Cockney Expressions

Expression

Meaning

Notes / Examples

have a butchers

take a look

from butcher's hook = look
as in "take a butchers at that"

north and south

mouth

 

plates

feet

from plates of meat = feet
as in "you've got big plates"

boat race

face

as in "nice legs, shame about the boat race"

skin and blister

sister

 

trouble

wife

from trouble and strife = wife
as in "going home to the trouble"

dustbin lids

kids / children

 

whistle

suit

from whistle and flute = suit
as in "do you like the whistle?"

Adam and Eve

believe

as in "would you Adam and Eve it?"

Rosie Lea

tea

as in "I'd love a cup of rosie"

Mutt and Jeff

deaf

 

oily rag

fag = cigarette

as in "I'm going for an oily"

jam jar

car

 

mince pies

eyes

as in "feast your mincers on this"

pen and ink

stink

as in "cor! what a pen and ink"

porky

lie

from pork pies = lies
as in "he's telling porkies"

Barnet

hair

from Barnet Fair = hair
as in "he's losing his Barnet"

Brahms

pissed (i.e. "drunk")

from Brahms and Liszt = pissed

Gregories

glasses / spectacles

from Gregory Pecks = specs

Titfer

hat

from tit for tat = hat

apples and pears

stairs

 

Jimmy

urinate

from Jimmy Riddle = piddle

borassic

broke / skint

from borassic lint = skint
as in "can't go out, I'm borassic"

two and eight

state

as in "he's in a bit of a two and eight"

Bertie Woofter

gay man

from Bertie Woofter = poofter

China

mate / friend

from China plate = mate
as in "how are you, my old China"

Khyber

buttocks

from Khyber Pass = arse

rabbit and pork

talk

as in "Don't rabbit so much"

tea leaf

thief

 

potato mould

cold

as in "it's a bit taters in here"

dog and bone

phone

as in "you're wanted on the dog and bone"

loaf

head

from loaf of bread = head
as in "Use your loaf"

brown bread

dead

 

battle cruiser

boozer

boozer = pub = public house (a place to drink)

elbows and knees

trees

 

gold watch

Scotch

Scotch = whiskey

pride and Joy

boy

Take the pride and joy to the match

current bun

Sun

I'm going out to get a bit of current bun

dicky

shirt

from dicky dirt = shirt

pots and pans

hands

 

Peckham Rye

tie

named after a place in London

Hampstead Heath

teeth

named after a place in London

jugs

ears

from jugs of beers = ears

Errol Flynn

chin

 

almonds

socks

from almond rocks = socks

ones and twos

shoes

 

daisies

boots

from daisy roots = boots

bird

prison

from bird lime = time as in "doing bird"

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