a butchers', Butcher's hook - look. Hello me old china, 'China plate' - mate. 'Having bubble', Bubble bath - laugh. 'I'm boracic', Boracic lint - skint. 'You berk', Berkley Hunt, - you can guess what it rhymes with. Incidentally regarding 'coals and coke', we used to have a shed tacked on to the back of the house which had a built in place for keeping coal. There was a large hammer kept in there for the purpose of breaking up the big lumps.
@@AdventuresAndNaps "up the apples and pears to Bedfordshire". Interesting to note that the three counties of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire all have meaningful abbreviations...
I’m from East London and not heard most of them, which is pretty ‘pony’. Don’t forget if we do use slang we only really use the first word so you would never be able to guess what the second word rhymes with, ie he was going up the apples (stairs) 👍🏻
Butchers, Giraffe, Pete Tong, Barnett are the only ones I think I actually use. Butchers and Barnet entered my vocab before I even knew they were Cockney rhyming slang! Ooh, and bottled it and maybe Berk, as in Berkshire Hunt....! Thanks Alanna and Future Alana for the video xxx
Some people still throw in the odd phrase or two, especially down the pub. Very often the rhyming bit is dropped, for example apples, trouble (and strife) wife, septic (tank) yank - a neighbour of yours and sweaty (sock) Jock - a Scots person.
When using Cockney Rhyming, you only use the part of the phrase that doesn’t rhyme. That’s what makes it secret. Like; “Those apples are slippery, so before you go running up them use your loaf me old china, or you’ll fall and knock out your Hampsteads.” Apples & Pears = stairs Loaf of bread = head China plate = mate Hampstead Heath = teeth Really good video. You should do a part two. 👍🏻🏴🇬🇧🇨🇦.
This from a Radio broadcast "Tony Hancocks Half hour" as spoken by Sidney James I can't went to get into my pointed Italian two-tones and off down the High Street. Makes you feel like a king. Clean Dickie dirt, new peckham, pair of luminous almond rocks, new whistle, nice crease in my strides, barnet well greased up, and flashing my hampsteads at all the bonnie palones. This is REAL cockney (although Sid was born in South Africa), now work it out.
two little ducks =22. i used to use a bit of CRS when working in hotels and in the abattoirs talking to co-workers behind the bosses back, he didn't understand, he was from Hull in the Midland's he had no idea what we were on about. I was born in London EC1. I moved out when i was 10 as my dad was in the army and we travelled with. I returned to London for work when i was older in the catering and food production industry after leaving the services where I mainly marched around Edinburgh in a Kilt with a black bearskin on my head. But we did see combat overseas now and then.
I remember a very funny two Ronnie's sketch where they invented a posh rhyming slang...."Pardon me, I will just wash my hands in the Fortnum & Mason..😂
we do use it in the south still, but not a lot. we say things like take a butchers which means 'a butchers hook' - to take a look. btw when you use rhyming slang you dont tend to say the last word (the one that actually rhymes) so having a bubble which means 'having a bubble bath' - you are having a laugh. or dog and bone for a phone, that kind of thing. so a sentence would be like this - you are having a bubble (bath), il never get up them apples (and pears) with these old plates (of meat). which means - you are having a laugh, il never get up those stairs with these old feet. hope that helps lol!!
Man of Kent here from a long line of East Londoners. Some rhyming slang is pretty much totally embedded in my vocab, but normally shortened to further confuse things, so Hair is almost always 'barnet' as in 'Barnet Fair'. "Your barnet could do with a bit of a brush." 'Brown bread' I use for dead; 'pork pies' for lies which can be 'porkies'. Tea Leaf is more often than not a 'thief and My old man always still calls his phone the dog and bone - but actually I guess things fall out and get old fashioned even in cockney rhyming as dog and bone sounds old fashioned. so yeah, it definitely plays a subconscious role that certainly my family all accept... when you write this shit down though, it does of course look insanely weird! Some of the examples you pulled up were totally new to me.
Oh Alanna, the confusion was written all over yer boat lol 😂 If you watch EastEnders , Mick Carter (played by Danny Dyer) uses Cockney rhyming slang regularly.
While not a Londoner myself, my mother was, and I know a bit of rhyming slang - most of what you had in this video I had never heard of... Most of the rhyming slang that is used commonly today no longer even rhymes, because people don't even say the full phrase - examples being "Barnet" meaning "Hair" (from Barnet Fair) or getting into a Barney, meaning getting into trouble, from Barney Rubble... A good list is here - londontopia.net/londonism/fun-london/language-top-100-cockney-rhyming-slang-words-and-phrases/
You never get bored with Cockney Rhyming Slang. I worked in Millwall for three years and Cockney Rhyming Slang was the language used by all the locals. Rhyming Slang is normally two words!!!! She married a bubble = she married a Greek. In other words she married a bubble and squeak. In conversation you never mention the rhyming word in conversation ... that's the clever thing about it. It is very amusing like if you travelled by the Oxo you travelled by the Tube = Oxo Cube but you never mention Cube in Conversation just the OXO! It's really clever
You really set yourself some tough ones Alanna - not many of these are in use today, so credit for the ones you got. And no way does "ducking and diving" meaning hiding - unless it got seriously altered over time.
Not heard of any of these so far !..... the point is that you only say the first bit not the word that rhymes. So Butcher's Hook = Look but you'd say 'I'll have a butchers'
There's a novel by Jean Ure: "Tea Leaf on the Roof" (1989). If you haven't already read it, see if you can get hold of it. It unpacks a bit more of this little corner of British culture!
Tom..short for Tomfoolery = Jewellery......One piece of cockney slang I learnt recently from watching a BBC documentary about Covent Garden Market on TH-cam is the word "Carpet" meaning 3, the explanation was that anyone sentenced to 3 years in prison had a piece of carpet in their cell.Whilst not strictly rhyming is does show how slang develops and when you hear the cockney stallholders using it when buying and selling their produce you can see how it forms part of their everyday conversation.
A lot of people use it without knowing it! Blimey, it's tatters today (Potato mould - cold) Give us a butchers - butchers hook - look Don't be a berk - berkshire hunt - I'll leave this one to you. You 'avin' a giraffe - laugh~ Turkish - turkish bath - laugh.
There are many more modern rhyming slangs,such as Britney Spears(Beers),Ruby Murray(Curry) Gregory Peck,(Neck)plates of meat(feet) and so on.A lot of the ones you mentioned are very rarely used. Watch a few episodes of Only Fools and Horses,the sitcom about a South London character called Del about his life in Peckham.It will give you a better idea of the slang used these days.I strongly recommend watching this,it is really funny too. The ones you read out i have barely heard of.They are from a long time ago.
The fun thing a lot of cockneys do is leave out the 2nd rhyming word. So you'd get a sentence like this 'There was this geezer with a massive strange all over his boat and a syrup on his head. He said he was boracic, so I give him a bit a lump for getting his hands on a pony'. A bit exaggerated, even the pearly king and queen aren't that obtuse, but the abbreviation of the slang does happen quite a lot.
Apparently to be a Cockney one has to be born within the sound of Bow Bells or a church in Bow St. Martin's in the Feild, East London. Approximately one mile circumference. Smiley Culture the rapper can claim this, buthe would be first generation as at least one of his parents are West Indian.
I remember when Pete Beale used to be in Eastenders. He would usually call women Treacle, except his R’s came out like W’s. Some woman would come up to his fruit and veg stall and he’d say “alright tweacle?”. I miss Pete Beale.
Educational and funny. I got the breath one right 😁. In your future self part, you gave us 22 but how many did you get right? I got about 3 from memory, breath being the one that made me proud of getting it 😂❤️👏
The common example of cockney rhyming slang is "the man ran up the apples (& pears = stairs), to speak to his trouble (& strife = wife) on the dog (& bone = phone).
Everyone Knows 'Hank Marvin' ... Starvin'. A slap on the 'arris' ... Aristotle = bottle = bottle & glass = arse. Jam jar ... car Ancient and modern, the list can be unending. :))
Interesting? A little. But entertaining? Yes! As always! FTR: I'm English and only knew 'Apples & Pears', but then I'm not from London (although have lived there a number of years at times).
Being British, there's many rhyming slang terms that have become common usage well beyond the confines of East London. Referring to someone as a bit of a tea leaf (thief) would be understood as would calling someone a Berk ( jerk). Though I, like other commenters, also didn't know many you listed. You're definitely getting used to the lingo as I probably knew only as many as you!
@@grahvis my bad, that'll teach me to cross-check before posting! As someone who grew up in Berkshire (and some sources also reference Berkshire Hunt) I suppose I've self identified! 😀
I've spent too much time playing around with this Cockney rhyming slang translator 😂 generatorfun.com/cockney-rhyming-translator
Just watch ` Only Fools And Horses ` :):)
6you should try to translate lancastrian lol theres a video with the words in lancastrian then in rp english th-cam.com/video/-pFsotM6nb4/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=Fishsta if you dont understand cockney you wont understand lancashires dialect
"Two bob bits"
we do use it in the south still, but not a lot. we say things like take a butchers which means 'a butchers hook' - to take a look. btw when you use rhyming slang you dont tend to say the last word (the one that actually rhymes) so having a bubble which means 'having a bubble bath' - you are having a laugh. or dog and bone for a phone, that kind of thing. so a sentence would be like this - you are having a bubble (bath), il never get up them apples (and pears) with these old plates (of meat). which means - you are having a laugh, il never get up those stairs with these old feet. hope that helps lol!!
You got 22 right nice GG Alana 😁
Not heard any of these before, they sound like Jackson Pollocks
a bit like Cockneys of 1840s not hearing of Jackson Pollock as he was born 1912 in USA
@@rtfazeberdee3519 I guess they didn't know Ruby Murray either.
@@rtfazeberdee3519 they are unlikely to read it though, wouldn't you say ?
@@rtfazeberdee3519 charlie Hollocks
From THe Guardian so what do we expect....load of Pony..
Lived in London over 40 years, I think whoever wrote this list doesn't know the first thing about cockney rhyming. I'm not blaming you Alanna
It reminded me of this... www.alexcartoon.com/index.cfm?cartoon_num=303
Never heard of any of them.
My family came from the Eastend (I was the first born outside of there) and I can say that I have never heard any of these, and none of them make sense as cockney rhyming slang does not need a reason for why they use it, it just has to rhyme. I mean, Apples and pears is a genuine one, and neither apples or pears relate to stairs in any way.
Plus when you think of it, most cockney rhyming slang you don't even use the full slang, as it's shortened to the first word which is never the rhyming word anyway (Boat, Plates, Frog, Whistle etc etc)
Oh, and factor in that words like Copper and Snout are already slang terms anyway, why would they create rhyming slang for them as well.
I have
These are the most uncommon phrases I have ever heard. I'm born and bred Londoner. Not in common usage today.
I don't think they were necessarily common, just various examples.
They were all Jackson Pollocks.
Some of them made me feel uncle. Uncle Dick - sick. Geddit?
Duck and dive (ducking and diving) is very widely used - that's about it from that list. Other's which are still commonly used are expressions like 'have a 'butcher's' at this; or 'don't be a 'berk''.
Alanna is my emotional support Canadian.
Lana Blakely too
The other thing to know is when it is spoken it is common just to use the first word not the full rhyme. So fancy a rosie, not fancy a rosie lee. Or need a new whistle for the wedding, not need a new whistle and flute for the wedding. Or going for a ruby tonight, not going for a ruby murray tonight.
And China/Dutch (which are interchangeable), cobblers, iron, Bristols, pony, Mozart, dog, butcher's... "Mozart" turned up in a Julian & Sandy sketch which featured a whole different load of slang!
I've lived in London for... er... 40 years (blimey!) and haven't heard most of them and find the explanations a little dubious, as if written by someone who doesn't know much about it, but I could be wrong, of course. A common one is 'Move your Aris', meaning 'Move your Aristotle' because Aristotle rhymes with bottle, from 'Bottle and Glass' which rhymes with arse...
The Doggett's Coat and Badge is the prize awarded for winning a 7.44 km rowing race on the Thames in the upstream direction between London Bridge and Cadogan Pier Chelsea. It first took place in 1715 with 6 apprentice watermen, who used to ferry passengers up, down and across the Thames, taking part. The rower in the winning boat was awarded a traditional waterman's red coat with the addition of a silver badge. The actor Thomas Doggett instituted the race in appreciation of the watermen who got him to the various theatres along the banks of the Thames in London, Anyone who held the badge could charge more as they would get you to your destination quicker.
If you are anywhere near the south side of Blackfriars Bridge you will see there is a large pub on the upstream side and it is called the Doggett's Coat and Badge. It is many years since I was last there but it was a good place to have a drink and watch the river traffic.
If you watch the Lord Mayor's Show (probably not this year) you can see them escorting the Mayor's carriage, with ceremonial oars in their arms. Very smart they look too.
@@johnboy2562 Thank you for the reminder. I think I knew that once but has totally forgotten.
The things I didn't know I didn't know. Many thanks for that- I love to hear of these old customs and their connection to pubs/places etc. Thank you once again.
@@stephenphillip5656 You're welcome. I too love learning about old customs and hold the belief that no trivia is trivial.
The thing with rhyming slang is you would only use the first word of the rhyme, the person you were speaking to would have to know the rest thus making it secret, eg ive been on my plates so long i cant get up the apples. Plates of meat, feet. Apples and pears stairs, the rhyme does not have to relate to the subject.
Hey Alanna. :-) You did well, especially considering that most of these are essentially bollox. They often don't relate to the translation but simply rhyme. Your face when you realised what copper referred to was perfect and summed it all up. I'm not from London but certain terms have entered general countrywide use like "Having a butchers," as in having a look at something.
Hope you are settled back into the UK now, just in time for Lockdown 2: The Sequel.
Butcher's Hook
Some rhyming slang has made it into everyday use: as a kid I was told to "use your loaf!", which I understood without realising it was rhyming slang for 'Loaf of bread = head'.
Very cool!
Yes, originally it was a code used by East Enders in order to fool the police, but now it's become a part of the cultural language, with some expressions even working their way into every day English expressions, especially when the word you want to use is a swear word or insult. For example, a lot of English people say "cream crackered" meaning knackered (i.e. tired), "Khyber Pass" meaning arse, "Mutt and Jeff" meaning deaf, "pen and ink" meaning stink, or "sceptic tank" meaning Yank (i.e. American). It's also a language that's evolved over the decades to match contemporary culture. Regarding some slang like "Mutt and Jeff", a lot of us use contractions of the expression. "Are you going a bit mutton?", when you ask if someone's losing their hearing.
@@white-dragon4424 "Let's have a butcher's" - butcher's hook (look) is also still in common use. As well as "brassic" (boracic lint, skint), "boat race" (face) and maybe "dog and bone" (phone)
i heard that as a kid in South Africa, now that you say it!
"Use your loaf" can also mean to head-butt someone!!
I think “editor Alanna” needs to make more appearances I found her character informative and fun, look forward to how the show handles her character going forward 😂 great vid! Thank you
Totally agree. She deserves to come from the back room into the lime light x
Bit of an odd mixture. I’m a 62 year old Cockney born and bred and I’ve never heard of a lot of these. My dad used box of toys as in hold your box of toys, but usually you only use the first word as in going for a Ruby for a Ruby Murry - curry or all whistled up as in whistle and flute - suit. We still use rhyming slang in my family but not so much the younger generation.
And of course some people make it up as they go along!🙄😄
I'm a Cockney and haven't heard many of these before. Guess a lot of them fell out of use. You did well though :)
Thanks so much for watching!
I'd say it was the other way. These must have been invented recently. I doubt they were discussing treadmills in the 1930s.
@@stretfordender11 Erm, a treadmill was a way of milling flour that was used for centuries and probably still is somewhere. Not the exercise machine.
@@summonersumnerus4364 Fair enough, something I didn't know!
@@stretfordender11 No prob mate. We all learn something new every day :)
The best part of Tuesday has arrived 😊
Canadian subscriber here. This one was completely unrelatable to me. I just didn't get it at all, and I'm sure no one outside the UK did. Been watching your videos for a couple of years and looking forward to Tuesdays. I hope you can go back to including people from North America and other places again, but of course keeping to your new home and the British theme. Of course I'll watch you anyway as I always do. Just a suggestion if you want more subscribers outside the UK.
From where I'm from, Yorkshire, cadge would mean to borrow something from someone
Cadge for me is cadge a lift (grab a lift) off someone, meaning lift in car travelling, from south lincs, same words, different meaning in different parts of uk, foreigners have no chance in the uk do they 🇬🇧🤔😂👍
@@cryptonitesats Cadge a lift is also used in my part of the World. Such a versatile world with different meanings around the UK
@@GenialHarryGrout And where I'm from, it also means to beg.
Cage a ciggy. Beg a cigarette.
I've always know it be, to get something for doing or paying nowt. Usually by sweet-talking someone.
I love the rhymes that go one stage further or drop one of the words - like Barnet - Barnet (Fair) = hair. Syrup - syrup of figs =wig. Most of the ones you found here are not in use but there are plenty that still are. Great to see you’re back to your zany ‘norm’.
"Eh? That can't be real! Surely!" - Me, just now, on at least half of these.
You beauty you, thank you!!
I’ve just been informed we (my large extended family) are doing a Xmas eve Zoom quiz night. I was struggling to think of an interesting topic for my section...but now i’ll just steal/borrow this whole thread content (loving the fact that you provide the genesis of each one!)! 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Nice one as usual...!!!👍But to be honest your face expression whenever you say " Lets go" with waving hand give me joyous and beautiful feeling...💕
Two thumbs up ☝!!!
Rhyming slang was brought here to Australia in the early days of European settlement when there were lots of convicts here. They had a need to be able to talk to each other without the guards understanding them The language becomes more difficult for outsiders to work out when a sentence contains several of these slang terms, and they are referred to by the first word only. For example in the house, the goods to steal might be said to be up the apples Apples = apples & pears = stairs. Sometimes the slang term is taken another generation then abbreviated as well. The most common example I can think of is “seppo ” = American. It doesn’t seem very complimentary but we love North Americans. American = yank = septic tank = seppo Another gem Alanna. You have such a charming smile. Thank you
When can we all play 'Guess what's under the sofa this week'?
I'm going for: A Ball. A hand-grip exercise thingy. A board game.
The under-couch has been rather tidy of late. A disappointment in my view.
@@Tom_TH-cam_stole_my_handle Wait till Christmas, there'll be a scrap yard under there 😊
I think there was an orange 🍊
Some day I hope to live in a large enough house to have proper storage. Until that day..
@@AdventuresAndNaps It’s more that the arrangement and randomness of the objects changes every week. Like some subliminal message or code.
A lot of those I got Pete. Some of those are not used nowadays. Another education video, thank you Alanna!
Guy Richie has a lot to answer for. Like Jamie Oliver....mockney back-n-front.
Some of these only work with the right accent (dawning = morning/'mawning'), others are long forgotten references or rhymes for words we don't really use any more. Others are certainly intended to be obscure and un-guessable, usually combined with cropping the rhyming part out. So you might only say 'apples' for stairs but those in the know understood. I think you did really well considering. I love the timey-wimey shenanigans giving us two Alannas in the same video.
I just found this and wanted to tell you about a pub on the river bank at Blackfriars bridge! There is a pub there once! Called the Doggett's Coat and Badge! I learnt about those guys back then in the late 70's early 80'S I think it is still there! I don't know so forgive me if it is not ok! That was lovely to hear your Cockney Rhyming slang! Thank you that was fun!
My daughter has just told me that Hackney Wick was a nice place to moor her canal boat in the last lockdown. Hackney Wick is rhyming slang...!
I got my Hampton Court there once!
It's Hampton Wick. That's why Sammy Hagar called one of his albums "Standing Hampton". It's also why the Goons had an occasional character called Captain Hugh Jampton.
Some cockney slang rymes with another word that refers to another word that is the rhymes so its an added layer of bafflement
Eg Arris=Aristotle=Bottle=Bottle and Glass=Arse
Orson!
One of my favourite evolution of Cockney rhyming slang words is a ‘raspberry’. It was a ‘raspberry tart’. It rhymes with f - r -. I believe there are many more terms that started that way.
heard of rasberry ripple , but never a tart
"what even are words anymore?"
-2020 slogan
Stay warm out there; it looks like it's gotten quite chilly!
I’m a Londoner,& I’ve only heard of four of them,I’ve learnt a lot today,some are still used today,but slowly disappearing,Apples & pears- stairs & dog & bone -phone,I still hear a lot.thanks for my Tuesday lesson.
Some Cockney rhyming slang is common in Australia; like "have a butcher's (hook)" means to have a look, "cream crackered" means knackered, and "dog and bone" means phone.
Love your show, from the Wet Coast. You're doing Canada proud-and you've a great smile.
Thank you so much!
A mate of mine insisted that he pulled on his “Grimsby’s” in the morning. Grimsby Docks =Socks..... but he came from Nottingham - f**kin miles from the coast and nowhere from The Smoke
Sounds like a bit of an anchor
When I was a kid my old man used to go looking for his almonds. Almond Rocks - Socks.
I got a john bull from the old bill for having no bees wax on my haddock! Translation...........I got stopped by the police for having no tax on my car. (Haddock & Bloater = Motor)
Enjoyable post Alanna, being 70 years old i still use a few Rhyming slang words such as in greeting someone in know, hello my old China from Chine Plate - Mate, going to get my eyes tested because my Mincies are not so good from Mince Pies - Eyes, telling some to stop nattering by saying shut your North up from North and South - Mouth, and from my footballing days getting the manager shouting at me to get up his Aris, this is a double version of Rhyming slang as follows Aristotle and Bottle Bottle and Glass - Arse. Iam sure there are others i use but cant bring to mind.
My Dad was born in Somerset and lived there all his life and would always use rhyming slang, sometimes making up his own, e.g. 'Alan Whicker' = vicar. I've never heard anyone else use that.
These are some obscure examples you found. I think some of the answers were Victorian phrases that we don't use any more.
Ones I've heard of are:
Dog & bone - phone
Apples & pears - stairs
Ruby murray - curry
Butcher's hook - look
Brown bread - dead
Mince pies - eyes
Giraffe - laugh
Cream crackered - knackered
I think some of them get shortened through like "having a butchers" or "going for a ruby"
Sadly, I struggled with them too when I first moved to London but was constantly told to “use your loaf” by one of my lecturers! Couldn’t understand what he meant at first until it was explained to me. Lol. Stay safe
Some of the most interesting rhyming slang is where there is a trail of rhymes leading to the meaning. For example, the well-known Aris.
Aris - short for Aristotle
Aristotle - rhymes with bottle
Bottle - bottle and glass
Bottle and glass - arse.
To take it a stage further, you can add April. Is it April in Paris? - rhymes with Aris, and so on.
The movie Cockneys vs Zombies has a hilarious character that uses the most convoluted and ridiculous rhyming slang that even the other cockneys don’t know. A personal favourite, which I sort of wished was real rhyming slang, in Trafalgar as a rhyming slang for zombie, as follows:
Trafalgar -Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square - Fox and Hare
Fox and Hare - Hairy Greek
Hairy Greek - Five day week
Weak and feeble - pins and needles
Needle and stitch - Abercrombie and Fitch
Abercrombie - Zombie.
And I love the fact that changes in fashion and society can affect Rhyming slang. At one time the U.K. actor Gareth Hunt was used to describe a certain part of the anatomy. Nobody’s remembers Gareth Hunt anymore now James Blunt has somewhat taken his place.
Personally I’m never happier than when I’m spruced up in me piccolo, me tidfer and me daisies and I venture up the frog to the rubbadub to get completely Brahms.
Am I the only one that was screaming at my phone, "BREATH!" ? Love when you do these. So much fun. 👍👍😁
Yes, it's so obvious when you see the answer!
I think you would enjoy the tv program Countdown, it’s quite educational and you could find it interesting too.They do sometimes explain the meaning of older words.
I like Countdown! But I like 8/10 Cats Does Countdown more
Hi Alanna , very charlie price watching your video. slang's not as common as it used to be but older Londoners still use slang some times.no more lemon and lime stay safe......
Trouble is, because it's become trendy, there are so many modern ones that just miss the point, and the guide books/websites make it up as they go along! Try talking to some oap Cockneys and you get a proper insight, it's much cleverer than just picking words that rhyme, and the full expression wouldn't normally be said; ie Have a "butchers"...... means look, Wash your "Germans".....means hands; Mind your "plates".......means feet, etc
The Thames river competition for Doggetts coat and badge is a boat race started in 1715. Successful entrants were awarded the coat and badge and would attract a higher number of customers because they were faster than the other boatmen.
Half of these I've never of! I live in East London, I've been brought up around East London people but these I swear have been made up by some rubbish website. But still love your videos and you always make me laugh xx
Great video as always Alanna. 🙂
Thank you! 😃
I really enjoyed this! Like every video but I love ones similar to this (Thanks Alanna), Leading onto this would you consider another video on Life in the UK Tests! Tuesday is my favourite day now!
Hard to Adam and Eve some of these, frankly: were they written by the English Tourist Board, I wonder ?
I'm a Canadian, and found myself struggling to guess along side Alanna.......even more so........lol
Nice one Allana......💖
Brilliant video!
Here's one I know
North and South = mouth.
Although it tends to get shortened to "Go up the apples" [Apples & pears - stairs.
Rhyming slang phrases like "apple and pears" (meaning stairs) are usually shortened to one word, so for example "tit for tat" (hat) becomes "titfer", or "Barnet fair" (hair) becomes just "Barnet". Many are in common usage today.
Ones I remember from my youth in the 50s are 'Having a butchers', Butcher's hook - look. Hello me old china, 'China plate' - mate. 'Having bubble', Bubble bath - laugh.
'I'm boracic', Boracic lint - skint. 'You berk', Berkley Hunt, - you can guess what it rhymes with.
Incidentally regarding 'coals and coke', we used to have a shed tacked on to the back of the house which had a built in place for keeping coal.
There was a large hammer kept in there for the purpose of breaking up the big lumps.
"Whistle and flute" is suit and "Boat race" is face, and the only one we used , or my parents used was Apples and Pears
Very cool!
@@AdventuresAndNaps "up the apples and pears to Bedfordshire". Interesting to note that the three counties of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire all have meaningful abbreviations...
I’m from East London and not heard most of them, which is pretty ‘pony’.
Don’t forget if we do use slang we only really use the first word so you would never be able to guess what the second word rhymes with, ie he was going up the apples (stairs) 👍🏻
Butchers, Giraffe, Pete Tong, Barnett are the only ones I think I actually use. Butchers and Barnet entered my vocab before I even knew they were Cockney rhyming slang! Ooh, and bottled it and maybe Berk, as in Berkshire Hunt....! Thanks Alanna and Future Alana for the video xxx
I shouldn't be amused by watching someone being driven mad, but thanks for cheering me up!
My family originated from East and North London and I've never heard half of them. I'm guessing most of them are from the 18th and 19th century.
Cool!
I'm from up north, so sorry, Cockney slang means nothing
There used to be a cash machine in Hackney where you could choose rhyming slang as a language option! Don’t know if it’s still there. 😄
Some people still throw in the odd phrase or two, especially down the pub.
Very often the rhyming bit is dropped, for example apples, trouble (and strife) wife, septic (tank) yank - a neighbour of yours and sweaty (sock) Jock - a Scots person.
When using Cockney Rhyming, you only use the part of the phrase that doesn’t rhyme. That’s what makes it secret. Like;
“Those apples are slippery, so before you go running up them use your loaf me old china, or you’ll fall and knock out your Hampsteads.”
Apples & Pears = stairs
Loaf of bread = head
China plate = mate
Hampstead Heath = teeth
Really good video. You should do a part two. 👍🏻🏴🇬🇧🇨🇦.
This from a Radio broadcast "Tony Hancocks Half hour" as spoken by Sidney James
I can't went to get into my pointed Italian two-tones and off down the High Street.
Makes you feel like a king. Clean Dickie dirt, new peckham, pair of luminous almond rocks, new whistle,
nice crease in my strides, barnet well greased up, and flashing my hampsteads at all the bonnie palones.
This is REAL cockney (although Sid was born in South Africa), now work it out.
two little ducks =22. i used to use a bit of CRS when working in hotels and in the abattoirs talking to co-workers behind the bosses back, he didn't understand, he was from Hull in the Midland's he had no idea what we were on about. I was born in London EC1. I moved out when i was 10 as my dad was in the army and we travelled with. I returned to London for work when i was older in the catering and food production industry after leaving the services where I mainly marched around Edinburgh in a Kilt with a black bearskin on my head. But we did see combat overseas now and then.
I remember a very funny two Ronnie's sketch where they invented a posh rhyming slang...."Pardon me, I will just wash my hands in the Fortnum & Mason..😂
You're always interesting, sometimes puzzling but always entertaining. A weekly tonic.
we do use it in the south still, but not a lot. we say things like take a butchers which means 'a butchers hook' - to take a look. btw when you use rhyming slang you dont tend to say the last word (the one that actually rhymes) so having a bubble which means 'having a bubble bath' - you are having a laugh. or dog and bone for a phone, that kind of thing. so a sentence would be like this - you are having a bubble (bath), il never get up them apples (and pears) with these old plates (of meat). which means - you are having a laugh, il never get up those stairs with these old feet. hope that helps lol!!
The weird thing about these videos is that I learn more from you about England than I did at school 😂😂
any chance of a live stream in December before Christmas? thank God it's Tuesday and video time.
I always livestream on Twitch every Sunday and Wednesday, not sure about the next TH-cam one yet.
Man of Kent here from a long line of East Londoners. Some rhyming slang is pretty much totally embedded in my vocab, but normally shortened to further confuse things, so Hair is almost always 'barnet' as in 'Barnet Fair'. "Your barnet could do with a bit of a brush." 'Brown bread' I use for dead; 'pork pies' for lies which can be 'porkies'. Tea Leaf is more often than not a 'thief and My old man always still calls his phone the dog and bone - but actually I guess things fall out and get old fashioned even in cockney rhyming as dog and bone sounds old fashioned. so yeah, it definitely plays a subconscious role that certainly my family all accept... when you write this shit down though, it does of course look insanely weird! Some of the examples you pulled up were totally new to me.
I love that to Alanna bought rhymes with pot. I often tease my Canadian friend about taking her dog for a wok.
Record button, what a numpty! Septics, from the full version septic tanks, yep, those people just south of Canada
west and east too!
Oh Alanna, the confusion was written all over yer boat lol 😂
If you watch EastEnders , Mick Carter (played by Danny Dyer) uses Cockney rhyming slang regularly.
While not a Londoner myself, my mother was, and I know a bit of rhyming slang - most of what you had in this video I had never heard of...
Most of the rhyming slang that is used commonly today no longer even rhymes, because people don't even say the full phrase - examples being "Barnet" meaning "Hair" (from Barnet Fair) or getting into a Barney, meaning getting into trouble, from Barney Rubble...
A good list is here - londontopia.net/londonism/fun-london/language-top-100-cockney-rhyming-slang-words-and-phrases/
Great vid .What a nice cup of rosie lee = Tea.
Another one is. Aristotle bottle , Bottle glass = Arse..
Thanks for this week's vid 😊😜
Great video ( once you started recording 🤣🤣🤣). Maybe there are phrases or words from around the UK you could find. I am no expert though.
You never get bored with Cockney Rhyming Slang. I worked in Millwall for three years and Cockney Rhyming Slang was the language used by all the locals. Rhyming Slang is normally two words!!!! She married a bubble = she married a Greek. In other words she married a bubble and squeak. In conversation you never mention the rhyming word in conversation ... that's the clever thing about it. It is very amusing like if you travelled by the Oxo you travelled by the Tube = Oxo Cube but you never mention Cube in Conversation just the OXO! It's really clever
You really set yourself some tough ones Alanna - not many of these are in use today, so credit for the ones you got. And no way does "ducking and diving" meaning hiding - unless it got seriously altered over time.
You have an honest boat race Alanna, of course I believe you got the answers right in the unfilmed segment of this video ;-)
This will be fun, I live in Cornwall so probably have no idea. I only know what a “pony” is 🤣
Not heard of any of these so far !..... the point is that you only say the first bit not the word that rhymes. So Butcher's Hook = Look but you'd say 'I'll have a butchers'
you done so well .
your are becoming one of us !!! 😁 x
You missed a trick here old gal "Guesses Cockney Rhyming Slang whilst guessing which cider you are drinking once the labels have been removed" :-)
There's a novel by Jean Ure: "Tea Leaf on the Roof" (1989). If you haven't already read it, see if you can get hold of it. It unpacks a bit more of this little corner of British culture!
Tom..short for Tomfoolery = Jewellery......One piece of cockney slang I learnt recently from watching a BBC documentary about Covent Garden Market on TH-cam is the word "Carpet" meaning 3, the explanation was that anyone sentenced to 3 years in prison had a piece of carpet in their cell.Whilst not strictly rhyming is does show how slang develops and when you hear the cockney stallholders using it when buying and selling their produce you can see how it forms part of their everyday conversation.
A Christmas Pudding and mince pie taste test video must be in the offing, please!
I think she did mince pies last year. Doesn't mean there can't be another, I'm just saying there's one already out in the wilds. :-)
I did 12 mince pie taste test last year!
Aww I am a Brit, Latino born Sssh, and I didn't get any of those. Could you do a Cider vid? Old Rosie and other scrumpy cider?
A lot of people use it without knowing it!
Blimey, it's tatters today (Potato mould - cold)
Give us a butchers - butchers hook - look
Don't be a berk - berkshire hunt - I'll leave this one to you.
You 'avin' a giraffe - laugh~ Turkish - turkish bath - laugh.
I'm from Bow and haven't heard of these in Donkeys! Which means years, ie Donkeys ears ,so you drop the second word apples and pears, is just apples.
There are many more modern rhyming slangs,such as Britney Spears(Beers),Ruby Murray(Curry) Gregory Peck,(Neck)plates of meat(feet) and so on.A lot of the ones you mentioned are very rarely used.
Watch a few episodes of Only Fools and Horses,the sitcom about a South London character called Del about his life in Peckham.It will give you a better idea of the slang used these days.I strongly recommend watching this,it is really funny too.
The ones you read out i have barely heard of.They are from a long time ago.
It's now my little Tuesday tradition to finish work and watch the new A&N video while washing up lasts night's dishes :)
Hope you enjoy!
The fun thing a lot of cockneys do is leave out the 2nd rhyming word. So you'd get a sentence like this 'There was this geezer with a massive strange all over his boat and a syrup on his head. He said he was boracic, so I give him a bit a lump for getting his hands on a pony'.
A bit exaggerated, even the pearly king and queen aren't that obtuse, but the abbreviation of the slang does happen quite a lot.
Apparently to be a Cockney one has to be born within the sound of Bow Bells or a church in Bow St. Martin's in the Feild, East London. Approximately one mile circumference. Smiley Culture the rapper can claim this, buthe would be first generation as at least one of his parents are West Indian.
My favourite rhyming slang is "Basils on Holy." Basil Dean (English actor, 1888-1978) and Holy Ghost. Beans on toast.
Treacle tart = sweetheart sometimes shortened to "Hello me ole treacle " as in "Hello sweetheart "
I remember when Pete Beale used to be in Eastenders. He would usually call women Treacle, except his R’s came out like W’s. Some woman would come up to his fruit and veg stall and he’d say “alright tweacle?”. I miss Pete Beale.
Educational and funny. I got the breath one right 😁. In your future self part, you gave us 22 but how many did you get right? I got about 3 from memory, breath being the one that made me proud of getting it 😂❤️👏
Great job!
The common example of cockney rhyming slang is "the man ran up the apples (& pears = stairs), to speak to his trouble (& strife = wife) on the dog (& bone = phone).
Everyone Knows 'Hank Marvin' ... Starvin'.
A slap on the 'arris' ... Aristotle = bottle = bottle & glass = arse.
Jam jar ... car
Ancient and modern, the list can be unending. :))
Interesting? A little. But entertaining? Yes! As always!
FTR: I'm English and only knew 'Apples & Pears', but then I'm not from London (although have lived there a number of years at times).
Totally agree I think she's having a giraffe 😂
Being British, there's many rhyming slang terms that have become common usage well beyond the confines of East London. Referring to someone as a bit of a tea leaf (thief) would be understood as would calling someone a Berk ( jerk). Though I, like other commenters, also didn't know many you listed. You're definitely getting used to the lingo as I probably knew only as many as you!
Berk does not come from jerk. :-)
It comes from Berkley Hunt.
@@grahvis my bad, that'll teach me to cross-check before posting! As someone who grew up in Berkshire (and some sources also reference Berkshire Hunt) I suppose I've self identified! 😀
I was supprised you didn't get duck and dive, as it's in common use. Another known one is Jam Jar = car.