Cockney Rhyming Slang

We don’t have to have a bull about it, but would you Adam and Eve it? I had a butchers through the window last night and saw such long bacons, I couldn’t get my loaf around it!

A bit confused? Cockney rhyming slang uses rhyming phrases to replace words, however in many cases the word that rhymes is dropped. For example ‘butchers hook’ is used instead of ‘look’ in the sentence above, however hook is dropped just to leave butchers.

Originating from the East End of London in the mid-19th century, Cockney rhyming slang was used by salesmen to confuse non-local people and it is also said that criminals used it to confuse the police. Or, it may be that as a nation we just enjoy rhyming words together such as itsy-bitsy, higgledy-piggledy and nitty-gritty.

So for now, see you later alligator!

Image credit: lrargerich