Cockney Rhyming Slang

Cockney Rhyming Slang is a specialised form of slang used in the East of London. It is a kind of antilanguage where words are replaced by phrases that rhyme (sound the same): North and south = mouth Adam and Eve = believe Sometimes, the last word is dropped.

Why is Cockney Rhyming Slang called so?

A Cockney is a Londoner; the original definition was someone born near enough to hear the bells of Bow, which meant people in the east of the city. The word Cockney means the egg of a cockerel (male hen) and was meant as an insult, implying dishonesty in business deals by trying to sell non-existent or low quality goods, or so the story goes. The term is now used happily and proudly by the people of the east and north of London, who regard themselves as the 'real' Londoners in a very cosmopolitan city where a lot of the population have come in from other areas of the country or abroad.

As well as having a distinctive pronunciation and many grammatical features, the language of London is most notable for its Rhyming Slang. This consists of using a phrase that rhymes, sounds the same, as the word you want to say, so 'telephone' becomes 'dog and bone'. Unfortunately, many of the phrases then lose the second word, making it very hard for the outsider to guess the original meaning; 'rabbit' for 'talk' comes from the phrase 'rabbit and pork', but few would be able to guess it.

A lot of the original rhyming slang appeared among the market traders in the east end of London in the 19th century, but it is still used and new words and phrases are being invented all the time. At the moment, it is very fashionable to use famous people's names, so the DJ Pete Tong is used meaning 'wrong'- 'thing's have gone Pete Tong'. This is how Cockney Rhyming Slang got this name.

Here is The List of Cockney Rhyming Slang beginning with B.


Babe Ruth: (UK) Babe Ruth = truth


Baby giraffe: (UK) Baby giraffe = half (half a pint)


Bacardi Breezer: (UK) Bacardi Breezer = geezer (guy) Bacardi Breezer = freezer


Bag of sand: (UK) Bag of sand = grand (1,000 pounds)


Bag of yeast: (UK) Bag of yeast = priest


Barnet fair: (UK) Barnet fair = hair


Barry White: (UK) Barry White = shite (an alterative form of 'shit') Barry White was a soul singer.


Bath tub: (UK) Bath tub = pub


Becks and Posh: (UK) Becks and Posh = dosh (money) Becks is David Beckham and Posh is his wife.




Bees and honey: (UK) Bees and honey = money


Belinda Carlisles: (UK) Belinda Carlisles = piles (haemorrhoids/hemorrhoids) Belinda Carlisle is a singer.


Berlin walls: (UK) Berlin walls = balls (testicles)


Betty Grable: (UK) Betty Grable = table


Bill stickers: (UK) Bill stickers = knickers


Bin Laden: (UK) Bin Laden = garden


Bird bath: (UK) Bird bath = laugh (Normally as a noun- 'you're having a bird bath'- it rhymes in Cockney as the pronounce 'th' as 'f'.)


Bird lime: (UK) Bird lime = time (in prison) 'He's doin' ten year's bird.'


Bit of luck: (UK) Bit of luck = fuck (noun)


Bo Peep: (UK) Bo Peep = sleep


Boat race: (UK) Boat race = face


Bob Dylan: (UK) Bob Dylan = villain


Bob Hope: (UK) Bob Hope = dope (cannabis)


Bob Marley: (UK) Bob Marley = Charlie (cocaine)


Boracic lint: (UK) Boracic lint = skint (without any money)


Boss Hogg: (UK) Boss Hogg = bog (toilet) Boss Hogg is a character in the TV series the Dukes of Hazzard.




Bottle and glass: (UK) Bottle and glass = arse


Boutros Boutros-Ghali: (UK) Boutros Boutros-Ghali = charlie (cocaine)Boutros Boutros-Ghali was the Secretary General of the United Nations


Bowler hat: Bowler hat = twat


Brass band: (UK) Brass band = hand


Brass door: (UK) Brass door = whore (prostitute)


Brass flute: (UK) Brass flute = prostitute


Brassic lint: (UK) Brassic lint = skint (broke, no money)


Brian Clough: (UK) Brian Clough = rough (meaning 'ugly') Brian Clough was a famous football manager.


Bricks and mortar: (UK) Bricks and mortar = daughter


Brighton Pier: (UK) Brighton Pier = queer (gay)


Bristol city: (UK) Bristol city = titty (breast)


British rail: (UK) British rail = email


Brixton riot: (UK) Brixton riot = diet Brixton is an area of London


Brown bread: (UK) Brown bread = dead


Bruce Lee: (UK) Bruce Lee = pee (urinate) Bruce Lee was an actor in martial arts films.


Bubble and squeak: (UK) Bubble and squeak = Greek (used as a noun- 'He's a Bubble.')


Bucket and spade: (UK) Bucket and spade = laid (meaning 'have sex'- 'I got bucket and spade on Friday.')


Bumble bee: (UK) Bumble bee = E (the drug ecstasy)


Butcher's hook: (UK) Butcher's hook = look (used as a noun- 'Can I have a butcher's?')

This is The List of Cockney Rhyming Slang beginning with B.

Cockney Rhyming Slang Index