COCKNEY
RHYMING SLANG

I would imagine
most people have come across rhyming slang at some time or other, even if
only in the movies – and may not even have realised it. It is sort of
texting in reverse – whereas texting abbreviates the actual words, rhyming
slang is a longer version.

A lot of the phrases
themselves have become shortened over the years e.g. Joanna (Piano), Tit for
Tat (Hat) is shortened to “Titfer” and “I’m Boracic”
means “I have no money”.

The following lists some
of the good old originals, whereas others have been added more recently.

COCKNEY WORD/PHRASE	DEFINITION
Adam and Eve	Believe
Alan Whickers	Knickers
Almond Rocks / Tilbury Docks	Socks
Apples and Pears	Stairs
Aristotle	Bottle
Artful Dodger	Lodger
Ascot Races	Braces
Baked Bean	Queen
Baker’s Dozen	Cousin
Ball and Chalk	Walk
Bangers and Mash	Cash Stewart Marden
Barnaby Rudge	Judge
Barnet Fair	Hair
Barney Rubble	Trouble Jayme Gibbs
Basil Fawlty	Balti
Battlecruiser	Boozer
Berkshire Hunt (usually shortened to Berk)	A vulgar offensive word referring to female genitalia. Charles Hope
Boat Race	Face
Bob Hope	Soap Dope (marijuana) Ali Clark
Boracic Lint	Skint (no money)
Brahms and List	Pissed (drunk)
Brass Tacks	Facts
Bread and Cheese	Sneeze
Bread and Honey	Money
Bricks and Mortar	Daughter
Bristol City	Titty
Brown Bread	Dead
Bubble Bath	Laugh Robert Davis
Bubble and Squeak	Greek
Butcher’s Hook	Look
Chalfont St. Giles	Piles (see also Famer Giles)
Chalk Farm	Arm
China Plate	Mate
Cobbler’s Awls	Balls
Cock and Hen	Ten
Cows and Kisses	Missus (wife) Ken Dryden
Ken also advises that this has been around for years and is the origin of the very common (but wholly un-PC) phrase “Silly Cow” (usually applied nowadays to any woman perceived by a man to be doing something daft!)
Currant Bun	Sun
Daisy Roots	Boots
Darby and Joan	Moan
Dicky bird	Word
Dicky Dirt	Shirt
Dinky Doos	Shoes
Dog and Bone	Phone
Duck and Dive	Skive
Duke of Kent	Rent
Dustbin Lid	Kid
Elephant’s Trunk	Drunk Ken Dryden
Farmer Giles	Piles Chris
Fireman’s Hose	Nose
Flowery Dell	Cell
Four by Two	Jew (Allan Hoffmann)
Frog and Toad	Road
Gold Watch (Sometimes Pocket Watch)	Scotch PT
Gregory Peck	Cheque
Gregory peck	Neck
George Raft	Draught
Gypsy’s Kiss	Piss (urinate)
Hampton Wick	Prick
Hank Marvin	Starving
Isle of Wight	Tight Ken Dryden
Jam Jar	Car
Jimmy Riddle	Piddle/Widdle (urinate)
Aunt Joanna	Piano
Khyber Pass	Arse (backside/bottom)
Kick and Prance	Dance
Lady Godiva	Fiver (Five pounds)
Laugh n a joke	Smoke Alan Robertson
Lionel Blairs	Flares (I.e. trousers)
Loaf of Bread	Head
Mickey Bliss	Piss (urinate)
Mince Pies	Eyes
Mork and Mindy	Windy
Mutt and Jeff	Deaf
Nanny Goat	Coat Kenneth Stratford
North and South	Mouth
Oily Rag	Fag (cigarette)
Orchestra stalls	Balls Alan Robertson
Pat and Mick	Sick
Peckham Rye	Tie
Pen and Ink	stink (smell)
Plates of Meat	Feet
Pony and Trap	Crap (sort of manure!)
Porky Pies	Lies
Rhythm n blues	Shoes Alan Robertson
Rosie Lee	Tea
Roast Pork	Fork
Round the Houses	Trousers
Rub-a-Dub	Pub (Public House/Bar)
Ruby Murray	Curry
Salmon and Trout	Snout (tobacco/cigarette)
Sausage Roll	Goal
Scooby (Scooby Doo)	Clue Daryl Armstrong
Sherbert Dab	Cab
Skin and Blister	Sister
Sky Rocket	Pocket
Struggle and Grunt	A vulgar offensive word referring to female genitalia. E. Yule
Sweeney Todd	Flying Squad
Syrup of Figs	Wig
Tea Leaf	Thief
Tilbury Docks / Almond Rocks	Socks Mick Rouemaine
Thrupney Bit *** Two Bob Bit*	Shi* (sorry) Robert Davis See note below Squits (diarrhea) Rob Studholme
Tom Tit	As above. John Cole /Chris
***A “thrupney bit” was a 3 pence piece before decimalisation in UK.
“Peter” has corrected on this one – Thrupney Bit(s) is apparently slang for “Tit(s)” and, he also advises Tupney bit is the slang for “Sxxx” . I am not sure about this, however, as “tupney” is short for tuppence (two pence) and the two pence piece is a fairly new coin. I think it may be “Two bob bit” (* a two shilling piece also known as a florin) which is the slang for “sxxx”. Dave Row has also confirmed this. Charles Hope has added further clarification – ‘Tuppenny’ is neither rhyming slang nor a reference to some defunct or non-existent 2d piece, more prosaically it is short for ‘tuppeny upright’: “Unlike Dickens’ fictional Nancy (of ‘Oliver’ fame) – a ‘tuppenny upright’, as the lowest street-walkers were known…” Well, I am glad we have cleared that one up!!!!
Tit for Tat (Titfer)	Hat
Todd Sloane	Alone
Tom and Dick	Sick
Tom Foolery	Jewellery
Tommy Tank	Bank Kenneth Stratford
Tommy Trinder	Window
Trouble and Strife	Wife
Vera Lynn	Gin
Weasel and Stoat	Coat
Whistle and Flute	Suit

There are two other pages on this
subject; a list sorted by words and
another providing examples of sentences using
rhyming slang.

COCKNEY RHYMING SLANG

Related Posts

Cockney rhyming slang – expressions and meanings – sorted by words

Examples of sentences using cockney rhyming slang

Roman numerals, basic principles and their meaning

COCKNEY
RHYMING SLANG