So an English patient (not "the") comes into my office, notices my Speedmaster, and says,"Take a butchers at that fine kettle." Might one of you fine Brits care to elaborate?
What you got on your Warrick Farm there. Would have cost a fair bit of cabbage. My late father was a butcher and the king of rhyming slang. Used to always love it when he said “watch your onka,s” when I was a kid working with him in he’s butcher shop, which was Onkaparinga,s = finger Or warning I would get a clip over the “ginger beers” = ears But the dead horse on the dogs eye, was the woollen vest.
I find it hard to believe that any two people can speak rhyming slang and understand each other. I've only ever seen one person say something and then have to translate/explain it to the other.
Do you live in London/the UK? If not its perfectly understandable that you find it hard to believe but some of the phrases are second nature to many Brits. I grew up hearing/saying "up the apples and pears", "what a berk", "get the dog and bone", "fancy a ruby", "lets have a butchers at that" etc and I'm from Yorkshire (although my Nan was born within the sound of the Bow Bells).
I was wondering how this was used, because the fellow later explained that, the way he knew it was that only the first word in the word pairing is spoken. For instance, since stairs is "apples and pears," one would say,"Now don't fall down the apples luv."
It’s possible I use a Yorkshire-Cockney bastardisation. For instance I’d say Dog and Bone (phone), apples and pears (stairs), but then only Ruby (curry) or butchers (look).
Good thread! I’ve always enjoyed (and have frequently used) pilot words...my favorite example is as follows: “It’s like a sore dick...you can’t beat it!” The pilot words above are used to describe anything that is freaking fantastic. LATE ENTRY: Some pilot words are NOT RECOMMENDED for use during church.
Berk is the best one. I learnt it from my aunty when I was about 5. I always assumed it was a random, slightly fun way to describe an idiot. Kind of like plonker - a bit fun and not really mean. I learnt about 2 decades later it’s rhyming slang using Berkeley Hunt (I’ll let you decide what Hunt rhymes with) .
Cockney rhyming slang... it's an art form in itself. Now then, I'm from Bristol, south-west UK... ten points if you can correctly identify what a 'jasper' is otherwise known as in these parts - and NO GOOGLING.