Tuesday 8 May 2012

RHYMING SLANG


Reddy, pull an I declare to the Charlie Horner there, and keep your heart and lung under control lest the dime a pop should barge in, and  take you  to ginger ale for creating nuisance.  And, if you don’t stop, I will switch and bone the dime a pop myself!

I am sure that you would have had difficulty making sense of what you have read, and unless you are familiar with what is called Rhyming Slang, you would not understand certain expressions used in the passage above.

Rhyming slang used by people of East London, is  today, used in America, Australia and Britain. It is not common in educated speech, and therefore, be careful when you use them in your everyday speech in a hurried enthusiasm.

In the passage above, I declare is a chair, Charlie Horner, corner. Heart and lung is your tongue, and dime a pop is cop. Ginger ale stands for jail while switch and bone is telephone as verb.

What is uncles and aunts then? It is your pants. To amuse you here are some expression from rhyming slang:
Bacons and eggs: legs
Bonny fair: hair
Brothers and sisters: whiskers
Fine and dandy: brandy
Pot of jelly: belly
Kiss the cross: boss
Nancy prance: dance
Johnnie Rump: pump
Leg rope: hope
Ruby rose: nose
Three or four: door
Smear and smudge: judge


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