lupinpooter

Guffaw!

Steve Crook

Cockney rhyming slang is great fun. As was used by the market traders in London to talk to each other so that the customers wouldn't know what they were saying. Like to tell someone on the next stall that a particular customer is a bit gullible, or that another one is too sharp to be tricked.

It is constantly evolving but there seem to be a lot of people that like to just make up obscure examples. It is meant to be a way of getting a meaning across. If you have to explain it, it's failed. Remember that this was Cockney's talking to each other and they are a quick witted breed

The basic idea is that you take the word that you want to say, make up a phrase that rhymes with that word - and then throw away the rhyming part.

e.g.
"down the frog"
- Frog & toad = road
"up the apples"
- Apples and pears = stairs

Of course sometimes a particular piece of rhyming slang will become so well known by the punters that it's useless. Unless you make some rhyming slang from the rhyming slang and double-encode it

Roger Lloyd-Pack ("Trigger" in Only Fools and Horses) is actually a very clever man and he collects good uses of real rhyming slang. He even reported a case where something had been triple-encoded!

"She's got a lovely April"
- April in Paris = Aris
- Aristole = bottle
- Bottle and glass = arse

Steve

Jackdaw

Shant was quite common in London in my day, and I believe it still is.
An Irish rep used to take me out for "a few scoops".
Black as Newgate's knocker was an expression meaning very dirty when I was a kid.

billy bentley

Anyone still hear "Strueth"(struth ?) / Lokking at it written down makes me wonder if it's clipped "its the truth" but I don't know, do you ?

Steve Crook

I thought it was an abbreviation of "God's truth" (usually spelt "strewth")

Steve

brianl

My Mother used to say "Gordon Bennett" quite a lot after I had done something that exasperated or annoyed her. I believe he was a Racing car driver who had a bit of a reputation as a dare devil
BrianL

funlover

A old geezer? Piffle lad. You're as young as you feel and twice as lively.

funlover

Another few that my old mate in London used come out with.

If someone farted he would say in a high pitch "Duchess of Devonshire" manner "More tea Vicah? Or Just brown bread?"

"Wodjer want? A medal, or a chest to pin it on?"

If ond asked the time the answer was "half past, ten to, getting on for nearly"

If something was lost he'd say "Keep searchin' it'll be in the last place you look"

funlover

Regarding rhyming slang the worst you could be called was a "Berk" = "Berkshire Hunt" I leave you fathom what that rhymed with>

Steve Crook

The link to the racing driver is really just an excuse

It more likely stated out as a bit of blasphemy, when people say "God", which in the vernacular often came out as "Gawd". When they realise that they're saying this in polite company or in front of children they then extended it into "Gordon Bennett".

(James) Gordon Bennet Jnr. was a famous racing driver and publisher of the New York Times which was founded by his father, James Gordon Bennett Snr.

Steve

wadsy

"It's like giving a donkey strawberries" !

"Well i'll go to our "ouse"!

"Bloody Nora"!

"Ecky thump"!

Tony Pendrey

My old relations from oop north used to use the expession "Well, I'll go to foot of our stairs" on anything exasperating.

and - "How's your mother off for gravy !" - never understood that one.

"Christ on a crutch !!"

Ah Yes, the Soviet Union. All them wheatfields and ballet in the evenings

Harleybloke

Well! What a to do!

If you asked where someone had gone - 'Timbucktoo' oh it made me chuckle....

Been in the sun 'Brown as a berry' But they're red or blue or black.......

Gramps going to the pub toilet to 'see a man about a dog'?????

Gramps forgetting to report back for duty at his London barracks during WW1, he took 'French leave'.

Pint of light & bitter.

Barley wine pls.

What's for tea ma? answer...............Killmekwik.

I wonder why they died out....................

.....You couldn't hear it, if they were shooting at me with howitzers!

batman

I used to hear the expression 'up yer clunge' quite a lot a few years back ..... anyone know what it actually means, apart from the obvious of course?

"Boom boom a baby .... Banham Zoo .... Banana pants! Hahahaha"

kris20

Refers to when pot & kettles were all boiled on a wood fire and so black round the bottom and sides.
Mean "your as bad as the person etc your talking about"

If heavens as boring as it sound I don't want to go there.