beautiful face.” This feature, called abbreviation, makes a sentence in which it is employed much harder to understand. But there is always an exception that
proves the rule. There are some phrases in Cockney slang which are not abbreviated for example the Cockney expression Adam and Eve believe. In this
case the full rhyming phrase is used in place of the word, e.g. Would you Adam and Eve it?
. Sometimes there may be two or more ways to indicate the very same
thing or concept, e.g. “tea” can be referred to as Rosy Lee or Me and You in
Cockney rhyming slang. On the other hand, there may be one expression indicating more ideas, according to the context, e.g.
“Jack and Jill” can mean till cash, bill,
and hill. Some rhymes have been in use for years and are very well recognized, if
not used, among speakers of other accents. For example the slang expression bacon and eggs
“legs” as used in the sentence She has long bacons means “she has
long legs,” the slang expression butcher‟s hook “look” as used in the sentence Please, take a butcher
‟s at this means “Please, take a look at this.”
B. The Background of the Expressions of Cockney Rhyming Slang
Some people said that cockney rhyming slang was made to help thieves speak without being understood by others after a crackdown on crime in the heart
of London. Others said that the slang was created by market traders so they could discuss problems among themselves while securing a good deal from their
customers. What is known is that Cockney rhyming slang is alive and well, with new
phrases entering
the lexicon
all the
time. http:www.dailywritingtips.comcockney-rhyming-slang. June 12, 2010
In this part, the writer discusses the etymology of some expressions of cockney rhyming slang. First of all, the writer discusses the birthplace of
cockney rhyming slang which is East End London.
1. Cockney Rhyming Slang in East End London
Cockney Rhyming Slang originated in the East End of London, but not all of the cockneys are from East End. According to Taylor in the article
„Bits and Pieces from East End,
Thus while all East Enders are Cockneys, not all Cockneys are East Enders. The traditional core neighbourhoods of the East End are Bethnal
Green, Whitechapel, Spitalfields, Stepney, Wapping, Limehouse, Poplar, Millwall, Hackney, Hoxton, Shoreditch, Bow and Mile End.
„The Borough‟ to the south of Waterloo, London and Tower Bridge were also considered Cockney before redevelopment all but
extinguished the local working class areas, and now Bermondsey is the only Cockney area south of the Thames, although Pearly Kings and
Queens can be found as far out as Peckham and Penge. The area north of the Thames gradually expanded to include East Ham, Stratford, West
Ham and Plaistow as more land was built upon.
www.graphicality.co.ukbookseast-london_bookeast-london.pdf
Based on the article, www.timeout.com, Watts also said that Although cockneys should be from the inner city and are often East
Enders, they are not exclusively so and can be found in Fulham, Battersea, Tottenham, Camden, Catford and Golders Green, as well as
throughout Essex and Kent. Although they are traditionally white,
working-class and theoretically Christian, many cockneys are Jewish, black
or Indian.
http:www.timeout.comlondonbig- smokefeatures3110Death_of_the_cockney.html
From the quotation above, the writer can say that being a cockney is not
all about born in east end within the sound of Bow Bells but we all know that London is multicultural city. In recent years, there has been a move away from
Cockney in the inner-city areas of London towards multicultural London English whereas the eastern outskirts of Greater London have more speakers of cockney
dialect. East London has always been the poor relation of the West End. In the earliest time, East End was the place for trade and industry. It was a
dark, lower-class area with a large criminal activity. Many valuable and exotic goods were imported from all over the British Empire and beyond and this
provided rich pickings for the small time crooks of the area. Unfortunately, the bad reputation of the area made many police often came to this place. Finally, the
crooks decided that they need a secret language all of their own without being understood by the police. This language called cockney rhyming slang.
http:whizzer.hubpages.comhubLondons-Cockney-Rhyming-Slang Cockney rhyming slang itself has two different versions, classic cockney
rhyming slang and modern cockney rhyming slang. Classic cockney rhyming slang was made in the first time it was made where the expression was made with
no humorous intent, such as Butchers Hook simply refers to the double-ended hook with which butchers would hang up joints of meat. Difference from modern
cockney slang which was is being developed today tends to only rhyme words
with the names of celebrities or famous people. There are very few new Cockney slang expressions that do not follow this trend. The only one that has gained
much ground recently that bucks this trend is Wind and Kite meaning Web site. http:www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.ukcockney_rhyming_slang
Today, most English speaking countries now use their own rhyming slang expressions, E.g. Australia that has been a particularly strong user since the mid
1900s. It should be emphasized that the most recently invented rhyming slang doesnt originate from Cockneys themselves. Cockney rhyming slang is now a
free term for the style of the rhyming technique. The writer also get some informatin about where cockney rhyming slang
comes from, according to A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang 2010, rhyming slang has come from other sources in time. From Ireland comes such
words as:
Slang Words Meaning
Rory O‟More Door
Cowhide wide; e.g. aware of
Glasgow boat Coat
Chocolate trifle Rifle
Australia and, to a lesser extent, America have proved to be good sources of their own rhymes:
Slang Words Meaning
Steel Rudds spuds potatoes
Giddy goat tote totalizer
Mad mick Pick
Lean and fat Hat
There are some examples of rhyming phrase using the last word being spoken rather than the first word, such as „tart‟ in Jam tart for sweetheart,
although now it tends to carry a negative connotation. Another word is coffee and cocoa
for Say so I should cocoa. According to A Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang 2010, there are
some places where the rhyming phrases come from. Most phrases come from words and expressions that always use everyday, such as currant bun son, fine
and dandy brandy, and Oxo cube tube-London Underground. Other sources are come from:
i. Music hall performers:
Gertie Lee, Kate Karney ii.
Famous characters within London circles or world-wide: Charles James Fox, Harry Nash, Dr. Crippen
