Can you pass our Cockney rhyming slang quiz? Cockney Rhyming Slang is essential insider information for all savvy Londoners so use your watch and chain and take our test.
What is Cockney Rhyming Slang?
This “secret language” was devised by canny East End market traders in the 1840s who were probably wanting to have a conversation away from nosy police men (coppers). It’s a bit like today, where tourists and second-generation Londoners revert to speaking their mother tongue on the tube in the hope that you haven’t got a clue what they are saying…and you can be sure that they are saying something scathing about your clothes or makeup.
Who are the Cockneys?
A true Cockney is anyone who is born within the sound of St Mary Le Bow Church in Cheapside. However, in the 1960s, many people who were living in the East End of London were relocated to parts of Essex…so you may hear this accent in some of the outer London boroughs.
How Does the Rhyming Work?
Cockney rhyming slang is probably easiest to explain with an example. If you hear someone talking about going up the apples and pears, they mean that they are going up the stairs, as stairs rhyme with pears.
Cockney Rhyming Slang for Coffee
Cockney rhyming slang is not a precise science, and many words have more than one option. The Cockney rhyming slang for coffee may be sticky toffee, Bill Roffie (who the hell is he?), Molten Toffee or Everton Toffee. So now you know this, I dare you to try it in Pret!
Other Examples of Cockney Rhyming Slang
There are a lot of fruit examples, as the original users were mainly costermongers (fruit and vegetable stall sellers).
If someone is telling porky pies, they are telling lies.
In some cases, the rhyming word is omitted from the expression. So if someone is having a look, it may be referred to as a butcher’s, as look rhymes with butcher’s hook.
Not all rhyming slang is a simple rhyme. You may hear someone saying that you are having a giraffe, meaning that you are having a laugh.
A particularly weird one is the Cockney rhyming slang for watch, which is, unbelievably, kettle and hob, as a watch used to be known as a fob, which rhymes with hob. So if someone asks you about your kettle, you now know what they are talking about.
A Living Language with Working-Class Roots
Cockney rhyming slang might sound like cheeky wordplay, but it’s deeply woven into London’s cultural fabric, equal parts linguistic mischief and working-class heritage. Over time, it’s evolved from a covert code to something of a novelty, yet many of its phrases have slyly slipped into mainstream usage. If you’ve ever been “on your Jack” (Jack Jones = alone), had a “bubble” (bubble bath = laugh), or been warned to “use your loaf” (loaf of bread = head), then congratulations—you’ve already been speaking Cockney without even realising it.
Modern Twists and Everyday Usage
The beauty of the slang is that it’s ever-adaptable, with modern updates like “Britney Spears” for beers or “Tony Blairs” for flares, keeping it fresh for each generation. One of the quirks that catches people out is that the rhyming part often gets dropped, so if someone tells you to “use your loaf” without explaining the bread part, you might be left scratching your head. It’s almost like a playful linguistic initiation rite for Londoners.
From Local Markets to Global Screens
Some phrases are so ingrained they’ve gone global—“trouble and strife” (wife) even made it into an episode of The Sopranos. Others are so obscure they’re practically cryptic, like “plates of meat” for feet or “mince pies” for eyes. And let’s not forget the flair for absurdity—what kind of genius comes up with “Dog and Bone” for phone or “Sherman tank” for yank? It’s an entire worldview seen through a cracked mirror, a way of turning the mundane into the memorable.
A Revival Among the Hip and Ironic
Even highbrow folk can’t resist its charm—George Bernard Shaw once remarked that the Cockney dialect was “a thing of beauty.” While many of the original speakers have moved further out to Essex or Kent, the dialect still survives in pockets, especially in markets and old-school boozers. It’s also enjoying a low-key revival among young creatives and hipsters who love peppering their speech with ironic throwbacks.
London’s Underground Poetry
At Luxe on Less London, we like to think of Cockney rhyming slang as the capital’s underground poetry—playful, subversive, and distinctly local. So next time you’re out and about, keep an ear out: that bloke at the bar might not just be chatting nonsense—he might be offering you a cheeky window into a London that refuses to fade quietly into history. You never know when a kettle, a pony, or a raspberry will pop up in conversation.
Learn More About Cockney Rhyming Slang
You can find out more about London’s famous secret language on the Cockney Rhyming Slang website. This site has an awesome Cockney Lorem Ipsum (placeholder text) generator as well as a blog and a Cockney Translator.
The Guardian has, helpfully, provided not only a list of the most common Cockney rhyming slang examples but also examined the social implications of the phrases, e.g the slang for Army and Navy is gravy because gravy was commonly eaten at mealtimes.
As you are interested in London history, you may want to know why all our cultural icons, e.g. buses and mailboxes, are red.
Test Your Understanding with our Cockney Rhyming Slang Quiz
Here at Luxe on Less London, we have devised a clever little Cockney Rhyming Slang quiz for you to test your understanding. In truth, we would be amazed if you didn’t get full marks, but you never know!
