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| “He knows his onions” |
OK, so we all know some of the traditional
Cockney rhyming slang – ‘I don’t Adam and
Eve it!’ (believe), ‘Going up the Apples
and Pears’ (stairs), etc.
But there are some Cockney rhyming
slang expressions whose shortened versions have entered the English language as everyday words which we all use – and you might be a bit surprised by some of
them…
“He knows his onions”
This is believed to
originate from ‘He knows a lot of things’
– which got translated in Cockney rhyming slang to: ‘He knows a lot of onion rings’, and from there to ‘He knows his onions’. Weird?
“Have a butchers at this!”
This comes from the Cockney rhyming
slang – ‘butchers hook’, meaning ‘look’.
“Use your loaf!”
In Cockney rhyming slang, ‘loaf of bread’ means ‘head’. So, ‘Use your head!’…
“I haven’t got a sausage”
Cockney rhyming slang for ‘cash’ is ‘Sausage and Mash’, so that’s where this expression came from –
literally, ‘I haven’t got any
money/anything’.
“It’s raining cats and
dogs”
This one’s a bit tenuous, so bear with
me! There are several different thoughts about how this came about, but the one
I like best is referring to a time when it rained frogs… During a violent
storm, frogs were apparently lifted up into the air by the wind, and literally
rained down on passers-by. Thanks to the delights of Cockney rhyming slang, ‘frogs’ became ‘Cats and Dogs’.
“You silly berk!”
This one is slightly worrying. Frequently
used as a fairly soft admonishment when someone does something stupid, it
actually comes from much more offensive Cockney rhyming slang origins – ‘berk’ comes from ‘Berkshire Hunt’. Enough said?
“It’s a load of old cobblers!”
Again, this one has a slightly ruder
origin than the expression suggests. It comes from the Cockney rhyming slang ‘Cobbler’s Awls’ – an awl being the tool
used to put the lace holes in shoes. Now, what rhymes with ‘awls’?
“Quick, let’s scarper!”
Often used to suggest ‘doing a runner’,
the Cockney rhyming slang origin is ‘Scapa
Flow’ – so, it simply means ‘Let’s go’.
In case you’re wondering, Scapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Isles - weirdly quite a long way from Bow Bells..
“I can’t come out tonight –
I’m boracic”
Boracic lint was a 19th
Century medical dressing used in the treatment of leg ulcers. It became the
Cockney rhyming slang for ‘skint’ or ‘broke’.
“Stop rabbiting on!”
We all say this when someone can’t stop chatting,
but where does the expression come from? Well, it’s simple – the Cockney
rhyming slang for ‘talk’ is ‘Rabbit and Pork’, so now you know!
“I can’t afford to go out
tonight – can you lend me some bread?”
OK, it’s clear that ‘bread’ is slang for money or cash. And maybe
you’ve guessed it? Yes, it comes from the Cockney rhyming slang ‘Bread and
Honey’.
“My Chalfonts are agony –
I can’t sit down!”
OK, this is more than a bit obscure, and
I admit I’ve never actually heard anyone say this even within the sound of Bow
Bells – but it’s a polite Cockney slang way of referring to haemorrhoids
(piles)! How so? Well, the full slang expression is ‘Chalfont St Giles’ – after an unassuming town in Buckinghamshire.
“Hello my old china!”
Again, slightly obscure, but I have
heard this expression used. Why call someone ‘China’? Well, the full Cockney
rhyming slang expression for a friend is ‘China
Plate’ – so it just means ‘mate’.
“He only got a Desmond at
university”
Taking the name of the South African
Anglican cleric Desmond Tutu in vain, this is a Cockney rhyming slang way of
describing a 2:2 degree… get it?
“Blowing a raspberry”
Bear with me on this one too… So, this
expression we now use for a harmless noise made with the tongue actually comes
from Cockney rhyming slang for another bodily function often involving noise.
If I tell you that the full Cockney phrase is ‘Raspberry tart’, you should get the picture?
“Stop taking the mickey!”
Nobody knows who Mickey Bliss was, or if
he even existed – but we have him to thank for this Cockney rhyming slang
expression. Take a look at his surname, and I’m sure you can work out what this
is slang for..?
“Don’t tell porkies!”
Probably quite an obvious one to finish
with – ‘porkies’ is short for ‘Pork Pies’ – so, ‘Don’t tell lies’.
Is there any other Cockney rhyming slang
you’d like to share? Simply leave a comment below and let us know…
