Cockney Rhyming Slang Explained

I'm going to take you into the dark world of rhyming and underground slang. The next time you're in prison you can impress your cellmates with some of these gems.

We begin, in this article, with some Cockney rhyming slang. There are some tough people in Cockneyland, so it's handy to know their lingo.

Cockney rhyming slang can be quite convoluted. Here is an example: Ruby (rhyming slang) = Ruby Murray* (root) = Curry (word). But we'll concentrate on more straightforward Cockney rhyming slang in this article.

Here's a sentence in Cockney rhyming slang, with the word referred to, by rhyming slang, in brackets: "I've got a pain in my glass of beer (ear), on my way to see my Tom Sawyer (lawyer) this gipsy's warning (morning)." Simple, isn't it?

Now, if you're walking the dimly lit, foggy streets of Cockneyland, remember to walk and talk in a confident fashion. The sentence above will help you survive on the mean streets of the Cockerney. The Cockney will rarely pick the pocket of one of their own.

Okay, it's time to widen your Cockney vocabulary. Of course, it will help to get the Cockney accent right, which can be done by studying either Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in the movie, My Fair Lady, or Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger in the film musical, Oliver! (Also study my lecture on the Cockney accent here, and hear the Cockney rhyming slang for stairs.) Also, you can call them (amongst other names), as I have in this article, Cockerneys.

If you're musical, maybe you like to play the hey-diddle-diddle (fiddle or violin). Maybe you're tired and need to rest your head on your weeping willow (pillow)? Or have you a cold, and are about to bread and cheese (sneeze)? Do you have a favorite whistle and flute (suit)? Have you ever bought a dickory dock (clock)? This can be used, when referring to one's hands after a drinking bout: "Your hands look a bit currant-cakie (shaky)." Best not say to a sports fan: "Your team has no soap (no hope) of winning." Seen a pretty bow and arrow (sparrow) lately?

There endeth the lesson on Cockerney. Don't forget to take a torch in Cockneyland, and when you see the glinting eyes of the Cockerneys, say: "No Nellie Blighs (flies) about tonight." You'll be one of them. Jack the Ripper preyed on his victims in Cockneyland, and was never caught. Use your Cockney words, and there's no need to be afraid (not much anyway...)...

* Ruby Murray was an Irish singer.

A Typical Cockney or Cockerney

Source

The Reader's Digest Great Encyclopaedic Dictionary (1964)