American Reacts How to Speak Cockney - Anglophenia Ep 36

[@johnloony68]

“Have a butchers at this” = Look at this (butcher’s hook = look)

[@marcelrenes2435]

In IJmuiden (The Netherlands) the fisherman used a coded language to hide the best fishing grounds. They spoke Dutch backwards. But they spoke it so fast, nobody underdstood it. Very clever! 😊😂

[@debs6475]

Lol Jimmy riddle =piddle. I'm a Londoner but my dad was a true cockney. To be honest we all sound the same in London. Slang is dropped into a lot of conversations.. I always say give us a butchers. Butchers hook = look. 😂

[@stewartbonner]

that would be a bad look.

[@mikefraser4513]

I'm afraid due to multi-culti, apart from single words REAL Cockney is slowly dying out...shame.

[@neuralwarp]

One of the many reasons us in Romford and Hornchurch say we're not Londoners.

[@gdok6088]

@@neuralwarp I'm from the yorkshire and both my dad and grandad would talk about going for a jimmy riddle. And telling porkies (pork pies = lies) is used everywhere in the UK.

[@paulmiddleton8699]

Berkley hunt - cxxt.That's where being a berk comes from.

[@auldfouter8661]

Berkshire hunt surely.

[@dogwithwigwamz.7320]

Actually, I remember The Two Ronnies doing a sketch regarding CRS where Barker played the roll of a Vicar, giving a Sermon via CRS. It`s likely to amuse !

[@Aubury]

Dick Van Dyke nailed the cockney accent. Gor Blimey Gov..,

[@DannySweeney-g1o]

Every time you say that out loud a little cockney fairy DIES.

[@claregale9011]

Trouble and strife = wife . 😊

[@droom700]

I like the doubles… aris for example… Aristotle = bottle, bottle and glass = arse, but we just say aris!

[@neuralwarp]

Ball and chain = pain = wife

[@shinyjohn6568]

thrupney bits

[@mikefraser4513]

Even tho we're from Battersea, we've always said "butchers", "scapa",from "Scapa Flow" meaning to go (to run away really), "porkies", "north &south, meaning mouth and "barnet"...without really thinking about where it originated from..it was normal.. The best ones were "bristols". Jesus, look at those bristols!, coming from Bristol Cities "titties" ..and then khyber (up the Khyber Pass= "arse").. They later used this term in one of the "Carry on" films. (Carry on up the Khyber).

[@nbartlett6538]

Couple of great comedy videos incorporating cockney slang. First: Alas Smith and Jones rhyming slang. Second: The Two Ronnies, Rhyming Slang Sermon.

[@ericevans4040]

The two Ronnie's sketch is an absolute masterpiece.

[@jamesdignanmusic2765]

I was born too far northwest to be a cockney - coincidentally in Barnet - but my dad worked in Hackney, deep in the cockney heartland. To the trained ear there are several London accents, but all fairly similar. The slang takes getting used to - but once you get the hang of it it's lemon squeezy. They use a similar slang in Sydney (a.k.a. "Steak and kidney"), Australia - many of the convicts transported to Australia in the 1800s were cockneys.

[@rde4017]

Cockney rhyming slang also evolved into the secret gay language Polari, back when homosexuality was illegal. It's pretty much died out now but words like gander (to look) have passed into English vernacular.

[@sharonkay8638]

Gander doesn’t come from polari. It’s from looking at something by craning your neck, making it longer as in a male goose. ‘Butchers’ is far more common (butchers hook) but both can be used.

[@MeFreeBee]

Bangers = sausages started in WW2 when, because of meat rationing, butchers would use non-meat fillers in sausages. These fillers often had a high water content and could cause the 'banger' to burst in the frying pan.

[@stewedfishproductions7959]

Actually, I think you meant to say WW1 - Just saying..! 🤔👍

[@bill-wd7zs]

I'm not a Cockney but I get most of it it easily and love it.. I'm from up 'Norf originally ' but spent 10 years in the army mixing with fellow Brits . Loads of the best bits of regional British slang has found it's way into army slang and Cockney rhyming is used extensively..

[@BlueDusk95]

So, as an American you are a little confused. Imagine me, a French guy coming back to London after months of working in... Scotland 😂 Just long enough to catch some Scots and Orcadian, then have to forget everything and restart from scratch. Oh and there's Hiberno-English from Ireland too. 😢

[@dogwithwigwamz.7320]

Aye, that must have been quite the ordeal. Greetings, my French pal, from England.

[@limpetcarre1139]

Scooby Doo rhymes with "I don't have a clue", which of course is then shortened to "I don't have a scooby".

[@sarahyoung708]

I love this video takes me back to growing up as my family is from London tracing back to 1500s ,I keep these phrases alive in my house in honour of them as my parents moved out of London before I was born . They provide us with humour everyday and my sons friends 😂

[@christineharding4190]

My dad was a Cockney, born just south of the river (Thames pronounced Temz) in Bermondsey. If you go for a long walk your plates might be aching at the end of it. Plates of meat = feet.

[@WookieWarriorz]

we use this in ireland too, my grandad would always say hes goin for a ruby murray (curry) and it better not give him the shits lol. The thing american dont seem to get about rhyming slang and slang in general is sometimes you just make it up on the spot and 99% of the time the other person knows what youre talking about, i see some americans confused by certain random words in shows and honestly the words themselves are kinda just meaningless noise and the context is the joke.

[@andrewgarrett7100]

Eartha Kitts, surely.

[@martinwebb1681]

Two bob bits ... 🤣

[@johnforrester7961]

my Dad was a cockney (real - born in Hackney). My mum used to get annoyed when he'd ask if we'd seen his "ask me"s (hint he was talking about his glasses... ) Thanks Connor, enjoyable as usual.

[@Walesbornandbred]

I live in Wales and I use it. Knew most of these.

[@annemariefleming]

Connor, if you want to hear a cockney comedian listen to Mickey Flanagan...if you can understand him, lol! Also, you mentioned Joe Wilkinson in another video. His accent is cockney...or just basic London, but not as strong as Mickey.

[@TheOrlandoTrustfull]

Joe is from Gillingham in Kent. Calling Joe Wilkinson "cockney" is pretty much like saying someone from Manchester is a Scouser.

[@dib000]

Mickey Flanagan doesn't really have a strong accent to my ears?

[@mikefraser4513]

@@TheOrlandoTrustfull Same as Cha'am. (Medway towns). The north and south Thames "Estuary" accents have little to do with Cockney.

[@mikefraser4513]

Cockney's more than just an accent. It's a DIALECT used by those mentioned above in East London. Half of the working-class Londoners have an accent like Cockney does, but without dialect. Only some single words have crept thru. But a with a REAL Cockney, even other Londoners would have a hard time simply understanding the gist of the conversation. "The Eastenders" don't use real Cockney. It's obvious why...the rest of the country wouldn't be able to understand them (without sub-titles). Even the good old "Steptoe and Son" or "Till Death us do part" didn't use Cockney. (altho' Alf used a lot of words which probably today wouldn't have been allowed on the BBC (like..bleedin' coons)..PC.

[@neuralwarp]

My gran was a genuine cockney. Born in Stepney, she was 1 of 14 kids, and the family were the landlords of the Coalmeter's Arms.

[@archiebald4717]

Another language which grew up in London is 'Polari', a language spoken amongst the gay community.

[@martinwebb1681]

Bricks and mortar = Daughter. Brown bread = Dead Currant bun = Sun Dinky Doos = Shoes Daisy roots = Boots Frog and Toad = Road Jam Jar = Car Dustbin lid = Kid Mince pies = Eyes Rub a dub = Pub Tea Leaf = Thief Lionel Blairs = Flares (as in flared trousers) Fireman's hose = Nose Dicky Dirt = Shirt Bread and cheese = Sneeze I'm bored now .... 😁

[@shinyjohn6568]

shirt lap = ?

[@martinwebb1681]

@@shinyjohn6568 ... No such thing.

[@geoffmelvin6012]

No one would say apples and pears or dog and bone.... One would say The I went dahn the apples to answer the dog

[@tobytaylor2154]

Cockney roots, from lambeth since at least 1500 and we're still in London

[@DafterThings]

'arris (or 'aris) is my favourite. Aris = Aristotle = Bottle = Bottle and Glass = Arse. Also used in 'Lose your bottle' to mean lose your nerve. Basically get so scared you crap yourself.

[@bigmacntings7451]

yep. lots of different ways to say the same thing. I'm going for an ertha kitt(original), or a richard (the third)..some places would also say a betty(boop) has now become a brad pitt or forest gump

[@davsav]

You've got to love a septic.

[@craiglisgo9131]

My favourite up here is “cornbeef”, meaning deaf.

[@101steel4]

Mutt and Jeff.

[@denisehiggs8938]

Half inch - pinch. I’ve always used that without realising it was rhyming slang

[@tompurcell1499]

One that does seem to confuse people is kettle for watch (the timepiece). Kettle is short for kettle and hob meaning fob, on which the timepiece hung. But my favourite is aris meaning arse (Oops! That didn’t come out right!). One might be forgiven that aris is some affectation of the pronunciation of the word arse. I may be wrong, but I believe that aris is short for aristotle (bottle) and bottle is short for bottle and glass meaning arse. But, being born in the borough of Hackney, what would I know?

[@raythomas4812]

I was born in Mile End End Lived in Bow for 10 years until our family moved to Essex ( Basildon - The countryside ) - I Never thought I had an accent until I went to Liverpool recently ! ( When I hear Dick Van Dyke doing the accent - I cringe ) my Dad ( A Stratford Born ) always used the slang but my mum ( Poplar ) never did

[@Codex7777]

"Stir" means doing time, or prison, too. I'm pretty sure that's related to 'porridge' though I'm not sure which came first, or if they were linked from the beginning of their use.

[@trailerman2]

'Stir' actually comes from the Romany language word for prison 'stirapen'....no doubt in past times other prisoners would have learned the word from any Gypsy inmate and as always the word was shortened and became generally used ;-) ..... there's one for a pub quiz lol

[@Bobmudu35UK]

I'm a cockney,born in the Borough SE1. Cockneys are as rare as hens teeth nowadays. A pal of mine said,"you've got more chance of finding a vegan restaurant than a cockney today". We've mainly regrouped in the home counties. One of my favourite slangs was,Ice cream freezer=Geezer. You could say,"got the ice cream on me hay stack"? Hay stack=back. Meaning,can you see the man behind me,or following me. Another is Aris, meaning arse. Aristotle=Bottle=Bottle and glass=arse (ass in the US)

[@aaronlondon1]

No one south of the river is a cockney 😝 E3 all day long

[@mikefraser4513]

for arse..we used khyber...("Khyber Pass)

[@aaronlondon1]

Most common one I use on the daily is ‘are you havin a bubble’ bubble Bath = laugh

[@sharonkay8638]

You missed the first part, April in Paris - Arris, Aristotle - Bottle, etc. probably the most complicated phrase in Cockney slang. Move yer April is a common shout my family!😄

[@jonathangoll2918]

Rhyming slang is still much used, particularly if you mix with Londoners. The word I know for 'rent' is 'burton'; 'Burton-on-Trent' ( a town in Staffordshire well known for its breweries) = 'rent'. I've also used 'boracic' for being really short of money; boracic lint (=skint) was I think a sort of bandage a hundred years ago.

[@kevanwillis4571]

I once shared a room, with two guys, under an office block in a lorry park. We called it Burassic (sic) Park because we were always skint.

[@dogwithwigwamz.7320]

No ! The stairs are just the apples. And "when I came home from work today I found my wife on the dog," get it ? When I passed her in the hallway I told her that she don`t half pen !" See ? But she`d not had a Richard on the dog. Nor had the dog had a Richard on her - not possible.

[@markaitcheson3212]

So this isnt about accents its about slang? Not the same thing at all, cockney is an accent but this is about the slang, oh and this slang is used all over the UK obviously more in London but its everywhere.

[@markwolstenholme3354]

Yes but do you mean the cockney accent as in sound and the words are slang. I think that's what you mean. I'm from Bolton and have a Bolton accent, some of the words I use are locally recognised. For example if I'm in the pub and want a pee I might say "I'm goin' t't back.😂

[@markaitcheson3212]

​@@markwolstenholme3354 You don't need to explain mate im a northerner as well, im 20 miles from you so I fully understand.

[@sharonkay8638]

Cockney is the accent and the slang, originating from the Victorian costermongers to confuse outsiders. As she said, some of it will only make sense if you say it with our accent.

[@paulking9734]

I remember one of my uncles saying he was going for a dig i.e dig in the grave= shave..mystified me for years!

[@chrismackett9044]

‘arris = backside. From ‘Aristotle’ = rhyming slang for ‘bottle’. Then ‘bottle and glass’ = rhyming slang for ‘arse’. So ‘arris = arse

[@billyhills9933]

Brassic = not having any money Brassic a slurred version of an outdated term that rhymes with a slang word. Brassic is a shortened and mangled version of Boracic Lint - a type of surgical dressing that is uncommon now. Lint rhymes with skint, which means penniless. This doesn't mean you're completely broke, just without money at that time. Example: Hey, it's gonna have to be your round cos I'm brassic.

[@Windowswatcher]

Back slang is another way of speaking to hide what you’re saying. My friend’s uncle worked in London in the 60s and explained it. Take the last syllable and say it first plus ‘ague’ before the rest of the word. Something like that… I couldn’t do it anyway.

[@paulhadfield7909]

i seem ot remember scooby doo being the only one who knew what was going on

[@ozmond2600]

I'm watching this video whilst having a pony.

[@londonmeantime7123]

Also our names for money £500 is a monkey, A lady godiva… a fiver £5, A pony £20, bit like your Benjamins

[@MeganSmith-xx2ih]

HA ha ha, my 1st husband was a proper Londoner, from Lewisham, and I have a broad Gloucestershire accent, we sounded a strange pair , cockney boy and country girl.

[@emmafrench7219]

👍 Jimmy Riddle = Piddle. Going for a wee

[@katyroseable]

Confusing isn't it?

[@McJibbin]

Confusing? That’s putting it lightly

[@BB-zy5fe]

3:05 ITS PEEEEEEEEE 🫠😭💀

[@CorinneDunbar-ls3ej]

Brahms and Liszt....when one is very, very drunk!!..............

[@anne-louisegoldie]

Barbara Windsor (from the Carry On films), Michael Caine, and Bob Hoskins were Cockneys I think 😊xx PS watch an episode of Porridge, very funny 😀 Editing to add : I just checked, and only Barbara Windsor was a true Cockney. Michael Caine was born in Southwark, just outside the limit, and Bob Hoskins was born in Suffolk, not even London!

[@Isleofskye]

Michael Caine went to the same Boys Club as me:Clubland in Walworth S E I7 though he is 15+ years older. It is where he first went on stage. Not a lot of people know that...

[@wendyfield7708]

Jommy Riddle….piddle.

[@vickytaylor9155]

Ruby Murray= Curry

[@fullfacility]

You've got to be careful. Only a tiny number of people use/know what these are and if you come over here using the above most people won't know what you're talking about and think you're mad. Only a few are in general use, "porkies" being the most common. There is a second which I'll leave you to work out. Someone who is drunk is said to be "Brahms and Liszt".

[@davidjones992]

Born and brought up on Stepney and assumed I never used rhyming slang but looking at examples here I guess I always have! Such as aaah I just stepped in a Richard! …. Richard the third = turd

[@johnhood3172]

Cockney Rhyming slang is not a accent, as she says it developed so police could not understand what was being said , it didn’t last long as the police soon learned it . Regards JH

[@eddisstreet]

I'm going for a Ruby

[@WG1807]

Jockey's whips = acid trips.

[@pauldelaney4759]

Bangers because of their habit of exploding when cooking yeh paper hat

[@auldfouter8661]

Gregories for specs.

[@duncanheron-brown4810]

Ooh ooh please do a reaction to Porridge, very funny, just what you like…

[@aaronlondon1]

Can I just say, my family have been in the east end since the 1800’s, and I’ve never heard bags of mystery to describe sausages 😂 @McJibbin if you wanna learn how to speak cockney, drop me a message mate

[@danc1897]

The Two Ronnies joking about cocknies: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2eXppmImLydrqs

[@paulhadfield7909]

new ones are fun to make up, like up the gary' now what that mean?

[@davidread9106]

Barckley banker

[@qwadratix]

Just going to the bathroom to take a Donald.

[@coling3957]

London today is like AFRICA .. so i doubt "cockney" will be spoken much in the near future. its mostly posh actors now talking "Mockney" :D

[@thomaslowdon5510]

Have a butchers in the fridge Do we need milk ? Last rhyme missed off..beacause you know the phrase ok.. (Have a butchers hook ).. So you been told what to do yea ? Have a butchers in the fridge.? Have a look.(hook) You always take the last word of the rhyme. .in context to the conversation...... im going bald fast gonna get a ? (Syrup ) Syrup of figs.... whats fig rhyme with in the context. . My plates are killing me ? I walked all the way home... Plates of meat ... C'mon Conor... You walked home.. Plates of (meat)killing you..? Feet ???

[@FISHLIPS62]

Winner= chicken dinner

[@martinwebb1681]

Show us your thrupneys ... 😂

[@TheOrlandoTrustfull]

I haven't even watched this yet, but judging by the thumbnail I know this is going to be pony.

[@annemariefleming]

Pony and trap=💩

[@bsmith5404]

You’re not Pete Tonge.

[@tompurcell1499]

Oo-er! That’s not nice. You need to wash your north ‘n’ south out with a band of hope and fisherman’s daughter! 😀

[@bigmacntings7451]

a little advice...don't visit cockney territory and call someone a merchant or ginger.

[@Windowswatcher]

Boracic lint = skint = no money.

[@soozb15]

Brahms 'n' Liszt 😊

[@danc1897]

P****d 🤣

[@gdok6088]

Pissed !

[@haeleth7218]

"Plates of meat" = feet.

[@SuperKevin57]

Seppo=septic tank =yank

[@maggieobrien892]

twitter? Gary Glitter?

[@williambranch4283]

Cockney London almost gone, their neighborhood is immigrants.

[@tompurcell1499]

For crying out loud! East London has been populated by immigrants for nigh on 1000 years. Get a grip!

[@debradickson7816]

Yep, they’re all gone to places like Hertfordshire and Essex or further afield.

[@101steel4]

@@debradickson7816 definitely Essex. I've been up her for over a decade and practically everyone I meet is from London.

[@johnloony68]

Boat race = face

[@ifax1245]

Load of old pony...

[@peterchapman3740]

pmsl dead now they all left London

[@Isleofskye]

But we are not far away. Went to the same Boys Club as Michael Cine in S E London and just moved 11 miles to be within a 1/2 mile of a S E London postal district, exactly,40 years ago. Go back often(3 times in the last 12 days) back can also get out to the Home Counties Countryside like last weekend and next weekend.

[@paulhorgan6152]

If you can listen to Chas n Dave rabbit, Gercha ,London girls the wonderful list is ENDLESS Thankyou, theirs no pleasing you ❤❤❤😊😊