A slight detour of this thread, but it reminded me of the "I speak jive" scene from Airplane:

 

Hey, I was a close. "you got a bug up your butt"

 

Does anyone outside a Guy Ritchie film actually talk like that?

 

Don Cheadle did in Ocean's 11, so it's totally a real thing

 

True. Presumably that suggests that Kansas is the real home of rhyming slang. What a load of old Pony it really is!

 

Not from London/UK, but a well-traveled (imho) yank. I guess what I was imagining was that rhyming slang was made up on the fly and somehow the other person just knew what they're talking about. In reality, many of these are well-established words and phrases that evolved over years and spread (memes) through the population.

 

A cowboy hat?

 

Jatz crackers.....

 

So... @nonuffinkbloke states the yellow highlighted words featured below fairly often... sounds pretty good in my humble opinion... so what’s the background regarding those words?

 

Pretty much the same as well “ fu*k me old boots” = Surprised


That Speedmaster is worth that much. Well fark me!

 

So it's not rhyming slang?

 

Rhyming slang is predominantly restricted to London whereas the UK regions have many colloquialisms as each area has its own distinct dialect -some stronger than others.
You should try going out in Newcastle - most folks wouldn’t understand the Geordie accent let alone the language.

More of an exclamation than true surprise
The Geordie equivalent would be
Whey ya bugger man!

 

Hello @Mad Dog. Funny thing about it is that it's not really a phrase I use myself. In fact I try not to use profanity in general conversation, unless provoked
(I think i've developed a kind of on-line horological tourettes.... my apologies )

Although I've learned much from you chaps and developed a keen interest, my membership on this forum is really a product of my Dad's love for his Omega Watches.

My Dad was a very down to Earth bloke, who merrily 'f@#ked and blinded' his way through life. In stark contrast my Mum was a very religious Irish lady who wouldn't tolerate profanity in the house . So my Dad would often soften an exclamation of suprise from a loud...'f@#k-in-hell'! to a softly uttered and more homely 'well...fakk my old boots'!

I think the inclusion of the "old boots" simply denotes the level of suprise. It being as unlikely as seeking to fornicate with our 'old boots'. For me, I include it on this forum in recognition of my old Dad's token effort to make his profanity less ghastly to my Mum's, Bible tuned, theological, ears.

Here they are.....Mum and Dad (with his Omega Speedmaster Professional 105.012-65 some time between 1969 and 1971) with Dad thinking... "in 50 years it'll be worth how much? ... I only gave the bloke £90 for it!......well 'fakk my old boots!'

 

A carrot?

 

C'mon, really. You guys HAVE to be making this stuff up. I read TheRegister.com daily and love all the British slang, but this thread makes me feel like I'm in Oceans 11.

One of my favorites is "leccy kit" for shiny new/expensive equipment. I'm also quite fond of "boffins" and "punters". "Sprint boffins punt $33 Billion on Nextel acquisition."

 

So...I’ve seen the [moderator assigned] avatar text regarding @Darlinboy...and from what I remember, it may have to do with what a poster at OF stated at some point a few years ago.

“Pratts! Will I BULLOCKS!!!

Is that what it was?

Or was it something else?

 

Had a friend from London visiting Houston- took
a day trip to New Orleans (nawlins) and we stopped at a crawfish stand. The fellow the spoke creole, my friend the Kings English...neither could understand each other- they spoke in French and all was fine. It was hilarious

 

The Kings English? How old is your friend?

 

In my family/friends, some of it's certainly in use.

Let's have a butchers is in general circulation, as is berk and ruby. "Up the apples and pears" and "pass the dog and bone" are more things you'd say to a child as a bit of fun, no one uses them seriously.

Now Yorkshire words are a different thing altogether. Croggy, snicket, morngy anyone?

Not to mention the fact that if a Yorkshireman calls you "cock" he probably thinks you're alright. If he calls you "pal" that's the Scarborough.

 

Not at all. Were I grew up (in the Black Country) a watch sale “face-to-face” would have sounded something like this:-

owamya mayt?

Or roit aer kid, ah, bay too bah.

(Sees watch)

That’s bostin that am. Am yow gooin ‘ter sell it?

Ah.

Yow ey sed anythin about ‘ow mooch.

£10000.

Yam avin a loff aintcha?

Now, that’s wot this geezer on OmegaForums said its worth.

Ah kor be doin wi that. Yam soft in ted yow am. Oil av ter send the wench round the back o'Rackhams te get them sort uh Ackers.