13 Must-Know Cockney Rhyming Slang Phrases

The term Cockney, dating back to the 16th century, originally described someone born within earshot of the bells of Mary-le-Bow church in London’s East End. By the 1800s, this community had developed its own unique dialect: rhyming slang. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), it’s a form of jargon where a word is substituted by a phrase that rhymes with it. Interestingly, the rhyming part is often dropped, adding to the complexity. The earliest recorded examples of this slang appeared in 1857, documented by lexicographer Ducange Anglicus.

Much like other forms of jargon, Cockney rhyming slang emerged as a secretive language among groups who wanted to keep their conversations private, whether from law enforcement or unsuspecting customers. Its appeal grew due to its inventive and playful nature—you don’t need to be a criminal or a tailor to enjoy calling a suit a “bag of fruit” or a “whistle and flute.” Many of these slang terms have become so widespread that you might have used one with your china plate (meaning mate) without realizing its origins. Today, rhyming slang stands as a quirky and endearing feature of the English language, akin to a linguistic oddity.

1. Rats and Mice

Can you decipher the meaning of this term from the following example, penned by Dashiell Hammett in his 1929 work, Dain Curse? “This Rhino Tingley’s carrying an eleven-hundred case roll. Minnie says he got it with the rats and mice.” Minnie wasn’t hinting at a pest problem but referring to the common gaming tool used by gamblers and role players: dice.

2. Mince Pie

The term ‘mince pie’ has been used to denote an eye in rhyming slang since at least the mid-19th century. (Both are somewhat round, after all.) A 1989 advertisement employs the phrase to depict a grocer’s stunned reaction to an unexpected visitor: “Flabbergasted grocer, George Gimpson, couldn’t believe his mince pies when an alien beamed into his shop.”

3. Plate of Meat

A plate of meat, in its literal sense, is something you wouldn’t want to encounter on this term’s true meaning—the street. This usage dates back to the mid-19th century, and it can also refer to feet.

4. Rock of Ages

Since the early 17th century, the phrase rock of ages has symbolized God or Christ. However, in rhyming slang, it takes on a more secular meaning: wages. This usage emerged in the 1930s and was referenced in London’s Sunday Express in 2003: “Between you and me, the rude ones are often the best, but this is a family newspaper, so I’ll keep it clean, or the editor will stop my rock of ages.”

5. God-forbid

Do you possess any god-forbids? If so, you have kids. The term’s reasoning was explained in J.R. Ware’s 1909 book, Passing English of the Victorian Era: “God-forbids, kids—a cynical term used by poor men who fear a large family.” For more Victorian slang documented by Ware, explore this list.

6. Apples and Pears

Perhaps the most iconic example of Cockney rhyming slang, the phrase apples and pears stands for stairs. Its usage dates back to at least 1857, when it was documented in Ducange Anglicus’s The vulgar tongue: comprising two glossaries of slang, cant and flash words and phrases, principally used in London at the present day. You might also hear someone say they “fell down the apples,” omitting the rhyming part—a common feature of Cockney slang, as noted by the OED.

7. Half-inch

Have you been half-inching lately? Hopefully not, as it means stealing—or more specifically, pinching in rhyming slang. This term dates back to the late 19th century and appears in the 1891 book Man of World: “Father must be got out on bail. He has been half-inching again.”

8. Bees and Honey

Since at least 1892, bees and honey has been used in rhyming slang to mean money, the sweet reward everyone seeks. The term was featured in Jeffrey Ashford’s 1960 novel Counsel for the Defence: “D’you reckon we’d waste good bees and honey on a slump like you for nothing.”

9. Fisherman’s Daughter

This term is as logical as any rhyming slang: the fisherman’s daughter would naturally be well-acquainted with water. The term appears in Daniel William Barrett’s 1980 book Life and Work Among the Navies: “If he wants water, he asks for ‘the fisherman's daughter’.”

10. Loaf of Bread

Since at least 1930, loaf of bread has served as a rhyming slang term for dead. Wystan Hugh Auden and Christopher Isherwood’s 1935 work The Dog Beneath the Skin employs the term poetically: “O how I cried when Alice died The day we were to have wed! We never had our Roasted Duck And now she’s a Loaf of Bread.” Another rhyming term for dead is brown bread.

11. Lump of Lead

The term lump of lead is rhyming slang for your head. Similarly, pound of lead also refers to the head, and like apples and pears, it’s often shortened to just pound, dropping the rhyming part.

12. Rogue and Villain

One of the most quintessentially British terms, rogue and villain stands for a shilling, a usage dating back to the mid-19th century when rhyming slang was first documented. This phrase also found its way into Australian slang.

13. Grasshoppers

Real-life rogues and villains, when pilfering shillings, should steer clear of grasshoppers—a term used in rhyming slang to refer to coppers.