Cockney Rhyming Slang: How It Works & List of Terms

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Learn the most popular cockney phrases and where the dialect originates

Co-authored by Samantha Fulton, BA

Last Updated: August 25, 2026 Fact Checked

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Cockney Slang Phrases

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What is Cockney slang?

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Origin

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If you want to understand the confusing, coded dialect of Cockney rhyming slang, you’re in the right place. We’ve put together this guide to give you an overview of common phrases and their meanings. Plus, we’ll explain Cockney slang’s origins, so make sure you keep reading!

Understanding Cockney Rhyming Slang

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An image depicting translations of common Cockney rhyming slang phrases.

Cockney rhyming slang replaces common words with coded, rhyming two- or three-word phrases. It was especially common among criminals in the East End of London in the 19th century, but some phrases have since been adopted into everyday Londoner speech. Some popular examples of Cockney slang include:

Adam and Eve = Believe
Apples and pears = Stairs
Baked bean = Queen
Boat race = Face
Bread and honey = Money
Dog and bone = Phone
Plates of meat = Feet

Section 1 of 3:

Common Cockney Rhyming Slang Phrases

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Cockney slang consists of short phrases that rhyme with common words. Typically, it’s a combination of two nouns, and the second word rhymes with the replaced word. However, the second word is often dropped in regular conversation, making the coded slang even more difficult to understand for those who aren’t in on it. For example, “going up the apples” shortens “apples and pears” to mean going up the stairs. Here are some common examples of Cockney rhyming slang:^{[1]
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- Adam and Eve: Believe
- Apples and pears: Stairs
- Army and Navy: Gravy
- Baked bean: Queen
- Baker’s dozen: Cousin
- Barnaby Rudge: Judge
- Barnet fair: Hair
- Basin of gravy: Baby
- Boat race: Face
- Borrow and beg: Egg
- Bottle and stopper: Copper
- Box of toys: Noise
- Bread and honey: Money
- Brown bread: Dead
- Can’t keep still: Treadmill
- Clever Mike: Bike
- Coals and coke: Broke
- Coat and badge: Cadge
- Collar and cuff: Puff
- Cop a flower pot: Cop it hot
- Cream crackered: Knackered
- Crowded space: Suitcase
- Cut and carried: Married
- Cuts and scratches: Matches
- Day’s a-dawning: Morning
- Derry and Toms: Bombs
- Dicky bird: Word
- Dog and bone: Phone
- Donkey’s ears: Years
- Duck and dive: Skive
- Duke of Kent: Rent
- Dustbin lid: Kid
- Early hours: Flowers
- Fisherman’s daughter: Water
- Give and take: Cake
- Hampstead Heath: Teeth
- In and out: Snout
- Jam tart: Heart
- Lemon squeezy: Easy
- Light and dark: Park
- Lion’s lair: Chair
- Lump of ice: Advice
- Lump of school: Fool
- Ones and twos: Shoes
- On the floor: Poor
- Peckham Rye: Tie
- Pig and roast: Toast
- Plates of meat: Feet
- Pleasure and pain: Rain
- Rats and mice: Dice
- Rattle and clank: Bank
- Satin and silk: Milk
- Tea leaf: Thief
- Tilbury Docks: Socks
- True till death: Breath
- Weep and wail: A tale
- Whistle and flute: Suit
- Yet to be: Free

Section 2 of 3:

What is Cockney rhyming slang?

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Cockney slang replaces words with rhyming two-word phrases. It uses two- or three-word phrases as code for common words, with the second word in the slang phrase rhyming with the word being replaced. For instance, Donkey’s ears are Cockney slang for years. Cockney slang is less common nowadays, but many of the expressions have still made it into mainstream British English.^{[2]
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- In everyday use, Cockney slang often drops the rhyming word. For example, if you were using boat race (face), you might say, “Wash your boat,” rather than “Wash your boat race.”

Section 3 of 3:

Where does Cockney rhyming slang originate?

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Cockney slang started in the 19th century in the East End of London. At the time, East Enders often had to engage in criminal activity to make a living, and the slang was a way to elude police and other passers-by. The rhyming slang phrases became rather popular among the criminals of London and became common among dockworkers, fishmongers, and market workers.^{[3]
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- Eventually, the coded language was adopted into everyday London speech on the streets.