BBC 6分钟英语学习 伦敦生活_押韵俚语

Hello, catherine, here from BBC Learning

English. Just so you know, this program is from the BBC Learning English archive.

It was originally broadcast in November 2006 on our website.

We hope you enjoy it. Hello.

I'm Callum Robertson, and this is London Life in the program.

Today, we take a brief look at rhyming, slang, an interesting form of vocabulary, where an expression which rhymes with the word you mean, is used, e.g.

the phrase boat race. The boat race is a famous sporting event held in London.

But the phrase boat race is also rhyming slang for face.

Race rhymes with face. One of the features of rhyming slang is that often the word that rhymes is not actually said.

So, e.g., boat race is shortened to just boat.

She's got a pretty boat means she's got a pretty face.

It's not unusual to hear rhyming slang expressions all over the country, but perhaps it's best known as cockney rhyming slang.

A copy is someone who comes from a particular part of East London.

But what is rhyming slang, and how did it come about?

Here's a true cockney Larry Barnes to explain.

What does he say the word slang stands for, and where does he say Rhyming slang comes from?

Driving. Slang was originally well s Lang secret language, but I was always taught as a youngster, it was the secret language of the markets, so that if a stallholder wanted to talk to a stallholder on the opposite side of the street without the panters in the middle, not what he was talking about.

It use rhyme slang. He says that Slang stands for s Lang, short form of Secret Language, and that rhyming slang came from the markets.

The people who work on a market are the storeholders, and if they wanted to talk to each other without the customers understanding, they would use rhyming slang.

Now, notice he doesn't say the word customers.

He says the word hunters, which is another common Slang expression for a customer, a hunter.

Listen again, roming. Slang was originally well s Lang secret language, but I was always taught as a youngster, it was the secret language of the markets, so that if a stallholder wanted to talk to a stallholder on the opposite side of the street without the panters in the middle, not what he was talking about.

It use rhyming slang. He goes on to give an example of a sentence using traditional rhyming slang.

1st, he gives the sentence in regular English, and then he gives the sentence in rhyming slang.

Have a listen, see if you can catch any of it.

He wouldn't say the offence. He walked down a road to the pub for a quick fight, a beer, he said, if fancier bowled down a frog to the rubber for a quick ponder.

Wallow, hmm. I think maybe that needs a little translation.

1ST let's hear the normal English sentence again.

The offence here walked down the road to the park for a quick fight of beer.

Do you fancy a walk down the road to the pub for a quick pint of beer?

Now, what about the rhyming slang version?

If as you bowl down a frog to the rubber for a quick pond wall Do you fancy a ball Down the frog to the rubber for a quick pint of wallop?

Well, let's translate that now. Do you fancy Would you like a ball?

Ball is the shortened form of the expression ball of chalk, which is cockney, rhyming slang for walk.

Next, we go down the frog.

Frog is the shortened form of frog, and toad, which is rhyming slang for road.

Then we have a quick pint of wallop.

Wallop isn't rhyming slang, but it is an old slang word for beer.

So putting that altogether, we have, do you fancy a ball down the frog for a quick pint of wallop?

BBC Learningenglish com A feature of rhyming slang is that it changes and develops.

A new book has just been published, which updates rhyming slang.

It's called Shame about the Boat Race.

And Duncan Black works for its publisher Columns.

He explains how celebrities and characters from television have become part of rhyming slang, and he mentions a number of celebrities.

Brittany Spears is one of them.

What's her name? Ryming slang for?

Well, generally new slang terms tend to focus around pop culture and celebrities.

My personal favorites are Britneys,

for Britney spears beers, basil, as in Basil faulty balty, or Billy Piper, as in windscreen wiper.

Brittany spears beers. So now you can say you go down to the pub for a few Brittaneys.

He also mentioned some names from British television.

Basil Faulty rhyming slang for the Indian food, bolty and Billy piper slang for windscreen wiper part of your car.

Making new rhyming slang is very easy and egalitarian.

Egalitarian means anyone can do it.

It's not something that only specialists and experts can do.

Duncan Black explains how, and it's very easy to use.

It's thegalitarian. Anyone can have a goal.

You just need a name or or something, or someone which runs to something.

Anyone can have a go. He says, anyone can try it.

You just need a name which rhymes with something.

So why not have a go yourself?

Try and make a sentence in which you replace the name of an object with the name of a celebrity, which rhymes Well, that's all for today.

I'm off to the Indian for a battle in some Britneys.

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