3.2.1 Cockney rhyming slang

A key social function of the language of a group is that it serves to include some and exclude others. In some cases this constitutes a form of language code which is consciously used so that outsiders do not understand. A famous example of this is Cockney rhyming slang from the East End of London. A Cockney is someone ‘born within the sound of Bow Bells’ – that is, within earshot of the bells of the church of St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside – but the term ‘Cockney’ is often used more broadly to describe working-class Londoners and their speech.

Rhyming slang probably originated in the first half of the nineteenth century. It works by substituting the word that is meant (e.g. ‘look’) with a common phrase that rhymes with it (e.g. ‘butcher’s hook’). The rhyming word in the new phrase is then omitted (e.g. the word ‘hook’, so ‘look’ becomes ‘butcher’s’: ‘Have a butcher’s at this!’). So, to take another example, if you want to say ‘tie’ in rhyming slang it would be ‘Peckham’ (the full phrase would be ‘Peckham Rye’ – referring to another area of London – with the ‘Rye’ omitted.). It is worth noting here that this only makes sense if you know the geography of the local area.

Figure 3 Pearly Kings and Queens, chosen by each borough to help raise funds for charity, are a colourful tradition in working-class London

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This is a photo of a Pearly King and a Pearly Queen showing a man and woman whose jackets and hats are decorated with thousands of shiny mother-of-pearl buttons.

Figure 3 Pearly Kings and Queens, chosen by each borough to help raise funds for charity, are a colourful tradition in working-class London

Cockney rhyming slang has spread beyond its geographical origins. It is always evolving and often incorporates contemporary cultural allusions. To take just one example, a lower second-class university degree (2:2) can be referred to as a ‘Desmond’, after the famous South African cleric, Desmond Tutu. Speakers are free to make up their own and often do.