Friday January 11, 2008
Rabbit in Cockney? Cor blimey!
LOGOMANIA: By ELLEN WHYTE
COCKNEY expressions appear in lots of stories based in London such as Only Fools and Horses, My Fair Lady, Mary Poppins and Hustle. Demystifying this centuries-old rhyming slang can be tough as many dictionaries don’t list even the most commonly used phrases. We take a look at some popular Cockney phrases you’ll hear on TV and in the cinema.
To have a butchers
To see or look.
From “butcher’s hook” which rhymes with “look”. This is so well-known in Britain that some people don’t even realise its origins are Cockney.
The phrase is also used in Australia but there, “go butcher’s” means to be annoyed. This phrase comes from local rhyming slang “butcher’s hook” which rhymes with “crook” meaning anger.
Example: When the gossips said the new barmaid was a former Miss Britain, Fred went straight round to have a butchers at her.
Porky
Lie.
From “pork pie” which rhymes with “lie”. This expression is hugely popular all over Britain possibly because “telling a porky” doesn’t seem to be as serious as “lying” or “dishonesty”.
British comedies based on characters who are essentially dishonest such as Only Fools and Horses and Porridge love to use this expression.
Example: Every time Mick opens his mouth, he’s telling a porky.
Adam and Eve
Believe.
This is one of the few expressions that are always used in their entirety, which means that finding the rhyme is fairly straightforward if you get a decent bit of context to work with.
Plant lovers should also note that Adam and Eve is also a nickname for Aplectrum hyemale or putty root, a flowering plant that is said to have healing powers!
Example: Would you Adam and Eve it? Mary has forgiven Jack and taken him back!
Brahmsed
Drunk.
From “Brahms and Liszt” which rhymes with “pissed”, slang for drunk.
While one assumes that the phrase was made up because it sounds good rather than being a reflection on the actual musical geniuses named, German composer Johannes Brahms used to claim he played the piano in bars and brothels to make money when he was a young man.
Hungarian pianist and composer Franz Liszt, however, had royal connections thanks to his father’s career at court so presumably his socialising took place in more refined circumstances.
Example: No point in asking me what time we got home. We were completely brahmsed last night.
Dog
Phone or feet or a very bad racing horse.
The two rhyming slang expressions here are “dog and bone” which rhymes with “phone” and “dog’s meat” meaning “feet”.
The idea of a dog being a very bad racing horse is not rhyming slang, but the term is so often used in London that some people assume it’s Cockney!
Examples: Devi has been on the dog so long, she’d better buy shares in Telekom.
I’m going to go home and rest my dogs.
Chris put his bet on a dog and lost every penny he had.
China
Friend.
From “China plate” which rhymes with “mate”, slang for friend.
This phrase has remained very popular for over a century but if you look in older texts, such as travelogues from the 17th and 18th centuries, you might spot “China” being used to describe the Chinese.
Because of this, the example phrase could be used in comedies as a (pretty poor) play on words.
Example: Come on then, me old China, let’s go for a beer!
To rabbit
To chatter.
From “Rabbit and pork” which rhymes very vaguely with “talk”. This hugely popular phrase in Britain is so common that many people don’t realise it started as Cockney rhyming slang.
It’s also a popular expression in Australia but there, it means to steal or scrounge. In the US, people who rabbit are running away quickly, just like the furry creature itself does.
Example: Salmah is always rabbiting on about that marvellous son of hers.
Loaf
Brain or head.
From “loaf of bread” which rhymes with “head”. You can be asked to mind your loaf when walking through a low doorway but most of the time, you will see the word used in the self-standing expression “Use your loaf!”
Example: Mack used his loaf and worked out he could save money by buying in bulk.
Tealeaf
Thief.
This straightforward bit of rhyming slang is extremely popular in British legal stories such as Rumpole of the Old Bailey.
Again, this is a very euphemistic way to refer to a criminal. A thief might burgle your home and rob you blind but somehow a tealeaf or someone who goes about tealeafing doesn’t appear to be quite as criminal.
Example: Watch your spoons when the Chuahs come to visit. Every one of those boys is a confirmed tealeaf.
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