What is Cockney Rhyming Slang? It's complicated and its origins are unclear. Learn everything we know about it today.
AI Summary
# Cockney Rhyming Slang: A Deep Dive into East London's Most Confusing Language
Josh and Chuck explore the delightfully baffling world of cockney rhyming slang, discovering how this 150-year-old working-class language from London's East End actually works and why it's still thriving today. You'll learn the surprising origins of this evolving slang (it might not even have come from cockneys!), get loaded with examples ranging from "apples and pears" (stairs) to the hilariously convoluted journey of how "arse" got its name, and find out why linguists have basically ignored this entire language despite its longevity and complexity.
Alfie
1966
PG
1h 54m
★ 6.5
"Maybe that's who it was. It might have been Michael Cain. I'll take that. Michael Cain. I think it was as a matter of fact. You got to see the movie Alfie. — Josh suggests watching Alfie as a film where Michael Caine might have used cockney rhyming slang."
— Josh
"On the podcast, Hey Dude the 90s called, David Lasher and Christine Taylor, stars of the cult classic show Hey Dude. — Hey Dude is mentioned as a cult classic show featuring David Lasher and Christine Taylor in a promotional advertisement."
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
1998
R
1h 45m
★ 8.1
"My big exposure to cockney rhyming slang is lock stock in Two Smoking Barrels for Snatch, which I think are both directed by Guy Richie. — Josh mentions Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as sources of exposure to cockney rhyming slang used in the films."
— Josh
Ocean's Eleven
2001
1h 56m
★ 7.5
"Don Cheadle, a little bit in Ocean's Eleven. Sure. He did a little bit of that. Right. And I mean, like, it's code to Americans. — Josh mentions Don Cheadle in Ocean's Eleven as an example of how cockney accents are used to code criminals in American movies."
— Josh
Snatch
2000
R
1h 43m
★ 7.8
"My big exposure to cockney rhyming slang is lock stock in Two Smoking Barrels for Snatch, which I think are both directed by Guy Richie. — Josh mentions Snatch alongside Lock Stock as both being directed by Guy Ritchie and featuring cockney rhyming slang."
— Josh
The Crow
1994
1h 42m
★ 7.5
"He went to my bedroom, which is full of posters of Marilyn Manson and The Crow and stuff like that. — A listener mentions having a poster of The Crow in their bedroom during their teenage goth phase in 2000."
The Hangover
2009
1h 40m
★ 7.3
"I like The Hangover. How would you, like The Limey and The Hangover, same level? — Josh compares The Limey and The Hangover as similar movies to understand the quality level of The Limey."
— Josh
The Limey
1999
R
1h 29m
★ 6.5
"I did recently rewatch The Limey. Yes, for Casey's benefit. Yeah, the great, great movie from Steven Soderbergh. — Chuck mentions rewatching The Limey as a recent viewing and describes it as a great film by Steven Soderbergh."
— Chuck
The Sweeney
1975
TV-PG
★ 8.1
"There were other shows not on your Nelly and the Sweeney and the titles of both of those shows come from actual Cockney rhyming slang as well. — Chuck explains that The Sweeney's title is cockney rhyming slang for the flying squad, a branch of the Metropolitan police."
— Chuck
The Two Ronnies
1971
★ 7.7
"I watched one episode of The Two Ronnies where this priest at a sermon in Cockney rhyming slang. It was very funny. — Chuck mentions watching an episode of The Two Ronnies featuring a priest delivering a sermon in cockney rhyming slang."
— Chuck
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