Speak Cockney Rhyming Slang

Cockney Rhyming Slang is said to have been spoken by the thieves of London. Petty thieves used the code to rob people in the marketplace, allowing the thieves to talk amongst themselves. A very clever way of speaking in code, and incomprehensible to the authorities, or any eavesdroppers who were not familiar with the slang. Entertainers and traders also used the secret code. It is said that Vendors in the market place used the code to communicate that he was about to lower his prices in 10 minutes, so that he could go home early. Other reports say that the language originated in prison, so that inmates could talk without the guards listening in. It has also beensuggest that it was born shortly after Sir Robert Peel introduced and implemented his idea for police force. The criminal fraternity had never been faced with such a concerted effort to thwart them, so they developed Cockney slang, so two or more criminals could hold an open conversation, within earshot of “Peeler” without fear of their plans being overheard by the police.

There is little information to suggest that the code was widespread, and the problem with research is that it was a spoken language with little to no written records. It’s not really a language, as the words are clearly English, and It’s not a dialect as the speaker is capable of using correct English. The code is still used today and is as a colourful and fun way to communicate in every day life.

Using rhyming slang, you need to take a pair of associated words, where the second word rhymes with the word you intend to say, then use the first word of the associated pair to indicate the word you originally intended to say.

Some slang words have more than one meaning (for example, Iron can be bank (Iron Tank) or a homosexual (Iron Hoof) as this rhymes with poof which is a particularly English expression for homosexual), so context is everything.

Example

“Got to my Mickey, found me way up the apples, put on me whistle and the bloody dog went. It was trouble telling me to fetch the teapots.”

Translation

“Got to my house (Mickey Mouse), found my way up the stairs (apples and pairs), put on my suit (whistle and flute), when the phone (dog and bone). It was my wife (trouble and strife) telling me to get the kids (teapot lids).

Have a go at replacing some words with Cockney Slang. Here are just a few to give you a taste, but there are whole web sights dedicated to this stuff.

Dictionary