Confused by the traditional lingo in our city – well here’s some ‘lump of ice’
Whether you have lived in London all of your life, or are new to the city, you’ve probably have heard people speaking Cockney.
There’s literally hundreds of Cockney phrases, which means the native East End language can get pretty confusing.
For those Only Fools and Horses fans you would have heard Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter use rhyming slang including: “would you Adam and Eve it”, which is slang for you won’t believe it.
We’re also used to Danny Dyer tell Queen Vic punters he’s “done some bird” as he plays Mick Carter in EastEnders , or hearing acting legend Michael Caine naturally use the lingo during television interviews.
So to help you navigate your way around the London dialect we’ve comprised a list of of 33 popular Cockney rhyming slang terms and what they mean.
1. China plate – mate (friend)
2. Adam and Eve – believe
3. Apples and pears – stairs
4. Boat Race – face
5. Bird lime – time (in prison)
6. Bricks and Mortar – daughter
7. Brown Bread – dead
8. Bubble Bath – Laugh
9. On the floor – poor
10. Scotch mist – pissed
11. Currant bun – sun (also The Sun newspaper)
12. Dicky bird – word
13. Dog and bone – phone
14. Dustbin lid – kid
15. Duke of Kent – rent
16. Hank Marvin – starving
17. Jam-jar – car
18. Lady Godiva – fiver
19. Loaf of Bread – head
20. Mince Pies – eyes
21. Peckham Rye – tie
22. Pony and Trap – crap
23. Rosy Lee – tea
24. Sherbert (short for sherbert dab) – cab
25. Skin and Blister – sister
26. Tea leaf – thief
27. Trouble and strife – wife
28. Vera Lynn – gin
29. Whistle and flute – suit (of clothes)
30. Wonga – cash
31. Duck and dive – hide/skive
32. Lump of ice – advice
33. Pleasure and pain – rain
Source: A Londoner guide to 33 popular Cockney rhyming slang terms – MyLondon