The Nigel Noshes Cockney Translator
A guide to Cockney rhyming slang for the bewildered visitor (and the curious local)
What is Cockney Rhyming Slang?
Cockney rhyming slang originated in the East End of London in the mid-19th century: some say among market traders, others blame criminals trying to confuse the police. Either way, the principle is simple: replace a word with a phrase that rhymes with it, then (and this is the cruel part) drop the rhyming word entirely.
So “wife” becomes “trouble and strife”, which gets shortened to just “the trouble”. “Stairs” becomes “apples and pears”, then just “apples”. Good luck working that out if you’ve just arrived from overseas.
I occasionally slip Cockney into my reviews: My passport says “Dagenham” but my mother was born within the sound of Bow Bells (the wind blew in the right direction that day). And because “duff boozer, top snoozer” is simply a better headline than “bad pub, nice hotel”. When I do, I’ll link back here so you’re not completely lost.
Slang I’ve Used in Reviews
| Slang | Meaning | Where I Used It |
|---|---|---|
| Adam and Eve | Believe | Fox & Anchor |
| Apples and Pears | Stairs | Fox & Anchor |
| Barry / Barry White | Tight (mean with money) | Fox & Anchor |
| Bo Peep | Sleep | Fox & Anchor |
| Bottle | £200 | Fox & Anchor |
| Merchant Banker | You work it out… | Fox & Anchor |
| Mum and Dad | Glad | Fox & Anchor |
| Rub-a-dub | Pub | Fox & Anchor |
| Ruby (Murray) | Curry | Fox & Anchor |
| Trouble (and Strife) | Wife | Fox & Anchor |
The Full Glossary
Money
| Slang | Meaning | Origin (where not obvious!) |
|---|---|---|
| Archer | £2,000 | After Jeffrey Archer, who allegedly paid this sum to a lady of negotiable virtue |
| Bottle | £200 | Bottle of glue = two (hundred) |
| Cockle | £10 | Cock and hen = ten |
| Deep sea diver | Fiver (£5) | |
| Lady Godiva | £5 | Lady Godiva = fiver |
| Monkey | £500 | Possibly from Indian 500 rupee note |
| Nicker | £1 | Not rhyming slang, but Cockney money slang |
| Pony | £25 | Origin unclear, but maybe the 25 rupee note |
| Score | £20 | Not rhyming slang, but traditional |
| Ton | £100 | Not rhyming slang, but traditional |
People & Relationships
| Slang | Meaning | Origin (where not obvious!) |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | Hair | Barnet Fair = hair |
| Boat | Face | Boat race = face |
| Brass | Prostitute | Brass nail = tail (old slang for prostitute) |
| China | Mate/friend | China plate = mate |
| Dustbin lid | Kid | |
| Jam jar | Car | |
| Kick and prance | Dance | |
| Loaf | Head | Loaf of bread = head |
| Mince pies | Eyes | |
| Mutt and Jeff | Deaf | |
| North and south | Mouth | |
| Plates | Feet | Plates of meat = feet |
| Porky / Porky pie | Lie | Pork pie = lie |
| Rabbit | Talk | Rabbit and pork = talk |
| Septic | American | Septic tank = Yank |
| Skin and blister | Sister | |
| Syrup | Wig | Syrup of figs = wig |
| Tea leaf | Thief | |
| Titfer | Hat | Tit for tat = hat |
| Tod | On your own | Tod Sloan = Alone (He was a 19th Century Septic jockey) |
Food & Drink
| Slang | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Aristotle | Bottle | |
| Bees and honey | Money | |
| Brahms and Liszt | Drunk (pissed) | |
| Bread and honey | Money | |
| Char | Tea | From Hindi “cha” — not rhyming slang but Cockney |
| Dog and bone | Phone | Dog and bone = phone |
| Pig’s ear | Beer | Pig’s ear = beer |
| Rosie Lee | Tea | |
| Sherbert | Taxi | Sherbert dab = cab |
Places & Getting Around
| Slang | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Bakers | Dozen | Baker’s dozen = dozen |
| Barclays | Bank | Barclays Bank = bank (also vulgar alternative meaning!) |
| Drum | Home | Drum and bass = place |
| Frog and Toad | Road | |
| Jam jar | Car | |
| Khyber | Arse | Khyber Pass = arse |
| Sherbert | Cab/taxi | Sherbert dab = cab |
| OXO | Tube/Underground | OXO cube = Tube |
Everyday Expressions
| Slang | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Berk | Fool | Berkshire Hunt = … (work it out) |
| Brassic | Skint/broke | Boracic lint = skint |
| Brass tacks | Facts | |
| Butcher’s | Look | Butcher’s hook = look |
| Cobblers | Nonsense | Cobbler’s awls = balls |
| Cream crackered | Knackered | |
| Donkey’s | Ages | Donkey’s ears = years |
| Gander | Look | Not rhyming slang (from goose stretching neck) |
| Gregory | Neck | |
| Hampton | Penis | Hampton Wick = dick |
| Hank Marvin | Starving | |
| Have a bubble | Have a laugh | Bubble bath = laugh |
| Have a giraffe | Having a laugh | Giraffe = laugh |
| Kermit | Road | Kermit the Frog = road (modern variant of frog and toad) |
| Moby Dick | Sick | |
| Mutton | Deaf | Mutt and Jeff = deaf |
| On your Jack | On your own | Jack Jones = own |
| Raspberry | Fart | Raspberry tart = fart |
| Scarper | Run away | Scapa Flow = go |
| Two and eight | In a bad way | Two and eight = In a state |
A Note on Usage
Real Cockneys drop the rhyming part. So you’d say “use your loaf” (not “use your loaf of bread”), “have a butcher’s” (not “have a butcher’s hook”), and “she’s my trouble” (not “she’s my trouble and strife”).
If you use the full phrase, you’ll sound like a tourist. If you use the shortened version, you’ll sound like a local (honest!)
Modern Additions
Cockney slang isn’t frozen in time — new ones appear regularly:
| Slang | Meaning | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Ayrton | £10 | Ayrton Senna = tenner |
| Britney | Beers | Britney Spears = beers |
| Gary | Ecstasy pill | Gary Ablett = tablet |
| Pavarotti | £10 | Pavarotti = tenner (sounds like tenor) |
| Pete Tong | Wrong | Probably my most overused phrase |
| Posh and Becks | Sex | Nickname for David and Victoria Beckham |
| Scooby | Clue | Scooby Doo = clue (“I haven’t got a scooby”) |
| Winona | Cider | Winona Ryder = Cider |
Want More?
If I’ve missed your favourite, or you’ve heard one that baffled you, drop it in the comments. I’ll keep adding to this page as I discover more and as I use them in future reviews.
And if you want to see Cockney in action, try my review of the Fox & Anchor — duff boozer, top snoozer.
Last updated: January 2026