Friday 5 February 2010

Have a butchers

Our friends who have moved South (the ones we visited last weekend) were talking about languages, Laura has been doing a Spanish speaking course at night school and was telling us how difficult she was finding it and was asking P for some tips, he told her she seemed to be doing Mexican Spanish which sounds a bit different and uses different expressions to the Spanish he learned and even in Spain there are regional differences which P struggles with. We got onto talking about regional differences in the UK, I mean Geordies, Brummies, Glaswegians can all be difficult to follow. Then old London Cockney slang, with which Laura's husband was very familiar as he originated from East End and still has family there now.

Cockney rhyming slang used to be a form of Pidgin English which developed so that the working Eastenders in London could have a right good chin wag without the toffs knowing what they were talking about.

Anyway I worked out that next time you're in a real London boozer, have a butchers and if you hear a geezer in a dodgy looking whistle and flute telling his trouble and strife that he's going to march her up the apples and pears for spending too much time on the dog and bone, take her alan wickers down and give a right scorching on her queen mum, you'll know he's going to take her upstairs and spank her on the bum for trotting up a mega phone bill. And if you hear that after he's settled the matter they'll sit down with a nice cup of rosy lee, you'll know they're still best of friends after the event.

And if you think this is a somewhat obscure post for a spanking blog, I'd say not at all, it's educational especially for non UK readers, and remember next time you're in that London boozer and you catch part of a conversation with 'queen mum' or 'alan wickers' in it things might not be what they seem.

Ronnie
xx

5 comments:

hestia said...

now my Love still plans to take me on a trip to London... and when I did my English exams years ago I got a 9.9 cause 10 is only for our Lord.. but this I ded not learn.. grinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

have a wonderfull weekend....

love, Lessa

Hermione said...

Ronnie, that's so interesting! I am familiar with only a few of those expressions, like "Cobbler's" from watching Coronation Street. Mike Baldwin was a cockney.

We have the same problem here with French as your friend had with Spanish. Quebecois French is quite different from Parisian French, which is what was taught when I went to school.

Tell me: is "I don't give a monkey's" also rhyming slang? I can't figure out the end to that one.

Hugs,
Hermione

M:e said...

This made me roar with laughter. Thank you for that.

love and hugs xxx

PK said...

Darn Ronnie! I only speak American could you print a translation??

Hugs,
PK

ronnie said...

Lessa - So keep your ears open when you get to London and your in one of the old boozers :)

Hermione - Thanks. Do you speak French well? There are so many cockney slang words, a few more for you -
China Plate - Mate
Adam and Eve - Believe
Jimmy Riddle - Piddle (you probably have heard that one)
Plates of Meat - Feet. The list goes on.

"I don't give a monkey's" not real cockney slang

M:e - My pleasure, happy you liked it.

PK - I'd need a translation for some of the others, these were the easy ones to understand.

Thanks all.

Hope you have a good weekend.

Love.
Ronnie
xx