Rhyming slang podcast Hello and welcome to this podcast brought to you by That's English!, the Spanish Ministry of Education's official distance learning English course. To find out more about That's English! go to www.thatsenglish.com or contact your local Official School of Languages. Kate: Good morning, Drew. How are you today? Drew: I'm fine, thanks, Kate. And you? Kate: Not bad, for a Monday. Drew: Why? Have you had a busy weekend? Kate: Yes. In fact, it has been really busy. My sisters and I organised a family reunion to celebrate my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. Drew: Oh! That's cool! Did it go well? Kate: Yes, thanks, it did. We had a really nice time. How about you? What did you get up to? Drew: Well, I've also been busy with my family, but in a different way. Kate: Why's that? Drew: Well, I've decided to trace my family tree. Kate: Oh! How interesting! Are you doing it for any particular reason or just out of curiosity? Drew: Well, a couple of weeks ago I was tidying up at home and I came across an old photo album. There was a photo of my great grandparents, from my Mum's side of the family, that I hadn't seen before, or I don't remember having seen, at least. Kate: So the photo sparked off your curiosity. Drew: Well, yeah, you could say that. When I was talking to Mum about it, she told me how part of the family actually came from London. Well, not just that. In fact, it turns out that my great grandfather was a cockney. Kate: You're kidding! So that means you have a true Londoner's blood, in part at least. Drew: So it would seem. I don't remember my grandfather ever talking about his childhood. I knew that his parents weren't very well-off and that he went over to the States when he was in his teens. He never went back to England. I remember him saying that you should always look to the future and not dwell on the past. Kate: So you think he probably had a difficult childhood? Drew: Well, I'm not so sure about that. What I have found out so far is that my grandfather's dad... Kate: Your great grandfather... Drew: Mmm...that's right, well, it turns out that my great grandfather had a vegetable stall on Brick Lane market... Kate: Right in the heart of the East End of London! Do you know if he was born within the sound of Bow Bells? Drew: Why do you say that? Kate: Well, I've always heard that to be a true cockney, you have to be born within the sound of Bow Bells. Drew: And which bells are those? Kate: I think they're the bells of St Mary-le-Bow Church in the East End. Drew: Oh, I see. Well I don't know yet because I'm trying to locate his baptismal certificate. But what my mum did tell me was that she can remember her father saying that in his family they used cockney rhyming slang. Kate: Really? That's amazing. Though come to think of it, they say that rhyming slang was used by market traders to talk among themselves without the customers understanding what they were going on about. That way they could put the prices up and the customers would be none the wiser! And you said that your great grandfather had a market stall, didn't you? Drew: Yes, that's right but I don't know if I like your insinuation that my great grandfather might have used rhyming slang to cheat on his customers. Kate: Okay, okay...No offence intended. I take it back. Drew: OK. I'll forgive you. In fact, I've been doing a bit of research on the origin of rhyming slang an there are several theories: one says it was invented by Irish immigrants who lived in the East End of London and didn't want their English neighbours to understand everything they said. Another theory suggests it was a way for criminals who were in jail to talk to each other from one cell to another without the police or prison wardens knowing what they were saying. Kate: I see...And have you found out how rhyming slang works? When I was little, I remember my mum telling us to go up the "apples and pears" to bed. Drew: Right...the "apple and pears" being the stairs. Was your mum a Londoner, then? Kate: No, she wasn't. But she did use a few expressions from rhyming slang. Another was "plates of meat" for feet, or she would say somebody was "on his Jack Jones", meaning they were alone! Drew: Really? I didn't realise rhyming slang was used in other parts of the UK. Kate: Oh yes. Another very common expression is to say that someone is "Mutt and Jeff" when they are deaf or use "dickie bird" for word. So I could say: The old lady didn't understand a dickie bird about what we were saying because the poor thing was completely Mutt and Jeff. Drew: How funny! I've discovered that there are a lot more expressions than I thought to start off with. And they are more complicated to understand than the ones that your mum used. Kate: In what way? Drew: Well, because a true cockney will not necessarily use the whole rhyme, but may only use the first part that doesn't in fact rhyme with the word they are referring to. Kate: I don't understand what you mean. Drew: Just a second...listen to this example that I've found in Aldertons Rhyming Slang Dictionary. A cockney might say: "Got to my mickey, found me way up the apples, put on my whistle and the bloody dog went. It was me trouble telling me to fetch the teapots." Kate: And on what on earth does that mean? Drew: Well, I'll translate it for you. It means: Got to my mickey, which is short for mickey mouse, that is house, found my way up the apples, that is apples and pears, meaning stairs, was putting on my whistle, that is whistle and flute, meaning suit when the dog, that is dog and bone, meaning phone rang. It was my strife, that is trouble and strife, meaning wife, telling me to get the teapots, that is teapot lids, meaning kids." Kate: Hah! Hah! That's great, though I don't think it's politically correct to use trouble and strife for wife these days. Drew: You're probably right, but at the end of the day, cockney rhyming slang usually has, apart from the rhyme of course, a double meaning and a dose of humour. Kate: Yes, it's a really colourful and amusing way to use English. I love to hear it. Coming back to how only the first part of the rhyme is used, now that I think about it, I use some expressions like that myself. Drew: Such as? Kate: Well, I could say to you, for example: Use your loaf, Drew! and I'd be telling you to think, to use your head, your loaf of bread! Drew: Right... Kate: And when somebody tells a lie about something, I say that they are telling "porkies", which comes from pork pie... Do you think rhyming slang is likely to go out of fashion and disappear? Drew: Well, I wouldn't like to say. New words have been introduced, like Scooby Doo and Britney Spears, for instance. Kate: And what does Scooby Doo mean? Drew: Well, it can mean clue, you know, I haven't gotton a scooby. It is also used for shoe - I can't find my scoobies. And I have seen that it is also used for Subaru, you know, the car. I could say, for example: My neighbour's just bought a scooby doo. Kate: Gosh, that sounds so funny. And Britney Spears? Drew: Well, apparently it can mean beers. You could say: Let's go for a few Britneys after work. Or tears - if someone is crying, you might tell them to dry their Britney Spears. Or even ears! Kate: So the next time I realise that you're not listening to me, I could say: Drew! What's wrong with your Britney Spears? Drew: But I always listen to you, Kate... Kate: Hah! So do you think that the fact that new words are being used is an indication that rhyming slang is alive and kicking? Drew: Well, I wouldn't go as far as to say that. I've read that younger generations don't tend to use it. Some of the expressions have become obsolete and mean nothing to them, and it seems that they are more likely to use a hybrid slang, which mixes up expressions coming from cockney, Jamaican, West Indian, South Asian etc. Kate: What a pity! Well, I suppose it's a good example of how language is a reflection of society. As society changes, so does the way we use language to communicate. Drew: Indeed, it does. Well, I must get going. Kate: Me too. See you, and good luck with your family tree. Drew: Thanks, Kate. Don't worry - I'll keep you posted. Kate: Please do. Bye! We hope you have enjoyed this podcast, brought to you by That's English! Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We look forward to hearing from you. Bye for now!