In a previous post I went into Cockney rhyming slang history and gave some tips on how to use it.
This is the second post in a series where I’ll give you some commonly used Cockney rhyming slang phrases, phrases that I find funny, as well as some phrases that I think would be useful for Spider-Verse fic writers specifically. Part 1 of this series can be found here.
So let’s get started on Part 2!
C-D
China Plate - Mate
E.g. “How are you, me old China?” Or “I’m meeting me old China at the pub later.”
Cobblers Awls - Balls
E.g. “Ooh! Got him right in the cobblers!”
It can also be used to mean “Nonsense”. E.g. “What a load of cobblers!” is another way of saying “What a load of nonsense!”
Cream Crackered - Knackered
E.g. “Sorry mate, I’m creamed!” Or “I’m cream crackered!”
Custard and Jelly - Telly (Television)
E.g. “Shh! I’m watching the custard.”
Daisy Roots - Boots
E.g. “Hang on, I need to put my daisies on!”
Dicky Bird - Word
E.g. “Not a dicky bird, mate.”
Another example of where you usually use the whole phrase. Also, “word” can also mean “a brief chat”. E.g. “Can I have a dicky bird?”
Dog and Bone - Phone
E.g. “You know what, give me a call on the old dog and bone and we’ll sort it out then.”
Duck and Dive - Skive
E.g. “Let’s duck!” Or “I gotta duck.”
Skive means to avoid work, usually by leaving early, similar to what Americans might call “playing hooky”.
Dustbin Lid - Kid
E.g. “How’s the dustbin lid?”
As mentioned in Part 1, it’s good to keep in mind that there can be multiple Cockney rhyming slang phrases for the same word, as well as multiple Cockney rhyming slang phrases that start with the same word. For more information, see Part 1.
As always, I’m not an expert; a true Cockney would know far more than I do. I just want to share the knowledge that I have. I hope someone will find this helpful, informative, or entertaining at the very least.
I’ve got more Cockney rhyming slang phrases coming, but if there’s any other areas of British slang you’d like me to go into, let me know and I’ll see what I can do!
Happy writing and happy speaking!
My other British slang posts: Cockney Rhyming Slang, Cockney Rhyming Slang Phrases Part 1, British Police Slang, Terms of Endearment, Innit VS In’t - a PSA
See that picture above? That’s a close up of my great grandmother’s immigration papers when she first came to the US back in the early 20th century. But my great grandma’s information isn’t the important part here. The important part is that line in the middle there about how they arrived in the country.
And how ‘stowaway’ is a legitimate, valid option to select.
So yeah. They absolutely just showed up, and that part of immigration history needs to be talked about a lot more.
REMINDER THAT TRAVEL VISAS AS WE KNOW THEM TODAY WERE INVENTED IN THE 1930S TO KEEP JEWISH REFUGEES OUT OF COUNTRIES THAT DID NOT WANT AN ‘INFLUX’ OF THEM, THEREBY FACILITATING THEIR GENOCIDE :)))))
read What is A Refugee for more history. Educate yourselves.
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