Cockney Rhyming Slang

'Allo me old china - wot say we pop round the Jack. I'll stand you a pig and you can rabbit on
about your teapots. We can 'ave some loop and tommy and be off before the dickory hits twelve,
or, to translate:

Hello my old mate (china plate) - what do you say we pop around to the bar (Jack Tar). I'll buy
you a beer (pig's ear) and you can talk (rabbit and pork) about your kids (teapot lids). We can
have some soup (loop de loop) and supper (Tommy Tucker) and be gone before the clock
(hickory dickory dock) strikes twelve.

During the 19th Century, the criminal underworld in London developed

their own secret language.
Much of it was based on rhyming slang.
A few of the more common and interesting words and expressions are
tabulated here.

Enjoy ...

Rhyming Slang

Expression Meaning Notes / Examples

from butcher's hook = look
have a butchers take a look
as in "take a butchers at that"
north and south mouth
from plates of meat = feet
plates feet
as in "you've got big plates"
boat race face as in "nice legs, shame about the boat race"
skin and blister sister
from trouble and strife = wife
trouble wife
as in "going home to the trouble"
dustbin lids kids / children
from whistle and flute = suit
whistle suit
as in "do you like the whistle?"
Adam and Eve believe as in "would you Adam and Eve it?"
Rosie Lea tea as in "I'd love a cup of rosie"
Mutt and Jeff deaf
oily rag fag = cigarette as in "I'm going for an oily"
jam jar car
mince pies eyes as in "feast your mincers on this"
pen and ink stink as in "cor! what a pen and ink"
from pork pies = lies
porky lie
as in "he's telling porkies"
Barnet hair from Barnet Fair = hair
 as in "he's losing his Barnet"
Brahms pissed (i.e. "drunk") from Brahms and Liszt = pissed
Gregories glasses / spectacles from Gregory Pecks = specs
Titfer hat from tit for tat = hat
apples and pears stairs
Jimmy urinate from Jimmy Riddle = piddle
from borassic lint = skint
borassic broke / skint
as in "can't go out, I'm borassic"
two and eight state as in "he's in a bit of a two and eight"
Bertie Woofter gay man from Bertie Woofter = poofter
from China plate = mate
China mate / friend
as in "how are you, my old China"
Khyber buttocks from Khyber Pass = arse
rabbit and pork talk as in "Don't rabbit so much"
tea leaf thief
potato mould cold as in "it's a bit taters in here"
dog and bone phone as in "you're wanted on the dog and bone"
from loaf of bread = head
loaf head
as in "Use your loaf"
brown bread dead
battle cruiser boozer boozer = pub = public house (a place to drink)
elbows and knees trees
gold watch Scotch Scotch = whiskey
pride and Joy boy Take the pride and joy to the match
current bun Sun I'm going out to get a bit of current bun
dicky shirt from dicky dirt = shirt
pots and pans hands
Peckham Rye tie named after a place in London
Hampstead Heath teeth named after a place in London
jugs ears from jugs of beers = ears
Errol Flynn chin
almonds socks from almond rocks = socks
ones and twos
shoes
rhythm and blues
daisies boots from daisy roots = boots
bird prison from bird lime = time as in "doing bird"

Other London Slang

Expression Meaning Notes / Examples

leave it out stop it
 the filth the police "look out it's the filth"
doing porridge serving a prison sentence
beak judge "going up before the beak"
screw prison officer "the worst thing about porridge is the screws"
fence handler of stolen goods
gladrags best clothes "get your gladrags on; We're going out"
nark police informer "he's a copper's nark"
grass up to inform on "I was grassed up"
nonce sexual offender
snout tobacco
sussed out found out "I was sussed out by the filth"
rumbled found out "We've been rumbled"
stitched up set up "We've been stitched up"
loan shark unofficial money lender
bother a fight "Are you looking for bother?"
guv boss

© 1997 KryssTal