Why do Cockneys call a watch a kettle?

The term means watch, which stemmed from a 'fob' watch which was a pocket watch attached to the body with a small chain. The kettle used to boil on the hob of a stove… hence the rhyme.

Why do they call watches kettle?

When pocket watches first became fashionable, they were held against the body by use of a small chain. The watch then slipped into the pocket and could be easily extracted without dropping it. These were called fob watches, and it's from this expression that we get Kettle and Hob for watch.

Why do Londoners call a house a drum?

Drum and Bass is Cockney slang for Place.

The word drum was originally used to describe a room or prison cell or even a road. It then became confined to only mean the home.

Why do Cockneys call 25 a pony?

Whilst this is not cemented in fact, the widely held belief is that the terms came from soldiers returning to Britain from India. Old Indian rupee banknotes had animals on them and it is said that the 500 rupee note had a monkey on it and the 25 rupee featured a pony.

Why do Cockneys call glasses bins?

On the subject of 'bins' this expression is the cockney rhyming slang for glasses, as in reading glasses, so if someone is having trouble looking up a number in a telephone book you might say put on your 'bins'.

Green Street Hooligans - Bees and Honey

What is a donkey in Cockney slang?

donkey is Cockney Rhyming Slang for Stupid! Jacks.

Why is a drink called a sherbet?

"sherbet / sherbert - an alcoholic drink (usually a beer). Derives from the Turkish word 'sherbet' which was a cooling drink made from fruit juice.

What does custard mean in Cockney?

“No one's watching the custard” means “no one's watching the TV.” “Custard and jelly” rhymes with “telly.”

What is a tenner in Cockney slang?

Cockney Money Slang

The first things you gotta learn are that five pounds is a fiver, and ten pounds is a tenner. Then you gotta know the key money values: £20 is a Score, £25 is a Pony, £100 is a Ton, £500 is a Monkey, and £1000 is a Grand.

Why is 300 a carpet?

The term has since the early 1900s been used by bookmakers and horse-racing, where carpet refers to odds of three-to-one, and in car dealing, where it refers to an amount of £300.

What does treacle mean in Cockney slang?

(Cockney rhyming slang) Sweetheart (from treacle tart).

What does a Toby mean in Cockney slang?

""Toby" means "road" in this context, but it isn't rhyming slang. It seems to come from about 1811. It is derived from the language of Irish travellers who use the word "tober" to mean road. Another related expression is the toby meaning highway robbery. High toby meaning highway robbery on horseback.

What does Dicky mean in Cockney?

dicky (plural dickies) (colloquial) A louse. (Cockney rhyming slang) Dicky dirt = a shirt, meaning a shirt with a collar.

What does Kermit mean in Cockney rhyming slang?

Kermit is Cockney slang for Road.

What does Derby mean in Cockney slang?

"Derby Kell" is old Cockney rhyming slang for belly ("Derby Kelly"). "Blow out your kite" means "fill your stomach". It uses the word kite (also kyte), a dialect word, originally derived from an Old English word for the womb which, by extension, came to mean the belly.

Why is a safe known as a Peter?

It's Cockney rhyming slang. A safe is called “a can”, which leads you in the obscure logic of East End language to be “peter pan” which is shortened to “Peter”. So a Peter man was a man who dealt with safes. Many Scottish safe crackers ended up in Peterhead prison….

What does bubble mean in Cockney?

(Cockney rhyming slang) A laugh.

What's a dry lunch in Cockney slang?

Dry-lunch definition

Filters. (England, slang) A contemptible or uncool person. noun.

What does a carpet mean in Cockney?

Carpet is Cockney Rhyming Slang for 3! Postman Pat.

Why is your bum called your Harris?

Aris is Cockney slang for Arse.

In this case the phrase Bottle and Glass became rhyming slang for Artse . Then Bottle because Aristotle , which was finally shortened just to Aris . It proves the wide acceptance of Cockney slang that these doublings can evolve over time.

What does dog and bone mean in Cockney?

Noun. dog and bone (plural dog and bones) (Cockney rhyming slang, Australian rhyming slang) A telephone. Oi, keep the noise down! I'm talking to my old lady on the dog and bone.

What does use your Filbert mean?

Filbert was old British slang for the head.

What does dont get lemon mean?

So we kept Lemon and added “Don't Get” to make “Don't Get Lemon” — Cockney rhyming slang which means don't get smart (lemon tart = smart). It's a famous line from a movie called The Football Factory which stars Danny Dyer who we use as kind of an inside joke in the band.”

What is Cockney rhyming slang for beer?

Pig's Ear is Cockney Rhyming Slang for Beer!