The Pocket Cockney Rhyming Slang

The Original
A portable cockney kit, a pocket glossary of cockney rhyming slang, intended for quick and easy reference.

Conventionally, a cockney is anyone born 'within the sound of Bow Bells' (St Mary-le-Bow church, in London), but rather than fixating on Dirty Den from Eastenders, Dickensian villains or Pearly Kings and Queens, perhaps we should focus rather on comedian Arthur Smith's definition, which may be nearer the mark: a cockney is simply a 'non-posh Londoner'.

This pocket glossary is intended for quick and easy reference; it's a portable cockney kit. Supposedly cockney rhyming  slang was originally invented to outwit authority and eavesdroppers. Whether that's true or not, it remains a closed language to the uninitiated. But its humour is too good to be missed, which is, in large part, the rationale for this compact, entertaining volume.

Very rarely does a true cockney use his or her 'loaf of bread' (head); a cockney uses simply their 'loaf'. Where slang is abbreviated in this way, examples are given. Of course, cockney rhyming  slang is constantly evolving and being added to, so this pocket guide cannot be the last word, but it offers a dependably solid foundation.

Contributor: (General editor)

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.