Why is a kettle a watch?

Kettle and hob = watch

This is a confusing phrase as it doesn't rhyme with its modern-day meaning. 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 Cockneys 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. Finally this was rhymed with Drum and Bass giving its modern interpretation.

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.

What is Cockney rhyming slang for toilet?

Khazi is Cockney slang for Toilet.

What is Cockney rhyming slang for knees?

Biscuits and Cheese is Cockney Rhyming Slang for Knees!

Why is a kettle louder BEFORE it boils?

Why is 200 called a bottle?

bottle = two pounds, or earlier tuppence (2d), from the cockney rhyming slang: bottle of spruce = deuce (= two pounds or tuppence). Spruce probably mainly refers to spruce beer, made from the shoots of spruce fir trees which is made in alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties.

Why are glasses called 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'.

Why is a toilet called a John?

At one point in time these names began to be used for describing a small, smelly restroom area inside of a house. Only the very wealthy had jakes/jacks inside of their homes– most others were located somewhere outside. The name “John” was later derived from “Jake” and “Jack.”

What does take a Toby mean?

Ride the toby or ply the toby meaning practice highway robbery. There are many other related expressions centering around highway robbery.

What's a dry lunch in Cockney slang?

Dry-lunch definition

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

Why is a pound called a nicker?

Not pluralised for a number of pounds, eg., 'It cost me twenty nicker..' From the early 1900s, London slang, precise origin unknown. Possibly connected to the use of nickel in the minting of coins, and to the American slang use of nickel to mean a $5 dollar note, which at the late 1800s was valued not far from a pound.

Why is money called Lolly?

Simply so Where does the Word lolly for money come from? short for lollipop, 1854. Also, in mid-20c. British slang, “money.”

Why is money called P's?

"P's" is the shortened form of "pounds", which is British currency. Here's the translated version of what the two are saying: Hi-Hatz: You sell my weed from Ron still?

Why is a cell called a Peter?

Cell (1800s). Originated from the old slang 'peter', for portmanteau (a trunk or a box), the term was applied to the box-like qualities of a cell) A black peter was a punishment cell, usually a very dark one. Associated peters were cells with at least two prisoners in them.

Why does taters meaning cold?

slang Cold. The phrase comes from rhyming slang in which "taters (potatoes) in the mould" rhymes with "cold." Primarily heard in UK.

Why is a house called a gaff?

Then there's the British slang meaning of gaff for the place where one lives (“come round my gaff for a coffee”), which is almost certainly derived from the use of gaff in the eighteenth-century to mean a fair, and later a cheap music-hall or theatre (as in the infamous penny gaff) and which probably comes from the ...

What does Kermit mean in cockney rhyming slang?

Kermit is Cockney Rhyming Slang for Road! Dog and Lead.

What is a cherry Hogg?

Cherry Hogg is Cockney slang for Dog.

What does a carpet mean in Cockney?

Carpet is Cockney Rhyming Slang for 3! Becks and Posh.

How did pirates poop on ships?

Ships of the line frequently included systems of pipes, septic tanks and even primitive forms of flush toilets. Archaelogical evidence reveals the existence of shipboard plumbing is attested to as far back as Roman times.

Why is a bathroom called a restroom?

The term restroom came from the fact that in early 1900s up-scale restaurants, theatres and performing facilities would often have comfortable chairs or sofas located within or in a room directly adjacent to the actual toilet and sink facilities.

What did they use for toilet paper before it was invented?

Leaves, sticks, moss, sand and water were common choices, depending on early humans' environment. Once we developed agriculture, we had options like hay and corn husks. People who lived on islands or on the coast used shells and a scraping technique.

What is a donkey in Cockney slang?

donkey is Cockney Rhyming Slang for Stupid!

Why is a check called a kite?

History. The term "check kiting" first came into use in the 1920s. It stemmed from a 19th-century practice of issuing IOUs and bonds with zero collateral. That practice became known as flying a kite, as there was nothing to support the loan besides air.

What does pony and trap mean in Cockney?

pony and trap (uncountable) (Cockney rhyming slang) Crap; rubbish, nonsense.