Rhyming Slang
Mar 13th 2012, 4:17 pm
#16
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Re: Rhyming Slang
Has anyone ever met an American who gets/understands rhyming slang? I haven't yet.
Why is your mouth called north & south - and not east & west?
Do they have a lot of barber shops at this Barnet Fair then?
etc etc
It is cool though cos (leaving any accent issues aside) you can basically talk a totally different language and they are clueless as to what you are going on about.
Why is your mouth called north & south - and not east & west?
Do they have a lot of barber shops at this Barnet Fair then?
etc etc
It is cool though cos (leaving any accent issues aside) you can basically talk a totally different language and they are clueless as to what you are going on about.
Only rhyming slang I ever use, is 'joey' for taxi
Mar 13th 2012, 4:21 pm
#17
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Re: Rhyming Slang
I grew up in Essex where people will use a bit.
My Mum always used "It's taters", also "plates" for feet. Two other commonly-used ones which everyone seemed to use were "Have a butcher's" and "Use your loaf!"
However we never said things like "I'm going up the apples and pears."
Mar 13th 2012, 4:28 pm
#18
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Joined: Dec 2006
Location: Texas
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Re: Rhyming Slang
I grew up in Essex where people will use a bit.
My Mum always used "It's taters", also "plates" for feet. Two other commonly-used ones which everyone seemed to use were "Have a butcher's" and "Use your loaf!"
However we never said things like "I'm going up the apples and pears."
Mar 13th 2012, 5:41 pm
#19
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Re: Rhyming Slang
I always tell my kids to take their dog (and bone) with them when they go out....that confuses the locals. My dad used to love uses rhyming slang.
Mar 13th 2012, 6:28 pm
#22
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Mar 13th 2012, 6:40 pm
#23
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Re: Rhyming Slang
I do say 'dog' quite a bit for phone.
This once turned into an a painful, attempted explanation of why your phone is your dog.
'why not just call it a phone?' they said.
'cos it's your dog ain't it' was my (probably) none too helpful reply.
I really like 2nd level rhyming slang. Things like 'look at the aris on that'. Aris?
Yeah - Aristottle = Bottle.
Bottle = Bottle & Glass.
Bottle & Glass = ass.
If they don't get one level of RS then 2 (or more) levels? Total bewilderment.
This once turned into an a painful, attempted explanation of why your phone is your dog.
'why not just call it a phone?' they said.
'cos it's your dog ain't it' was my (probably) none too helpful reply.
I really like 2nd level rhyming slang. Things like 'look at the aris on that'. Aris?
Yeah - Aristottle = Bottle.
Bottle = Bottle & Glass.
Bottle & Glass = ass.
If they don't get one level of RS then 2 (or more) levels? Total bewilderment.
Mar 13th 2012, 6:51 pm
#24
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Location: WA
Posts: 18,837
Re: Rhyming Slang
I am finding this educational. Keep 'em coming.
edit: thought depending on your accent, glass could rhyme with arse or ass.
Mar 13th 2012, 6:58 pm
#25
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Re: Rhyming Slang
Yeah exactly. I tend to say glaaasss rarther that glarrrrsss so said it to be 'ass'. I actually think it is traditionally seen as 'arse' though.
Mar 13th 2012, 7:06 pm
#26
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Re: Rhyming Slang
"Aris" is a weird one as it comes full circle and sounds like arse anyway.
Mar 13th 2012, 8:52 pm
#28
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 69
Re: Rhyming Slang
Has anyone ever met an American who gets/understands rhyming slang? I haven't yet.
Why is your mouth called north & south - and not east & west?
Do they have a lot of barber shops at this Barnet Fair then?
etc etc
It is cool though cos (leaving any accent issues aside) you can basically talk a totally different language and they are clueless as to what you are going on about.
Why is your mouth called north & south - and not east & west?
Do they have a lot of barber shops at this Barnet Fair then?
etc etc
It is cool though cos (leaving any accent issues aside) you can basically talk a totally different language and they are clueless as to what you are going on about.
He used to use it so much, his US colleagues were always completely baffled. His favorite being "Britneys", as it used to serve the purpose of both "ears" & "beers"! His understanding of it was doubtless aided by the fact that he spoke several foreign languages; although so did many of his colleagues so not sure what their shortfall was!
Mar 14th 2012, 12:46 pm
#29
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Re: Rhyming Slang
A former colleague of mine from my days in TX got so into it that he would not only take everything to the 2nd level & completely drop the actual rhyming word, he ended up coming out with some that even I'd never heard of; admittedly, I wasn't born within the sound of the Bow bell so could never confess to a large CRS vocabulary!
He used to use it so much, his US colleagues were always completely baffled. His favorite being "Britneys", as it used to serve the purpose of both "ears" & "beers"! His understanding of it was doubtless aided by the fact that he spoke several foreign languages; although so did many of his colleagues so not sure what their shortfall was!
He used to use it so much, his US colleagues were always completely baffled. His favorite being "Britneys", as it used to serve the purpose of both "ears" & "beers"! His understanding of it was doubtless aided by the fact that he spoke several foreign languages; although so did many of his colleagues so not sure what their shortfall was!